chords 101


Chords

101

By Chris Marx


WHOLE STEPS AND HALF STEPS

Half Steps

Half steps are the smallest interval or unit of measure on the piano. A half step is the

distance between two neighboring notes. Make sure to count both white and black notes.

Learning how to count half steps will be key to finding chords on the piano.

NOTE: A half step is the distance between two neighboring notes.

C to C#(White to Black)

B to C(White to White)

Whole Steps

Whole steps are the second smallest interval on the piano. They can be white or black

notes.

NOTE: A whole step is made up of two half steps back to back. In other words, whole

steps skip one note. See the examples below:

C to D(White to White)

Eb to F(White to Black)

C# to D#(Black to Black)


THE 2 TYPES OF CHORDS:

MAJOR & MINOR TRIADS

Play this chord:

This chord is called

CMAJOR.

Use your thumb,

middle and pinky to

play it in either hand.

Now play this chord:

This chord is called

CMINOR.

Use your thumb,

middle and pinky to

play it in either hand.

All we did was change one note and the effect was huge! Play both chords again. You’ll

start to realize that you’ll begin to associate imagery with each chord. The major chords

are happier sounding, and the minor chords have a sad sound.

LABELING THE CHORDS

On sheet music especially in fake books there are abbreviated symbols for the major and

minor chords. The symbol for a C major chord is usually just a capitol C, but it is also

labeled Cmaj or Cma. The symbol for a C minor chord is either Cmi, Cmin or C-. This is

all the publisher’s preference really and the various spellings of the symbols do not have

different meanings. These abbreviations apply to all the chords, not just those in C.

C MAJOR:

“C” or “Cma” or “Cmaj”

C MINOR:

“Cmin” or “Cmi” or “C-”


12 MOST COMMON CHORDS

THE CHORDS YOU NEED TO LEARN FIRST!

These are the 12 most common chords used on piano. You’ll find them over and over

again in song books so it makes sense to practice them, even memorize them! You’ll

notice these chords only one sharp or flat key (black key). These chord shapes are a little

easier to play than the ones coming up… We will call them triads because they are made

up of only the first three notes in the chord.

C majoraka

C or Cma

C minoraka

C- or Cmi

D

major

D

minor

E

major

E

minor

F

major

F

minor

G

major

G

minor

A

major

A

minor

Practice Goals:

• Play all 12 chords in 30 seconds in your RIGHT hand.

• Play all 12 chords in 30 seconds in your LEFT hand.

• Memorize all 12 chords!


MEMORIZING THE CHORDS

PATTERNS MAKE IT EASIER

As you make your fingers play the chords from the pictures above you’ll notice a few

patterns. Patterns are great because they are a shortcut for helping us learn and remember

the music faster.

NOTE: Chords of the same type are all constructed in the same way. The notes of a

major chord are always the same distance apart: 4 & 3. The notes of a minor chord are

always the same distance apart: 3 & 4.

It doesn’t matter if it’s C major or E major or Ab major, the distance will be 4 half steps

& 3 half steps. Minor chords are reversed and the distance is 3 half steps & then 4 half

steps.

We’ll use C major again as an example. Look at the red numbers in the picture below.

They are counting each white AND black note from “C” up to the next chord tone “E”.

From C to E there are 4 half steps. From E to G there are 3 half steps.

C MAJOR:C to E is 4 half steps

E to G is 3 half steps

C MINOR:C to Eb is 3 half steps

Eb to G is 4 half steps

PRACTICE IDEA:

• Try counting up 4 & 3 for other major chords. Start with Fmajor and A major.

• Try counting up 3 & 4 for other minor chords. Start with A minor and F minor.


THE MISSING CHORDS

Here are the missing chords. Altogether we have 12 major chords and 12 minor chords,

one for each black and white note. They still have the same construction as the first

chords we learned. The major chords are still 4 & 3 half steps apart, while the minor

chords are still 3 & 4 half steps apart.

Ab

major

Ab

Minor

B

major

B

Minor

Bb

major

Bb

Minor

Db / C#

major

Db / C#

Minor

Eb / D#

Major

Eb / D#

Minor

Gb / F#

major

Gb / F#

Minor

Practice Goals:

• Play all 12 chords in 30 seconds in your RIGHT hand.

• Play all 12 chords in 30 seconds in your LEFT hand.

• Play all 12 major chords in 30 seconds.

• Play all 12 minor chords in 30 seconds.

• Memorize all 12 chords! Just remember 4&3 for major and 3&4 for minors.


CHORD TONES

Chord tones are the individual notes that, when played at the same time, create a chord.

In other words, the chord tones are the notes that make up a chord.

NOTE: Each major and minor triad has a root, a third and a fifth. (Minor triads have a

flat third). Remember that for each major or minor triad, the root, third and fifth are the

same distance apart. Remember counting up 4&3 for the major chords and 3&4 for the

minor chords?

C MAJOR

CHORD TONES

C is the root

E is the third

G is the fifth

The Root: The root is the foundation of the chord. It is the same as the name of the

chord. For example, the root of the C major chord is the note C.

The Third: The third is the second most important chord tone after the third. The

third helps determine if the chord is major or minor. In the diagram, the third of the chord

is E. If the chord would were C minor, then the third would be Eb. It would be correct to

call it a flat or minor third.

The Fifth: The fifth is the least important note. This is because we could leave it out

and still determine if the chord the root of the chord and if it were major or minor. In the

diagram, G is the fifth of the chord.

Chords & Scales: Each chord tone has a name that refers to its distance away

from the root on its related major scale. For example the third of the C major chord is 3

notes away on the C major scale. The fifth is 5 notes away from the root on the major

scale. And the root is at the beginning of the major scale.

The pink dots represent the notes

of the C major scale.

The 3rd is 3 notes up the major scale.

The 5th is 5 notes up the major scale.

The 7th is 7th notes up etc…


POWER CHORDS!

Power chords take away the middle note from the major and minor triads you just learned

to only two outside notes, the root and the fifth. They are also not muddy on lower ranges

of the keyboard because the notes are spaced out more.

NOTE: Power chords are labeled with a letter and the number 5. If you see the chord

symbol “C5” or “Bb5,” that means to play a power chord.

It has a 5 in the symbol because C and G are a perfect 5th interval apart. If that sounds

confusing, don't worry! All that means is that there are 7 half steps between C and G.

HOW TO PLAY POWER CHORDS

This is really easy if you practiced your major triads! Start with a major triad and take

away the middle note. For example, Cmajor (CEG) turns into C5 (CG). You can double

any of the notes, playing as many C’s or G’s as you can get your hands on.

C5Notice these notes are 7 half

steps apart!

G5

Good to know:

• These chords are used primarily on rock songs and pop songs.

• These are a guitarist’s favorite chord, because they are VERY simple to play on

the guitar.

• Because we have removed the middle note from the chord, power chords can’t be

major or minor. They are ambiguous.


HOW TO FIND THE FLAT 7TH NOTE

FOR ANY CHORD

After you learn how to play your major and minor triads, the next step will be to practice

finding 7th chords like Cma7, C7 & Cmi7. Having a 7 in the chord symbol only means

that there is a fourth note added to the triad and it is a 7th away from the root.

The three types of 7th chords are major 7th, minor 7th and dominant 7th chords. Minor and

dominant 7ths both have a b7 (flat7). Here is how to find that note:

NOTE: The b7 is always whole step down (left) from the root or first note of the

chord. It is easier to count a whole step to the left to find the 7th rather than ten half steps

to the right. It doesn’t mean you always have to play the root and the 7th next to eachother

in your chords, this is just the easiest way to find the 7th.

THE FAST WAY:

Shown here is the root and b7 of a C7

chord. To find it, count down 1 whole

step (2half steps) from C.

THE SLOW WAY:

DO NOT COUNT UP 10 HALF STEPS!

It is too confusing especially in other

keys. (The dark red dots are the root and

b7 of C7 chord, the lighter red dots are

the other notes in the chord).

Find the b7 for G7

Here is an example of how to find the

b7th for the G7 chord. Count down two

half steps from the root (G) and you

should land on the b7th (F).


HOW TO FIND THE MAJOR 7TH NOTE

FOR ANY CHORD

After you learn how to play your major and minor triads, the next step will be to practice

finding 7th chords like Cma7, C7 & Cmi7. Having a 7 in the chord symbol only means

that there is a fourth note added to the triad and it is a 7th away from the root.

The three types of 7th chords are major 7th, minor 7th and dominant 7th chords. Major 7th

chords have a major 7th in them. Here is how to find that note:

NOTE: The major 7th note is always half step down (left) from the root or first note

of the chord. It is easier to count a half step left to find the 7th rather than 11 half steps to

the right. It doesn’t mean you always have to play the root and the 7th next to eachother in

your chords, this is just the easiest way to find the 7th.

The Fast Way:Shown here is the root and major 7th of a

Cmajor7 chord. To find it, count down 1

half step from C.

The Slow Way:DO NOT COUNT UP 11 HALF STEPS!

It is too confusing especially in other

keys. (The dark red dots are the root and

major 7th of Cmaj7 chord, the lighter red

dots are the other notes in the chord).

Find the major 7th for Gmaj7Here is an example of how to find the

major7th for the Gmaj7 chord. Count

down one half step from the root (G) and

you should land on the major7th (F#).


SHELL VOICINGS

Shell voicings strip down chords with many notes down to only two notes. Usually the

most important notes, the root and/or the 3rd or 7th. Because 2 notes are easier to find than

4, Shell voicings are quick and fast to learn.

Shell voicings are also great because they let you play your chords lower on the keyboard

without the muddiness. Keep in mind, the lower you go, the wider the notes need to be

spread out.

SHELL VOICINGS FOR DOMINANT 7TH CHORDS

There are 3 dominant chord shell voicings for the chords shown in the example below.

Dominants are chords with a 7 attached to the symbol. For example, C7 is sometimes

called “C dominant” and sometimes called “C7”. Both are correct!

Dominant 7th chords normally have 4 notes. See the first chord example where C7 is

spelled: C E G Bb. To play C7 as a shell voicing, only play the dark red notes C and Bb

in your left hand.

C7

F7

G7

NOTE: The b7 (flat7) note is always whole step down from the root, (the first note of

the chord). Take a look at the last chord shown, G7. The dot on the left is on the root G.

To find the b7 note, go up to the high G (labeled root) and count down 2 half steps. You

should arrive at the second dot on F.


BONUS COURSE!(You’re Welcome!)

READ MUSIC

FASTER

FOR TRADITIONAL NOTATION


NOTE: Reading music is an essential part of learning to play piano! It does take time,

but the effort you put in pays off. If you can read music, then not only can you learn any

song ever written, but you can communicate with other musicians! Music is a language

and playing it is only one half, reading it is the other half! If you don’t learn to read, you

are limiting the ways I can explain musical concepts to you.

THE KEYBOARD & THE GRAND STAFF

This diagram is the most important if you’re just learning how to read music. Keep it

handy! It shows you how the keys on the piano relate to the music notes on the page.

NOTE: As you go from left to right on the keyboard, the notes on the page slowly

climb higher and higher. Also notice, on the notes on the staff are alternating between a

line and a space each time as they climb higher to each neighbor note. For example,

notice the keys C and D are neighbor keys on the piano. On the page they are written as

two dots, C is on a space and D is on the line that borders that space.

JUST WHAT IS THE GRAND STAFF?!

These two squiggly designs are each called clefs. Together they make up the grand

staff, which is common in traditional music but not fake books! It is use mainly for

piano and harp music.

The top clef is the treble clef and the bottom is called the bass clef. The treble clef

handles the high notes, and the bass clef is for writing the low notes. Using both

the treble and bass clef allows the grand staff to cover a wider range of notes.


READ MUSIC FASTER!

One of the biggest reasons people are slow readers is because it takes your brain a few

seconds to realize where each note is. You probably know a few notes on the grand staff,

but not all of them, so you end up slowly counting each line.

If you use these mnemonic devices or memorization tricks, your reading will become

much quicker. You won’t have to be counting up single lines all the time! This works

great for students of all ages!

In the treble cleff (the top 5 lines) use:• “FACE is for the Space” (This rhymes)

• “Every Good Boy Does Fine is on the line” (This rhymes too!)

In the bass cleff (the lower 5 lines) use:• “All Cows Eat Grass”

• “Good Burritos Don’t Falls Apart”

Are you getting mixed up?Most piano students have a hard time keeping these straight. They forget which ones are

for the lines and which are for the spaces. Rhyming will help you remember that FACE is

for the space, and EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE is on the line.

Another tip to keep them straight!You should notice that there are only 4 SPACES and 5 LINES. Think to yourself All

Cows Eat Grass has only four words, therefore it must be for the spaces because there are

only 4 of them. Good Burritos Don’t Fall Apart has 5 words, therefore it must be for the

lines.


PLEASE PRINT THE LAST PAGE

AND KEEP IT BY YOUR PIANO!


THE KEYBOARD & GRAND STAFF

NOTESPELLERS ~ MEMORY TOOLS

chords 101

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