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The Piano Chord – Making Sense of This Versatile Music Concept

by Erik Thiede on January 9, 2012

The first key to remember when trying to make sense of the piano chord is that they’re based on…you guessed it…piano scales! In our examples, we will use the key of “C” but the formula applies to all keys.

Remember that the major piano scale for the key of C is C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C – where the first “C” is the root of all chords in the key of “C”.

Click Here To Learn What A Piano Chord Looks Like And How It Works!

One more thing: We use the terms lowered or raised a lot below.

  • “lowered” means shifted down one-half step or made flat (flat The Piano Chord Making Sense of This Versatile Music Concept).
  • “raised” means shifted up one-half step or made sharp (sharp The Piano Chord Making Sense of This Versatile Music Concept).

We will reference this scale in our examples below.

There are Four Main Piano Chord Types each are further distinguished by what’s often referred to as their quality (Major, Minor, Augmented, Diminished, Suspended):

  • Triad
  • Seventh
  • Extended
  • Other

Let’s explore the construction of the triad chords…

The TRIAD PIANO CHORD:

Remember triads are the simplest chord pattern consisting of only three notes.

triad chord The Piano Chord Making Sense of This Versatile Music Concept

Further, these three-note (triad) chords can be one of the following:

Major:

Symbol: M or maj, implied if no symbol is present

This the probably the most basic and familiar chord form.

It consist of the 1st, 3rd and 5th note in a major piano scale.

Example: Cmaj or CM = C E G

Minor:

Symbol: m

This the probably the second most basic chord form.

It consist of the 1st, lowered 3rd and 5th notes in the scale.

Example:

Cm = C Eb G

Diminished:

Symbol: dim or o

Just like the name suggest, a diminished triad chord is a minor triad chord with the last note diminished or lowered one-half step.

It consist of the 1st, lowered 3rd and lowered 5th notes in the scale.

Example: Cdim or Co = C Eb Gb

Augmented:

Symbol: aug or +

Just like the name suggest, an augmented triad chord will last note in the chord augmented or raised one-half step.

It consist of the 1st, 3rd and raised 5th notes in the scale.

Example: Caug or C+ = C E G#

Suspended or Suspended Fourth:

Symbol: sus or sus4

Just like the name suggest, a suspended chord is a chord that when played doesn’t sound “resolved” The listener is sort left “hanging” or suspended, waiting for another note or chord to finish the sequence. It’s like the following incomplete sentence: “Once you play a chord…”

It ends without giving you what you need to complete the thought.

In a suspended chord the 3rd note is typically replaced by the 4th note.

It consist of the 1st, 4th and 5th notes (sometimes the 3rd note is also played)

Example: Csus or Csus4 = C F G

THE SEVENTH PIANO CHORD

EXTENDED CHORDS

Click Here To Learn What A Piano Chord Looks Like And How It Works!

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Chord Progressions – The Basic DNA of Music

by Erik Thiede on December 23, 2011

Many things in life have a pattern. In music, we refer to those patterns as chord progressions. They are simply a sequence of chords that tends to repeat throughout the song.

Have you ever noticed how easy it can be to learn a new song you hear on the radio? Sometimes it only takes hearing it a couple of times. Do you find yourself singing the lyrics right away, or do you hum along with the melody? It’s the melody, of course.

Click Here And Learn To Play Chord Progressions Like A Seasoned Pianist!

When you break down the essential “formula” of a song’s construction, you will see the chord pattern or patterns emerge. The most basic chord progression happens to be the most popular. Musicians commonly refer to it to as the 1-4-5 progression. Whatever key you are in, that’s the first chord. Let’s choose the key of C for this example. As the 1-4-5 designation suggests, you start with your tonic chord, C; move to the subdominant chord, F; and then switch to the dominant chord, G. Also popular is the 1-5-4 progression.

Both the progressions above are known as three-chord songs. Because of the simplicity of writing a three-chord song, they are the most common in practically every modern genre, notably rock, pop, blues and country. When playing freeform (you know, jamming), three-chord progressions are easy to improvise because they are so easy to play.

Needless to say, with so many notes and chord possibilities, it’s not always easy to know which chord follows what. Beginners and pros alike sometimes use a chord progression chart. This reference guide shows every tonic chord and then every chord in that scale. It also indicates each chord’s number. How do you read such a complicated sounding thing?

Imagine you are on stage with a band for the first time. The lead guitarist turns to you and says, “We’re playing a 1-5-4 in the key of G sharp.” WHOA! That’s not a key YOU play in very often. So you glance at the chord progression chart and look down the left column to find your tonic, G sharp. Then you look across the top to see what the 5 and 4 would be. Instantly you see they are C sharp and D sharp.

You’re well on your way to understanding chord progressions and how they affect your music. Keep reading; there’s so much more to discover!

Click Here And Learn To Play Chord Progressions Like A Seasoned Pianist!

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Piano Chords – More Than Just a Group of Notes

November 25, 2011

At their most basic, piano chords are formed by playing three or more notes simultaneously. The combinations that result set the mood of a musical piece – happy, sad, powerful, soulful, etc. Historically, major chords have always evoked positive emotions while minor piano chords evoke the opposite. That’s a fairly simplistic observation, but it gives [...]

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How Popular Chord Progression Works – A Simple Guide

November 17, 2011

What is a popular chord progression? Chord progressions are actually series of chords which are played one after the other to produce a harmonious tune. By now you have learned the different piano chords and may have memorized them a bit. The knowledge you have about chords will help you a lot in playing the [...]

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Piano Tricks of the Trade – How Does It Compare?

February 21, 2009

Product Overview Mastering piano tricks of the trade can take years – unless you have a teacher that knows how to cut through the clutter. That’s the focus behind “Mr. Ron’s” products: Piano Tricks of the Trade a multimedia eBook his monthly lessons and his DVD for “Visual Learners” Mr. Ron believes in teaching one [...]

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