We take to sea today at the 3 Chord Club to learn three Sea Shanties (in the key of sea) by ear. Today’s meeting could actually be called the 2 Chord Club as each of these traditional saltwater classics consist of only two chords.

At the 3 Chord Club we choose three songs from a specific artist, label or genre of music that we’ll learn by ear. All the songs will contain three chords or less! Since you know the song has only one to three chords, try to figure out the changes, or chord progression by ear. Here’s a hint, most of the time the chords will be the I-IV & V or V7 chords. In the Key of C, that’s C-F-G or G7. Remember, the sound examples may be in various keys. As an added bonus, try to figure out the key of the recording.

Cape Cod Girls
(Hint: I-V-I))

Blow The Man Down
(Hint: I-V-I)

The Drunken Sailor
(Hint: i-bVII)

Songs presented are for educational purposes only and used under the fair use doctrine of United States copyright law.