7871241 piano playing chords

8/7/2019 7871241 Piano Playing Chords

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Musical pieces ofteninclude chords to fillout the sound of themusic. This chapter introduces youto the chords you will mostcommonly find in piano music,including major, minor, 7th,diminished and suspended chords.You will also learn how to changethe order of the notes in chords tochange between chords moreeasily when playing a piece.


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In th is Chap ter. ..Playing M ajor C hordsPlaying M inor C hordsPlaying D om inant 7th C hordsPlaying M ajor 7th C hordsPlaying M inor 7th C hordsPlaying 6th C hordsPlaying 9th C hordsPlaying A ugm ented C hordsPlaying D im inished C hordsPlaying Suspended C hordsPlaying B roken C hordsP la yi ng A rp eg gi osPlaying T hree-N ote C hord InversionsP layin g F our-N ote C ho rd Inv ersion sC hang ing C ho rds"We ThreeKings""Largo""Prelude in CMajor""Down to the Wire""Toreador Song""Mel/owing Out"


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p ologmajor chordsMajor chords are the most commonly used chordsin music and produce uplifting, happy sounds. Majorchords are usually written as a capital letter name,such as e, or as a capital letter name followed by Mor maj, such as eM or Crnaj.A major chord consists of three notes-the first (root),third and fifth notes of a major scale. A major scale isa group of related notes arranged in order of pitch.To playa major chord, start with the first note of thechord's major scale and then add the third and fifthnotes from the same scale. For example, to play the

e major chord, you play the first (e), third (E)and fifth(G) notes from the e major scale together. The nameof the major chord is the same as the letter name ofthe lowest note in the chord.The notes of a major chord appear in many locationson the keyboard. Where you playa chord dependson how high or low you want the chord to sound.You usually use your pinky finger, middle finger andthumb to play major chords. When using your lefthand, your pinky finger plays the root note. Whenusing your right hand, your thumb plays the root note.

Understanding Major Chords

Excerpt from "I've Been Working on the Railroad"

{ I ~ : c A[J c C Major Scale~ I : I: ~' r 1 & . J JJ J J J I r r I Il0 c D E F G A B Cr v{ I ~ F c C Major Chord;~ r r I ; ; I 1 & . I I::GEC

A major chord consistsof three notes that youplay at the same time toproduce a happy sound.

In written music, amajor chord is usuallyindicated as three notesstacked on top of eachother on the staff.

Major chords areusually written asa letter name, suchas C, or a lettername followed byM or maj, such asCM or Cmaj.

A major chordconsists of the first(root), third and fifthnotes of a majorscale.

No te : A sca le is a series o fn ote s th at y ou p la y in a s pe cifico rd er. F or m ore in fo rm atio n o nm ajor sca le s, se e pa ge 9 0.

For example, the C majorchord consists of the first(C), third (E)and fifth (G)notes of the C major scale.

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How can I practice playing major chords?You can start on the C major chord andthen, keeping your fingers in the sameformation, move all of your fingers up thekeyboard, a half step at a time. The firsthalf step is the D~ major chord, followedby the D major chord, and so on. Thisexercise lets you see that the distancesbetween each of the notes in all of themajor chords are exactly the same.

CH AP TE R 5: Playing ChordsWhy do I need to know the notesthat make up each chord?In some written music, you are onlyprovided with the name of the chordand not given the actual notes to play.In these instances, the name of thechord the composer wants you to playoften appears above the treble clef. Inorder to play the music, you need toknow how to find the notes that makeup each chord. It is a good idea topractice your chords often.

You can playa major chord atany location on the keyboard,since the notes that make upa chord can be found in manylocations. Where you playachord depends on the soundyou want to produce.

1 To playa major chord withyour right hand, rest yourthumb on the key for thefirst (root) note of the chordyou want to play.

2 Rest your middlefinger on the keyfor the middle noteof the chord.

3 Rest your pinky f ingeron the key for the topnote of the chord.

4 Press down on allthree keys at thesame time to playthe chord.

When your right handis playing a melody, youcan play major chordswith your left hand toprovide accompaniment.

1 To playa major chordwith your left hand, restyour pinky finger on thekey for the first (root)note of the chord youwant to play.

2 Restyour middlefinger on the keyfor the middle noteof the chord.

3 Rest your thumb onthe key for the topnote of the chord.

4 Press down on allthree keys at thesame time to playthe chord.

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loiogmajor chords

C Major Chord

D Major Chord

EMajor Chord

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D] Major ChordAlso known a s C # Major Chord

nMajor Chord

F Major Chord


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CH AP TE R 5: Playing Chords

r-- r- ,.-,...- r- r- ,...-- -

-I ,

,...- r- .--- -- ,._- -

F#Major ChordAlso known as G~Major Chord G Major Chord

- -_ r-

MMajor Chord A Major Chord

r-- r- ,.-,...- r- r- ,...-- - _ ,

.-- r- .--- -...- r- ,.-,...- r-

~

B~Major Chord BMajor Chord

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p ologminor chords-~Minor chords are characterized by the dark, sadsounds they produce. To differentiate minor chordsfrom major chords, minor chords are labelled withan "m" or "min" beside their letter name, such asEm or Emin.A minor chord consists of three notes-the first, thirdand fifth notes of a minor scale. A minor scale is aseries of related notes arranged in order of pitch.For information on minor scales, see page 94.To playa minor chord, start with the root (first) noteof the chord's minor scale and then add the third and

fifth notes from the same scale. For example, to playthe A minor chord, you play the first (A), third (C)and fifth (E) notes from the A minor scale together.The notes of a minor chord can be found in manylocations on the keyboard. Where you playa chorddepends on how high or low you want the chord tosound.You usually use your pinky, middle finger and thumbto play minor chords. When using your left hand, thepinky finger plays the root note. When using yourright hand, the thumb plays the root note.

Understanding Minor Chords

Excerpt from "Go Down Moses"fl Am Dm Am A Minor Scale

{ u:I I 1 & 1 J f F f I F f F r I II A B C D E F G A

~I ~Am

~~

, J JI ~ . I A Minor Chord# : J 1 & 1 IIA I I

A minor chord consistsof three notes that youplay at the same time toproduce a sad sound.

In written music, a minorchord is usually indicatedas three notes stacked ontop of each other on thestaff.

Minor chords areusually labelled withan "m" or "min"beside their lettername, such as AmorAmin.

A minor chord consistsof the fi rst (root), thirdand fifth notes of aminor scale.

N ote : A sca le is a se rie so f no tes th a t you p la y ina sp ecif ic o rd er. F or m orein fo rm a tio n o n m in or s ca le s,se e p age 94 .

For example, the A minorchord (Am) consists ofthe first (A), third (C)and fifth (E) notes ofthe A minor scale.

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Is there another way to figure out the notesof a minor chord?If you compare a major and minor chordof the same letter name, only one note isdifferent between the chords. In a minorchord, the middle note is a half step lowerthan the middle note in the correspondingmajor chord. You can playa minor chord byplaying the corresponding major chord, butlower the middle note by one half step. Forexample, the C major chord uses the C, EandG notes, so to make the C minor chord, lowerthe middle note (E) by one half step (H ).The C minor chord uses notes C, Hand G.

CH AP TE R 5: Playing ChordsHow can I tell the difference betweena minor and a major chord?To hear the difference between a minorchord, such as Em, and a major chord,such as E, you can play the chordsback to back. To play the E majorchord, press the E, G# and B keystogether. To play the E minor chord,press the E, G, and B keys together.For more information on playingmajor chords, see page 124.

You can playa minor chord atany location on the keyboard,since the notes that make upa chord can be found in manylocations. Where you playachord depends on how highor low you want the chord tosound.

1 To playa minor chord with yourright hand, rest your thumb onthe key for the first (root) noteof the chord you want to play.

2 Restyour middlefinger on the keyfor the middlenote of the chord.

3 Restyour pinkyfinger on the keyfor the top noteof the chord.

4 Press all three keysat the same timeto play the chord.

When your right handis playing a melody, youcan play minor chordswith your left hand toprovide accompaniment.

1 To playa minor chordwith your left hand, restyour pinky finger on thekey for the fi rst (root)note of the chord youwant to play.

2 Restyour middlefinger on the keyfor the middle noteof the chord.


4 Press all three keysat the same time toplay the chord.

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loiogminor chords

A M inor C hord B~Min or C ho rdAlso known as A # Minor Chord

B M inor C hord C Min or C ho rd

C # M inor Chord D M inor Chord


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C HA PT ER 5 : Playing Chords

- ~ r-- . . . r-' -.-- r-' . . . . . -I

- - - - - : r-- r-' . . . . . - .-- r-' . . . . . -

I

E~Minor ChordAlso known a s 0# Minor Chord EMinor Chord

--

F Minor Chord F # Minor Chord

- -- -r-- r- r--I

- -- - -.-- r-' r--I

I

G Minor Chord G # Minor ChordAlso known a s A~Minor Chord

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Dominant 7th chords, which are also known simplyas sevenths, are used in many styles of music. Adominant 7th chord is usually written as a lettername followed by the number 7, such as e7.A dominant 7th chord consists of four notes-the first(root), third and fifth notes of a major scale, plus theseventh note of the scale, which has been loweredby one half step. For example, to playa e7 chord,you play the first (e), third (E), fifth (G) and loweredseventh (B~) notes of the e major scale. A scale isa series of related notes arranged in order of pitch.

You can playa dominant 7th chord anywhere onthe keyboard, using your left or right hand, since thenotes that make up a chord appear in many locations.Where you playa chord depends on how high or lowyou want the chord to sound.You usually use your thumb, index finger, ring fingerand pinky finger to play dominant 7th chords. Whenusing your left hand, your pinky finger plays the rootnote. When using your right hand, your thumb playsthe root note.

Understanding Dominant 7th Chords

Excerpt from "Alouette"fl G7 C Major Scale

{ u: 1 & 1 ; J J J I J J r r I I. . _ . . . . . . . _ . . . . _I ~ C D E F G A B CI I Ufl G7 C7 Chord

{ u:. . _ . . . . . . . _ . . -6J- 1 & 1 ~ I B ~ G I II EC

I

A dominant 7th chordconsists of four notesthat you play at thesame time.

In written music, adominant 7th chord isusually indicated as fournotes stacked on top ofeach other on the staff.

Dominant 7th chords areusually written as a lettername followed by thenumber 7, such as G7.

Dominant 7th chordsare used in many stylesof music.

A dominant 7th chordconsists of the first (root),third and fifth notes of amajor scale, plus theseventh note of the majorscale, which has beenlowered by one half step.N ote : A sca le is a series o f n otestha t you p la y in a sp ec ific o rde r.F or m ore in fo rm atio n o n m ajo rs ca le s, s ee p ag e 9 0.

For example, the C7chord consists of thefirst (C), third (E)andfifth (G) notes of theC major scale, plusthe seventh note ofthe scale lowered byone half step (B~).

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Is there another way toform a dominant 7th chord?Another way to form adominant 7th chord is tofirst form the major chordand then simply add theseventh note of the majorscale, except you lower theseventh note of the scale byone half step.

CH AP TE R 5: Playing ChordsHow can I vary the soundof a dominant 7th chord?You have the option ofleaving out the fifth note ofthe scale from any dominant7th chord, which willproduce a "thinner" chordsound. For example, to playthe C7 chord, omit the fifth(G) note and play only theC, E and B~ notes.

Is there an easy way to findthe notes of a dominant 7thchord?If you remember that the top(7th) note of any dominant7th chord is one whole stepbelow the root note, you willbe able to find the notesmore easily. For example, inan E7 chord, the root note isE, so the top note is D andin a G7 chord, the root noteis G, so the top note is F .

You can playa dominant 7thchord at any location on thekeyboard, since the notesthat make up a chord canbe found in many locations.Where you playa chorddepends on how high or lowyou want the chord to sound.

1 To playa dominant 7th chordwith your right hand, restyour thumb on the key forthe first (root) note of thechord you want to play.

2 Restyour index fingeron the key for thesecond note of thechord.

3 Rest your ring fingeron the key for the thirdnote of the chord.

4 Rest your pinky fingeron the key for the topnote of the chord.

S Press all four keys atthe same time to playthe chord.

When your right hand isplaying a melody, you canplay dominant 7th chordswith your left hand toprovide accompaniment.

1 To playa dominant 7thchord with your left hand,rest your pinky finger onthe key for the first (root)note of the chord youwant to play.

2 Rest your ring fingeron the key for thesecond note of thechord.

3 Restyour index fingeron the key for the thirdnote of the chord.


S Press all four keysat the same timeto play the chord.

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7871241 piano playing chords

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