Chords may appear daunting for beginners, but most follow a set pattern. This downloadable poster shows all major and minor piano chords conveniently in one convenient chart.
Understanding these chord types will allow for more flexible harmony creation.
Major Triads
A major triad chord is composed of three notes stacked atop each other and their distance from one another is known as an interval.
Major triads consist of three notes; the root, major third and perfect fifth above it, each representing different qualities of harmony in terms of their distance from one another. Their closeness or distance defines how successful a chord may be.
This chord progression can be found across many genres of music – rock, country, pop and jazz all feature it frequently – and usually gives listeners an uplifting sensation that often results in an emotional build-up.
Create an effective chord progression in any major key using the first, third and fifth chords from its corresponding major scale. However, there are various variations of this chord you can use to add depth and emotion to your music; an A minor chord could provide the perfect touch by adding melancholy into an otherwise upbeat major progression and heightening emotional build-up.
Minor Triads
Minor chords feature all of the same basic keyboard notes as its major counterpart, but only have two keys between root and third instead of three. Furthermore, its second note is flattened three half steps lower to give it its dark, melancholy sound – something frequent used in popular and rock music such as in The Beatles classic “Comfortably Numb.”
As with scales, chords are defined using letters or numbers at their beginning. A capital letter represents the chord’s root; while numbers or letters suffixes identify its type. Common types of added tones include major9 chords which add the ninth tone from scale above existing stack of thirds; diminished chords built by adding flattened seventh notes directly to root cause tension and drama within songs.
Dominant Sevenths
Dominant sevenths can add tension and drama to piano music, as well as jazz music. To create them, simply lower both third and seventh by half steps for an emotional sounding chord.
Sheet music notation of dominant sevenths typically displays them by adding the letter 7 after their root name; for example: C major triad + b7 = C dominant seventh. You may also encounter this chord written as Cmaj7 or C7.
More advanced pianists may also add an augmented seventh above a chord’s root; this technique is often employed in jazz music as an alternative to dominant sevenths. To create an augmented seventh, simply add a minor seventh above its root – for instance: G major triad + b7 = G augmented seventh which can also be written as Caug7 or C7(#5) on sheet music and lead sheets.
Added Tones
Utilising the formulas above, you can construct chords using notes beyond the seven-note diatonic scale. These augmented or diminished chords are commonly found in jazz, rock, and other modern genres.
Added tone chords (also referred to as upper structure) use the same chord formula as triads but add non-tertian notes above their root note, often including fifth or seventh notes above it; their lower structures often utilize third or fourth from their triad counterparts for increased tonal versatility and melodic qualities in the left hand.
Some analysts use Roman numerals to depict chord roots as scale degrees; o or dim indicates whether the chord is diminished or augmented. Others prefer using lower-case letters for minor chords and upper-case letters/symbols for major ones; as well as symbols for altered chords like sus2 or omit5. Such notations allow musicians of all skill levels to easily access chord notations.