I Read a Note My Grandma Wrote Chords

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If you lot understand how to read piano chords, y'all can sit down and play nearly whatever vocal with a basic chord nautical chart – you don't even take to learn a lot of music theory or know how to read sheet music. Chord notations tin can be intimidating, but they'll make more than sense once you learn your scales and understand a little about piano chord theory.^[one]

1. ane

   Detect the chord nautical chart. Normal sheet music would have the verbal notes of the chord symbolized on the staff. With a chord chart, you lot just accept a serial of letters and numbers that represents each chord.^[two]

   • The proper noun of the chord tells you lot how to build the chord on the piano. It gives you information about which keys to put your fingers on to play that chord.

2. 2

   Identify the root note of a chord. On a chord chart, the root note is the outset upper-case letter for the proper name of the chord. The root note is the offset notation you play, and the note upon which the residuum of the chord is congenital.^[3]

   • All the other notes in a chord are typically named in relation to the root notation. For example, a 7th chord is named because the terminal note in the chord is the seventh note abroad from the root annotation.

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3. three

   Hear the difference between major and modest chords. Major and modest chords are some of the most bones chords and brand upward the vast bulk of songs you lot would play on piano. A small chord is, essentially, a major chord turned upside downwards.^[4]

   • Major chords and minor chords are both three-annotation chords. Major chords typically are notated simply by the capital letter of the root notation. However, seventh chords are the exception to this dominion. If yous see "C7" on a chord chart, that refers to a C 7th chord, which is different from a C Major Seventh chord. For seventh chords, you'll see "major" abbreviated either with a "Grand" or "maj" later on the root note.
   • For pocket-size chords, there will be a lower-case "m" after the majuscule alphabetic character. When y'all play a modest chord, the middle note is lowered past half a step relative to the major chord, simply the other two notes remain the aforementioned. This gives a minor chord a sadder, more than serious tone.

4. 4

   Find sharps and flats. Many keys have sharps or flats in their names, usually represented in the chord name as a "#" for a sharp or a "b" for a flat. These stand for to the blackness keys on your piano.^[v]

   • The black central to the right of, or in a higher place, a white key is that key's abrupt. For example, the black key immediately to the correct of C is C sharp. The black key immediately to the left of, or below, a white key, on the other manus, is that primal'due south flat.
   • Black keys are both to the right and to the left of different white keys. And then the same black central that could exist considered C precipitous could likewise be considered D apartment. Keep this in mind when you're trying to discover notes on the piano keyboard.

5. five

   Start with elementary chords. At that place are 6 basic chords that can be played on piano using only the white keys – 3 major chords and 3 minor chords. Y'all can play songs using these chords without having to worry about sharps and flats.^[6]

   • The three major chords are C, G, and F. The iii small-scale chords are A modest, D modest, and E small. These chords are a good place to start if you're new to piano.

6. 6

   Read the next function of the notation to build the chord. Following the root annotation and whether the chord is major or minor, the proper name of the chord volition listing other information you lot'll need to play the chord on the piano.^[7]

   • Unlike types of chords are built in different means. To sympathize this from the name of the chord, you lot'll need to learn a footling vocabulary. For example, if you run into "Caug" on a chord chart, you need to play an augmented C chord. When you augment a chord, you have the major chord and raise the final annotation a half step. Since a C Major chord would exist C-E-One thousand, and a "Caug" chord would be C-East-Yard precipitous.
   • A macerated chord is created in nearly the opposite style, by lowering the middle and terminal notes a half pace. For example, if you lot saw the proper noun "Cdim" on a chord nautical chart, you would play C-Eastward flat-Grand flat. Y'all can also think of Cdim every bit a pocket-size C chord with the 5th lowered by half a step.

7. vii

   Memorize mutual chords. Check the chord charts for some of your favorite songs to run across what chords testify up the most often. Write them down and memorize the notes that you play. Whenever you see that notation, yous'll know what chord to play without having to get bogged down in music theory.^[viii]

   • Search online for fingering charts that will show you where to place your fingers for certain chords. Yous can place "chord shapes" that will remain the same no matter what the root note. You must identify your offset finger on the primal that corresponds to the root notation.

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1. one

   Identify whole and half steps. If yous look at the keyboard on a pianoforte, you'll meet white keys with black keys between them. Black keys are grouped in pairs and in groups of 3 with a space between. The blueprint repeats up and downwardly the entire keyboard.^[ix]

   • The distance between a white key and the black primal right adjacent to information technology is a one-half step. The distance between 2 white keys that have a black central betwixt them is a whole stride.
   • Practice making whole and half steps upward and downward the keyboard to get a easily-on agreement of how they work and how the notes relate to 1 another.

2. 2

   Play the scale for unlike keys. The scale for a key starts at the root notation for that central. All scales follow the "whole-whole-half whole-whole-whole-half" blueprint. Once you find the root note, you tin can play the entire scale by following that pattern.^[10]

   • Y'all can notice the scales on your own without worrying virtually any sail music. Start with C and play each white central until you become to the next C on the keyboard. You've just played the C Major scale, which uses merely white keys.
   • Move over to the D and follow the aforementioned "whole-whole-one-half whole-whole-whole-half" footstep pattern to find the D Major calibration. By following the same pattern ane key over, you at present accept to use 2 blackness keys – F sharp and C sharp.
   • You can follow this blueprint from any key on the piano to become the scale for that note. Once your fingers go used to playing the pattern, you lot may discover that y'all can play a scale without even looking at the keys.

3. iii

   Look for chords inside the scale. Once you know the scale, yous tin observe all the major chords by stacking notes in relation to the root note. Form a chord by playing 3 or 4 notes of the scale, starting with the root annotation.^[11]

   • The major chord is the main chord formed by the get-go, 3rd, and fifth notes in the root note'south scale. For case, since the first 5 notes of the C calibration are C-D-Eastward-F-G, the C Major chord is C-E-1000.
   • To make a minor chord, the 3rd notation is lowered by a one-half-step. For example, C minor would be C-E apartment-G. If yous play the major chord followed by the minor chord for the same root note, you can hear the difference between the 2 types of chords.

4. 4

   Compare chord names to notes of the calibration. Once you know the scale, you can effigy out how to play the chord past looking at the name of the chord. The chord name tells you how that particular chord differs from the major chord.^[12]

   • For example, with a seventh chord, you play 4 notes instead of 3; the fourth being the 7th note in the scale lowered a half-stride. So if you come across "C7," y'all know to play C-E-1000-B apartment.

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1. 1

   Notice the central signature. The symbols at the beginning of the staff lines on a piece of sheet music show you how to play the vocal. Following the clef symbol to identify the treble or bass clef, you'll meet the fundamental signature and time signature.^[13]

   • The fundamental signature indicates the cardinal in which the song is played. If information technology'due south a key signature other than C major, it will contain sharps or flats somewhere. Those sharps or flats are noted at the beginning of the piece of music.
   • The key signature means that every time you play that note throughout the slice, you'll play the sharp or flat indicated rather than the non-accidental annotation. For instance, the Grand Major calibration includes an F sharp, then for the 1000 Major key signature y'all'd see a sharp sign (#) over the staff line that represents the F notation.

2. 2

   Build a major chord. A major chord is the simplest blazon of chord you tin play. It'south a three-note chord made up of the outset, tertiary, and 5th notes on the scale of the root note. Other chords involve making a alter to the major chord.^[fourteen]

   • You lot can start with a C major chord, since information technology'south perhaps the easiest. Find the C key on your piano, and so skip a white central and place some other finger on the third key. Skip some other white key and place a third finger on the fifth central. Play these 3 notes at the same fourth dimension and you take a C Major chord.
   • Applying the same theory, keep your hand in the same position merely slide over i key to the D key on the piano. Notice where your fingers now fall. They should exist positioned over the D, the F sharp, and the A. If you play these iii notes together, you're playing a D Major chord.

3. three

   Build a small chord. A minor chord is played the same as a major chord, except that instead of playing the middle notation, or tertiary notation of the scale, yous play the key to its firsthand left, or one half-step lower. All pocket-sized chords are built the aforementioned way.^[15]

   • For example, for a C Major chord, you would play C, E, Yard, just for C pocket-sized you would play C, E-flat, G.
   • You can follow this theory to grade all the pocket-size chords the same mode you formed all the major chords.

4. 4

   Apply chord theory to 7th chords. Seventh chords become their name from the fact that yous're playing 4 notes in the chord, with the fourth annotation being the seventh note in the root note's scale.^[16]

   • For the major 7th chord, you simply play the first, third, fifth, and seventh notes of the major scale. For C Major Seventh, for example, notated as "CM7" or "Cmaj7," you would play C-East-M-B.
   • For whatsoever seventh chord that isn't a major seventh, you lot want to lower the seventh note a half-stride. For case, C7 would be C-E-Thousand-B apartment. C modest vii, abbreviated "Cm7," is a C-small-scale chord plus the lowered 7th note: C-Eastward flat-Thou-B flat.

5. v

   Move on to suspended chords. A suspended chord has an unfinished sound, because you replace the tertiary note of the major calibration with the fourth notation. To call up this, think of suspending your finger over the 3rd note and dropping information technology further over on the fourth.^[17]

   • Ultimately, you're playing a regular major chord, except instead of playing the kickoff, 3rd, and fifth notes of the calibration, yous're playing the first, fourth, and fifth notes.
   • Suspended chords may be represented on chord charts with the abbreviation "sus" (short for "suspended") or with the number 4 following the root annotation (to indicate you play the major chord with the fourth note instead of the third).

6. 6

   Utilise chord theory to make sense of more complex chords. Once you lot understand the theory behind the different chords and how they relate to the major chords, you can combine different variations to create more complex chords.^[18]

   • For example, you can create a suspended seventh chord past combining a suspended chord with a 7th chord. Play the fourth note of the major calibration instead of the third, then play the lowered seventh note. All four notes played together volition exist a suspended seventh chord.
   • While these circuitous chords are used rarely in popular music, if you understand chord theory you'll have no trouble playing them when you come across them on chord charts or in sail music.

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Add together New Question

• Question

  How do yous know what notes are in a chord?

  

  Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Performance from the Yale Schoolhouse of Music. He is a previous gimmicky music young man of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

  

  Professional Pianist

  Skillful Reply

• Question

  What does C+ hateful in music?

  

  Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Pianoforte Performance from the Yale Schoolhouse of Music. He is a previous contemporary music fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues beyond the United States, Europe, and Asia.

  

  Professional Pianist

  Expert Answer

• Question

  How do you know if a chord is major or minor?

  

  Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Functioning from the Yale School of Music. He is a previous contemporary music young man of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the Usa, Europe, and Asia.

  

  Professional person Pianist

  Expert Answer

• Question

  How practice play augmented chords?

  

  An augmented chord is merely like a major chord except the highest note is raised by a semitone. For example, a C major chord would be C-Due east-G, but a C augmented chord would be C-East-1000#.

• Question

  How do you know how long you lot play the chord for?

  

  Jamie Lange

  Customs Answer

  If you're playing a modern song, information technology makes sense to listen to the vocal for where the chords are. You'll get better at this over time. If the chords are placed between bars like this: | C | G | A | D | . You play one measure per chord, which is 4 beats (count to 4) for most songs. If there are ii chords inside a measure, they get ii beats each. Example of chords and how they are counted: | C | Grand | A | D A | ane 2 3 4 one 2 3 four 1 two 3 iv 12 34. If you play past sheet music, the sheet music may tell you how long to play the chord. If not, play it until the adjacent chord change.

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Article Summary X

To read piano chords, start past looking at the first capital letter for the name of the chord to determine what note you should play first. Then, check to see if there's a lowercase "k" after the uppercase, which ways you're looking at a small chord and should lower the middle note. Also, wait for a "#" in the chord name to see if it's sharp or a "b" to meet if information technology's flat. Finally, once you've read the proper noun of the chord, yous'll need to look upward the right notes to play for that chord until you lot've memorized them. To larn how to play scales on the piano, roll down!

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