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In this section, we will learn common piano chords. Chords are combinations of notes played simultaneously.
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In this section, we will learn common piano chords. Chords are combinations of notes played simultaneously.
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Lesson 3: Learning Chords
- Now that we've learned how to identify all of the notes on the keyboard, we can begin to start putting them together in order to make chords. For those that are unfamiliar, a chord is a combination of two or more notes that are played simultaneously. Chords produce a fuller, more complex sound and form the basis of countless songs in every genre. Although there are hundreds of possible chords that can be played on the piano, we will start by learning the most basic chords in music: The Major Chords.
- Although full chords are normally played with the left hand (while the right hand plays the melody), you should be able to play each of the chords with both hands. In this section we will go over the correct fingering positions for each of the major chords. In order to better read the diagrams, we will assign a number to each of your fingers. When reading the diagram, your thumb will be referred to as 1, your index finger as 2, your middle finger as 3, your ring finger as 4, and your pinky as 5.
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A Major
- Left Hand:
- Put your pinky finger on the A
- Put your middle finger on the C#
- Put your thumb on the E
- Right Hand:
- Put your thumb on the A
- Put your middle finger on the C#
- Put your pinky finger on the E
B Major
- Left Hand:
- Put your pinky finger on the B
- Put your middle finger on the D#
- Put your index finger on the F#
- Right Hand:
- Put your thumb on the B
- Put your index finger on the D#
- Put your middle finger on the F#
C Major
- Left Hand:
- Put your pinky finger on the C
- Put your middle finger on the E
- Put your thumb on the G
- Right Hand:
- Put your thumb on the C
- Put your middle finger on the E
- Put your pinky finger on the G
D Major
- Left Hand:
- Put your pinky finger on the D
- Put your middle finger on the F#
- Put your thumb on the A
- Right Hand:
- Put your thumb on the D
- Put your middle finger on the F#
- Put your pinky on the A
E Major
- Left Hand:
- Put your pinky finger on the E
- Put your middle finger on the G#
- Put your thumb on the B
- Right Hand:
- Put your thumb on the E
- Put your middle finger on the G#
- Put your pinky finger on the B
F Major
- Left Hand:
- Put your pinky finger on the F
- Put your middle finger on the A
- Put your thumb on the C
- Right Hand:
- Put your thumb on the F
- Put your middle finger on the A
- Put your pinky finger on the C
G Major
- Left Hand:
- Put your pinky finger on the G
- Put your middle finger on the B
- Put your thumb on the D
- Right Hand:
- Put your thumb on the G
- Put your middle finger on the B
- Put your pinky finger on the D
Minor Chords
- While playing the various major chords, you may have noticed that the sound they produce has a "Happy" or "Upbeat" quality. This is one of the main characteristics of the Major chord family. The counterpoint to the major chords are the minor chords. Minor chords generally have a "Dark", "Moody" or even "Sad" quality and are often used to evoke these types of emotions. In order to increase your versatility and understanding of the piano, it is important that you know how to make the minor chord shapes as well. But don't worry. If you have a good grasp of the major chords, you should have no problem playing their minor counterparts. Here's How:
- In order to produce a minor chord, all you need to do is to take the middle note of a major chord and lower it by one half-step (the key directly to the left - whether it's a white key or a black key). For example, since a C major chord is made by playing the notes C, E and G, you would simply take the E (the middle note) and lower it by a half-step. Since the key directly to the left of the E is a D# (or Eb), all you would is play the D# instead of the E.
- The same process that we used to create a C minor chord can be applied to all of the major chords. Simply drop the middle note a half-step and you have your minor chord. So, in order to make a G minor chord you would play G, A# and D. For a D minor, it would be D, F and A. An E minor chord would be E, G and B. And so on...
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