Chords form the backbone of songs, giving them their identity and defining their atmosphere – be it joyfully celebratory or melancholic and reflective.
All chords follow a three-note formula; root note, major third and perfect fifth. To practice finding these notes, locate middle C and count eight white keys down until a lower tone appears – an octave sound will result.
Basics
Beginning your study of piano chords requires familiarizing yourself with basic shapes and fingerings. A chord is composed of notes played together at once to create harmony, with its root note (first note in chord), third, fifth, augmented or diminished triads being the foundations of all piano chords; these triads create various sound combinations which vary based on how they’re constructed – creating major, minor, augmented and diminished versions that each add a distinctive feel and tonality to music.
Starting out, stick with root position chords; these are the easiest to play and most commonly encountered. A root position chord consists of three distinct notes from a triad, usually named according to what song it appears in – for instance C major or A minor chords will make learning even simpler! Later on you will also discover ways of inverting them, further simplifying their application.
Once you feel comfortable with these basics, move on to other types of piano chords. As soon as you start practicing these basics, explore more complex ones such as 7th or 9th extensions; these additional notes add extra notes but aren’t required for beginners.
An effective way of remembering all these chords is to study a piano chart, which contains their names and their associated notes. This will enable you to build up a repertoire of all your favorite songs’ chords.
Practice stacking the different notes of a chord to create a fuller sound and more interesting playing experience. This can be done one, two, or even three octaves down for extra challenge!
As it’s also essential that pianists know how to form minor chords, it is also crucial that they understand how to create one. Minor chords have a murkier, sadder sound than major ones. To create one, start from the root note, add E, then count up three half steps until reaching G; repeat until all 12 piano minor chords are formed!
Symbols
As with any musical form, piano chord symbols may initially seem complex and difficult to use, but practice will help familiarize them. Keep this in mind: chords consist of groups of three or more notes played together – triads being the basic building block for chords. Triads come in various types that each create unique sounds; adding extra notes (called extensions) adds even more tonal color to music.
Chord symbols typically consist of capital letters and the name of the chord written at the top; then all other symbol follow below it, making it easy to quickly determine what notes make up each chord without needing to look through all individual symbols.
Sometimes chord symbols feature numbers to denote how many tones above the root are necessary to play a chord successfully. These numbers are calculated based on major and minor scales, starting with root note as 1. If you see C major as an example, its key of C is 1, so playing C, D, and E are all needed for its successful execution.
Sometimes chord symbols contain a slash after each capital letter; for example if the chord symbol says C/G, this means you need to play the C chord with an accompanying G note in its bass register – using your right hand for playing its top note and your left hand for its lower note (as per its symbol).
The most widely-used extension is the 7th. This adds another note to an existing chord for greater complexity, though you will sometimes see higher extensions such as 9ths or 13ths that provide extra musical interest in songs.
As with extensions, minor chords can also be identified by writing an “m” at the end of each capital letter in their name. A minus sign may also appear occasionally – it’s important to be familiar with how each variation of a chord sounds so that you can choose one best suited to your personal musical tastes and preferences.
Inversions
Chord inversions occur when you alter the position of a chord to make it easier for your fingers to play it, add variety or weightiness, or alter its sound. Once you master playing basic root position chords, inversions should become another subject of study and practice.
To create a chord inversion, simply move the root of your chord up or down an octave from its normal root position. For instance, if you start out with a C Major chord as its normal root position and move its root up one octave for second inversion then the resultant chord would be C E G; this same formula works for any key.
These inversions can be seen written on sheet music with a slash symbol () next to the chord name or letter symbols, or you may use key signatures as another way of showing which chord inversions are being played.
Noting the ease with which one chord inversion can be played doesn’t guarantee it is appropriate for every song you are playing; therefore, practicing all possible fingerings for every chord inversion will help make reading chord progressions in sheet music simpler and help develop the ability to play more complex songs with less mistakes.
Learning chord inversions is another good reason to study them; they help make smoother transitions between chords and add an interesting sound to your piano playing. Switching from root position chord to an inverted version can have a dramatic impact on its sound and feel.
Minor chords, similar to major ones, can also be created using inversions. To do so, simply move the third note down an octave; this subtle alteration can have an immense impact on their sound. When practicing these chords try practicing them both ways – blocking all five notes simultaneously or breaking them up so each note can be fingered individually.
Rhythm
As you start learning piano chords, it is crucial that you quickly develop an understanding of their rhythm. This will enable you to use them effectively when creating music in the future and playing piano chords will become much more rewarding! There are various rhythm patterns you can use when playing piano chords – you may find combining several makes the chords sound more interesting while using this rhythm will enable you to develop more complex chords in future.
As a starting point, focus on learning simple rhythms that are easy to grasp and play. This will give you the foundational understanding of piano chord rhythm. Once these basic rhythms have become second nature to you, more challenging patterns may follow; be patient when working through these challenges as to avoid becoming frustrated too quickly.
As you play piano chords, remember that they should usually consist of all three notes being stacked upon one another. If there are additional notes added, these should generally be indicated with an added number written after the chord symbol indicating their distance above its root in a major or minor scale; for instance, 7th chords usually represent one step above.
Add bass notes to any piano chord to add fuller and more interesting sounds. Simply play the lowest note in bass with your left hand before playing the other two notes with your right. This will bring harmony and depth to any song!
As well as adding bass notes, you can also change the order of notes within your chord stack by inversion for an entirely different sound and feel.