Playing the piano
Understanding
chords
How to construct and play common chords
Chord type Formula
Major 1 - 3 - 5
Minor 1 - b3- 5
Diminished 1 - b3-b5
Augmented 1 - 3 -# 5
Dominant 7th 1 - 3 - 5 - b7
Major seventh 1 - 3 - 5 - 7
Minor seventh 1 - b3- 5 - b7
Sus 2 /Sus4 1 -2-5/1- 4 - 5Right-hand chords Playing three or more notes with one hand
Finger patterns
There’s not really set finger patterns
for every chord – but most use 1 - 3 - 5
for a normal triad chordFormulas
All chords can be constructed using the same
formula for each type. If you know what notes are
in a scale, you can use these to work out a chordMinor seventh chord
This is D minor seventh,
which uses four fingers – as all
seventh chords do. Its formula
is 1 - b3- 5 - b7 – D-F-A-CFree fingers
Unless you’re playing a five-note
chord, which is quite rare, you will
have a free finger or two. Make
sure these are ready to play notes
after the chordA
chord is a set of three or more notes
played at the same time, and they
are an integral part of music. When
they are played in sequence it is known
as a chord progression, and a well thought-out
progression can transform an average song into a
great one. Fortunately, we can use music theory and
knowledge of the scales we’ve already covered to
construct and experiment with different chords.
To play a three-note major chord (also known as
a triad), you must play the first, third, and fifth note
of its corresponding major scale. For example, ifyou want to play a C major chord, you would need
to play the first, third and fifth note of the C major
scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C) together – so that would be
C-E-G. The major chord isn’t the only kind to have a
formula like this. The table to the right lists many of
the most common kinds of chords and how they
are constructed.
When looking at the sheet music, you may see
letters above a stave – these are chords that the
melody is based on. If you find the right or left-hand
part too challenging, then playing the correct chord
instead will still sound great.Audio file
Listen to the audio files
and follow along on your
own keyboardGive it a try