half steps and whole steps - my fun piano studio...minor chord built on the 4 th key, and a major...

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Half Steps and Whole Steps

You will use both the white and black keys to play half steps. Choose a

starting key and then play the very next key.

If I choose middle C and want to play a half step up, I play the black key

right next to middle C.

If I start on E and want to play a half step up, I play the very next key, which

is a white key.

Practice half steps with the examples below. Look at the starting note and

figure out which key is one half step up. Draw a circle on the key that is one

half step up.



A whole step is what you would get if you took two half steps. You just pick

a starting key and then skip a key.

To play a whole step up from C, you skip the black key and play the next

key.

To play a whole step up from E, you skip a key and play the next key,

which is a black key.

Practice whole steps with the examples below. Look at the starting note

and figure out which key is one whole step up. Draw a circle on the key that

is one whole step up.

Skip a key

Skip a key



Practice Making Major Triads

The formula for creating a major triad is

4 half steps + 3 half steps

Use this formula to circle the keys you would play to make major triads.

The first key is highlighted for you.

1

2 3

4

D Major Triad

1 3

2

G Major Triad E Major Triad F# Major Triad

Eb

Major Triad F Major Triad C# Major Triad



Practice Making Major Triads

Fill in the blanks to complete the formula for making major triads.

The major triad formula is: half steps + half steps.

Use this formula to circle the keys you would play to make major triads.


A Major Triad C Major Triad Ab

Major Triad

Db

Major Triad F Major Triad D Major Triad

Bb

Major Triad B Major Triad



Practice Making Minor Triads

The formula for creating a minor triad is 3 half steps + 4 half steps.

Use this formula to circle the keys you would play to make minor triads.


1

2 3

F Minor Triad Eb

Minor Triad G# Minor Triad

Db

Minor Triad G Minor Triad E Minor Triad

2 4

3 1

D Minor Triad



Practice Making Minor Triads

Fill in the blanks to complete the formula for making major triads.

The minor triad formula is: half steps + half steps.

Use this formula to circle the keys you would play to make minor triads.


A Minor Triad C# Minor Triad Gb

Minor Triad

C Minor Triad Ab

Minor Triad D Minor Triad

B Minor Triad Bb

Minor Triad



Primary Triads

When we play a song that is based on the C scale, we are playing in the

Key of C.

Each key has three primary triads. You can use the primary triads to make

up a left hand part for any song.

The primary triads are built on the 1st, 4th, and 5th tones of the scale. Take a

look at the C scale below. Which keys are the 1st, 4th, and 5th?

Write the letter name of the key:

1st

4th

5th

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

You may not have been

introduced to one octave

scales yet, and that’s okay. We’ll learn those in another

Piano Magic Level.



Primary Triads

The 1st, 4th, and 5th tones of the C scale are: C, F, and G.

Now build a major triad on each of these tones. Color the keys you would

use to build the major triads.

Try playing all of these triads. Have your left hand skip around between all

three. You can even try playing the triads with fun rhythms to create neat

sounds.

Your teacher will start asking you to play chords based on their numbers,

and you can do some really cool things when you know these primary

triads.

C Major Triad F Major Triad G Major Triad

1 4 5



Primary Triads in the Key of G

Use the formula we learned earlier to identify the primary triads in the key

of G.

Look at the G scale below. Which keys are the 1st, 4th, and 5th?


1st 4th 5th

Now color in the keys that make up the primary triads in the key of G. Write

the name of each triad in the purple box.

1 2 3 4 5 6

7

1 4 5

Major

Triad

Major

Triad

Major

Triad



Primary Triads in the Key of D

Use the formula we learned earlier to identify the primary triads in the key

of D.

Look at the D scale below. Which keys are the 1st, 4th, and 5th?


1st 4th 5th

Now color in the keys that make up the primary triads in the key of D. Fill in

the purple boxes to name each triad.

1 2

3

4 5 6

7

1 4 5

Major

Triad

Major

Triad

Major

Triad



Primary Triads for Minor Keys: A Minor

Finding the primary triads for minor keys is simple and very similar to the

formula for the major keys. Just find a minor chord built on the 1st key, a

minor chord built on the 4th key, and a major chord built on the 5th key.

Use the diagrams below to help you identify the primary triads for the key of

B minor. Look at the numbers on the scale and then color in the keys for

each chord and write the chord name in the purple box.

Minor

Triad

Minor

Triad

Major

Triad

4 3 6 1 2 5 7

1 4 5



Primary Triads for Minor Keys: E Minor







5 4

Minor

Triad

Minor

Triad

Major

Triad

1

2

3 4 5 6

1



Primary Triads for Minor Keys: B Minor







Minor

Triad

Minor

Triad

Major

Triad

3

2 5

1 4 5

7 1 4 6



More Chord Combinations

We spent a lot of time developing the ability to quickly switch between the

1, 4, and 5 chords in several different keys, because these are the chords

most commonly used.

There are many, many other combinations of chords and each combination

gives your song a unique sound. Fluency in many different chord

progressions will make you a better improviser.

Let’s take a look at the chords that can be constructed using only notes from the C major scale:

Look at each of the chords below and try to figure out their names based

on the root (1st note of the chord) and what you learned in Part 1of Piano

Scales Make Piano Magic. Write your answers in the purple boxes and

remember to classify each chord as major or minor.

Check your answers on the next page.

The C Major Scale

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 chord:

2 chord:

3 chord:

4 chord:

5 chord:

6 chord:



A Piano Magic Trick

Here’s a secret trick that will make learning new songs easier when you are sight reading music.

The chords you’ve learned througout Piano Scales Make Piano Magic are everywhere in your music books. Your hands now know how to play them

well, so if your eye can quickly recognize written chords learning new

pieces is a breeze!

Draw a line from the chord name to the corret diagram and then to the

music notes. The notes of each chord can be arranged in many different

forms.

C

Major

D

Major

Eb

Major

B

Minor

D

Minor

Have your teacher check your answers. Great work! Now look at one of the pieces in your method book. Can you

identify the chords? What chord progression is used? Try this each time you start a new song and learning them

will be a snap!

half steps and whole steps - my fun piano studio...minor chord built on the 4 th key, and a major...

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