Bach · Prelude in C

BWV 846 · Lang Lang · C major · Listen → Speak → Audiate

35 bars · tap a bar to seek · approximate timing

Duple grouping · 4/4

Dude

Two large pulses, each divided Du–de

Now playing

Tonic · I · Home

Play the prelude and follow the movement.

Ready · C major

Harmonic foundation · What to learn first

Build these skills by listening, singing, and playing. You can start Bach while developing them; naming a chord is different from hearing its function.

Hear tonal home. Hear and sing C as the resting point. Imagine it during silence, then check on the keyboard. Practice the opening return →
Know scale degrees and triads. In C: I = C–E–G (1–3–5), IV = F–A–C (4–6–1), V = G–B–D (5–7–2). Hear each chord as a group of related notes. Explore the basic chord keyboard →
Hear tonic, predominant, and dominant. I establishes home; ii and IV commonly prepare V; V creates an expectation of I. Sing a phrase and anticipate its arrival. Hear I–ii7–V7–I →
Separate chord identity from bass position. C/E is still C major, with E in the bass. Follow each voice rather than assuming every bass change means a new chord. Hear inversions and bass movement →
Hear seventh-chord tension and resolution. G7 adds F to G–B–D. In a typical return to C, B rises to C and F falls to E. Dm7 adds C to D–F–A. Hear the seventh chords resolve →

Next, learn these devices through the piece:

Secondary dominants: D7 introduces F♯ to point toward G; C7 introduces B♭ to point toward F. Hear the new pull toward G →
Diminished sevenths and chromatic voice leading: altered notes create small-step paths into the next chord. Listen for where each note resolves. Hear chromatic approaches →
Pedal tones and suspensions: a bass note can stay while harmonies change; an upper note can delay its resolution. Hear held bass and delayed landings →

Ready-to-try check: can you sing home, distinguish away from dominant tension, and imagine a return before it sounds? Start there; use slower playback and one part at a time.

Written explanations refer to original C major. Playback, current chord names, and keyboard follow the transpose controls.