Whether you are receiving formal piano instructions from a piano teacher or are learning it all by yourself, there are some things about the instrument that you can’t play without – piano chords, for example. In this article, we will provide you with some tips on how to learn piano chords easier.
Firs, learn about the various piano keys.
No matter the length of your paino, there is actually only two types of keys in it – the white keys and the black keys. The white keys correspond to natural notes, which correspond to the 7 letters of the music alphabet – A, B, C, D, E, F, and G – and the black ones are for the accidentals or the sharp and flat notes, denoted by the flat or b and sharp # sign. The accidentals are actually the slightly modified versions of the naturals. These give out slightly higher or lower tunes as opposed to the natural sound of the white keys.
In music theory, the black keys basically give out pitches that are half as high or as low as the original natural notes they modify. Once you become familiar with what each of the keys do, you’ll be able to easily manipulate the chords of a specific music.
Second, learn some important terminologies.
What makes knowing the different chords of the piano difficult is the fact that before one can actually reproduce the chords, the theories behind the music must first be learned. Among the easiest definition perhaps is the ‘chord’ itself.
By definition, the word ‘chord’ warrants the use of 3 to 4 notes to create a specific tune; these are player as a group. Depending on the type of chord, there are several different types including major, minor, and dominant seventh, the notes required could vary in position. This may seem a bit difficult to understand already, but know that it only gets more harder from here. How about familiarizing yourself with the various scales as well as the other rudiments of piano music.
The good thing is, if you want to skip the more difficult part, you can always try to memorize the components of each chord.
Third, know and memorize the formulas.
There is actually no immediate need to memorize all the chords used in piano. It is doubtful that all piano players have these memorized. There are two reasons that make memorizing all chords quite impractical – first there are hundreds of chords to memorize and second, there are only a few chords that are used on a regular basis.
The best way to know learning all piano chords, therefore, is to know how they are constructed. Yes, there are actually specific for creating individual types of chord.
Major chords, for example, are composed typically of three to four notes, but usually only three. These follow the formula: root key, four halftones and three halftones. Note that a halftone is the least possible interval between two notes. On the piano, you can easily recognize this as the distance between two keys, for example: distance between C and C#, C# and D, D and D#, and D# and E. To formulate the key C Major, you need to find the root key, which is any C on the piano, then find the key 4 halftones down to your right, which is E, then move 3 halftones, which brings you to G.
You see, if you know these things, specially the formula for each chord, it will be easier for you to learn piano chords.
There are many methods used to learn piano chords. To learn more about the shortcuts and ‘proper’ methods of learning all the useful chords, check out the helpful resources on website.
