This is the Fastest Method To Learning Piano Chords

Chords are a huge part of piano music and playing and we need to spend a good amount of time learning our chords, learning how to recognize what type of chord the music is asking us to play and all the different variety of a chord that we can play.

In the written portion of this lesson we’re going to go over different types of chords, what they are called and how to play them; and then in the video portion of the lesson at the end, we’re going to go over different exercises at the keyboard that will help you master these chords in your own practice time.

One of the first types of chords that all pianists learn is called Triads.Triads are made up of 3 notes.

Remember how I mentioned above that we have to learn what type of chord each one is? Today we’re going to learn four types of triads and 7th chords. The four types of triads are:

• Major
• Minor
• Diminished
• Augmented

Major triads always sound bright and happy. They always have 3 notes stacked on each other. The 3 notes are always the 1st, or root, the 3rd, and the 5th notes.

• An easy way to remember what notes are in a major triad in any key, is to simply start at the root, then go up four ½ steps to the next note in the chord, then go up just three ½ steps to find the 3rd and final note in the chord. This is true for all key signatures.
• Another way to remember your chords is to memorize the ones that have similar keyboard patterns, such as all white keys. The major triads that have all white keys in them are C major, F major, and G major. Another group of similar notes is one with a sharp note in the middle, or the 2nd note of the chord. Triads that fit this pattern are D major, E major, and A major.
• I play more examples of this in the video and will show you the one chord in all of the major keys that has all black keys in it.

Minor triads are easy to identify by ear because they almost always sound sad. They are made up of 3 notes just like the major triads; the root, 3rd, and 5th notes of the scale.

• The difference in a minor triad and a major triad is that the middle or 2nd note of the chord is lowered a half step.
• So simply take your major triad, lower the 2nd note a half step, and you have a minor triad. In the case of C major, the notes would be C, E, G. To make this a minor triad, lower the E to an Eb, and there you have it.
• The formula or pattern of half steps from note to note changes in the minor triads as well. This time you start at the root, go up 3 ½ steps, and then go up 4 ½ steps to find each of the correct notes. Remember, in a major triad the pattern is start at the root, go up four ½ steps, and then go up three ½ steps to find each of those notes. Important difference!
• Again, memorize the minor triads by grouping them together according to similar keyboard patterns just as you did with the major triads.

Diminished triads are easy to identify because they sound ominous and kind of creepy!

• To create a diminished triad, simply lower the 2nd and the 3rd notes by one ½ step. Remember…we lowered just the 2nd note of the chord one ½ step to create a minor triad. This time, we lower both notes and then you’ll hear that distinctive diminished chord triad sound.
• The formula in this case is different again…start at the root, go up three ½ steps and then go up three ½ steps again to find each of these notes.
• Learn them again by grouping together according to similar keyboard patterns.

Augmented triads sound a bit like diminished triads in that they share that mysterious uncomfortable kind of feeling in their sound; almost like something is about to happen.

• We create this type of triad by raising the 3rd note in the chord, (or the 5th tone of the scale).
• The formula in this case is again…starting at the root, then go up four ½ steps and then go up four ½ steps again.
• Remember that we lower that 3rd note of the chord in a diminished triad, and then we raise it in an augmented triad. Diminish means to reduce and augment means to expand…so it can help you to remember which one you lower and which one you raise, if you understand what the words mean themselves.

Once you have gotten really good at knowing your triad chords both major and minor, you can then start working on chord inversions.

• Chord inversions are simply moving the notes in a chord around so that for example, the middle note would be the 1st note, the 3rd note would be the middle note, and the root note would be the last note.

7th chords are another type of chord but they have 4 notes in them, not 3 like we have in triads. The 4th note in this chord is what makes it unique and have its own special sound which is dreamy and distant sounding.

• We create a 7th chord by taking a triad and adding in the note that is the 7th tone of the scale, at the top of the chord. The 7th tone is next to the last note in the scale.
• The formula for 7th chords is starting from the root, go up four ½ steps, then go up three ½ steps, and then go up four ½ steps once again to find the 7th tone and the 4th note of the chord.

Dominant 7th chords are a variation of a regular 7th chord. These chords have a distinctive blues type of sound and you will hear them a lot in that type of music.

• Dominant 7th chords are made up of all of the same notes as a regular 7th chord except we lower the 7th by one ½ step.
• This changes the pattern formula only in the last part…instead of going up four ½ steps from the 3rd note of the chord, go up three ½ steps and this will give you the lowered 7th.

There’s one more 7th chord that I will show you in this video plus I give lots of examples of all of these different types of chords on the piano so you can hear them as well as see the actual keyed notes in each chord. 

If you like my tips and lessons, you will love the courses over on my website. Whether you are a beginner looking to get a solid foundation to build on or you are looking to take you existing skills to that next level, the online music courses on my website https://www.pianolessonsontheweb.com will help you do just that.