Creating chords - It’s easier than you think you just need to remember these two things below. The rst thing we need to do is memorise the names of the notes and where they are on the keyboard. This is essen al to know because if you want to play any chord we need to rst know what note to start on. The clue is always in the chords name! An A chord starts on an A, and a B chord starts on a B, C chord starts on a C and so on. So let's nd where ‘A’ always is, so we can use it to anchor ourselves when nding the names of white notes. This is easier than it sounds.
Anchoring ourselves. Find ‘A’ rst
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
The note ‘A’ is always tucked up on the inside right of any and all groups of three black notes. The white note to the right next to it is B, the next white note is C then the next white note is D etc un l we get to G because a er G we arrive back at the inside right of a group of three black notes, Which is ‘A’ again. Don’t worry about the names of the black notes for now. They come a li le later. Re cap….To nd any note. Start on A and use the alphabet to count up (or down) to nd the note you want. Prac ce by choosing a white key and working out what it’s called, by coun ng up to it from the nearest A.
A
A simple formula: Let’s play a chord (Root 4 - 3)
2
2
1
C
Start on a note that is the same as the name of the chord you want to play (Called your root). Here we’re going to play a C chord, so we start on C. If you are not sure where C is, nd ‘A’ and count up till you nd ‘C’. Press and hold that note down. From C count up 4 keys, but don’t include C in your count, start counting on the note next to it. Count to the right, including each white and black note you come to, until you get to number four. That’s your next note of the chord
1
3
3
4
Now repeat the process, but count up 3 this time and you have your last note - play all three together, cleanly! Use your right hand. Use your thumb on the C, middle nger on 4 and either of the other ngers on the 3 That’s the two things to remember - Where A is so you can work out the note names and Root 4-3….to play the chord
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fi
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fi
fi
ti
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fi
fi
ti
fi
fi
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fi
ti
ti
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If you follow that formula you can play all seven Major (happy) chords, like this. We’ll start with the three chords, that look like a bit like white picket fences Find your start note. Count up four keys (black and white) then up three keys from there to nd the three notes in your chord. Here we see C, F and G which are all white picket fence shaped (hit a white note, miss a white note, hit a white note, miss a white note, hit a white note).
C
2
1
C
2
3
1
3
4
F
2
2
1
F
G
1
3
4
3
2
2
1
1
3
G
4
3
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These three use exactly the same formula, but because of where they start they end up looking like triangles (with a black note at the top) Same formula for these chords (root 4 3) but they make a di erent shape because of where you start counting. These three A, D and E make a triangle shape, with a black note at the top.
A
4
2
1
3
2
1
A
3
D
4
2
1
1
3
D
E
3
4
2
1
E
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2
3
2
1
3
Same formula here again, but B ends up with a slightly di erent shape (don’t worry no one uses B (much)…oh the Beatles do…ok yeah, probably best learn it…
B
1
3
4
2
3
1
2
A
Let’s add one more simple thing AND double the amount of chords you can play! Changing happy (Major) chords to sad minor (sad) chords 2 1 3 to Minor (sad) is really simple. Play To shift every chord you’ve already learned from Major (happy) a chord as before but, simply move the middle note (your middle nger) left (down) by one key Doesn’t matter if it ends up on a white or black1 note. So the chords will now look like these below. 2 You can also think of it as shifting the formula from Root 4 - 3…. to Root 3 - 4, instead,
Am
A
3
2
1
1
D
Dm fi
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3
2
3
4
Em
2
3
1
2
E
Fm
2
3
1
3
F
Gm
4
2
3
1
Cm
4
2
1
3 2
3
1
C
4
2
1
G
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ffl
1
1
3
3 2
4
Bm
2
1
A
3
1
2
4
3
There we go! With those fourteen chords you can play hundreds and hundreds of songs. I hope you enjoyed that and get a lot out of it. Try it with some of these songs listed below and see how easy it can be. If you want to learn how to easily play Sharp/ Flat/ 7th/ Diminished/ Augmented/ Sus 2/ Sus 4/ Slash /Inverted 1 and 2 chords - in a way that’s just as easy to learn, then head over to my Ba ed by chords course HAPPY PIANO’ING
Simon Try some of these? 1. The Beatles - "Let It Be" 2. Adele - "Someone Like You" 3. John Lennon - "Imagine" 4. Green day- "Good riddance/Time of your life" 5. Animals "House of the rising sun" 6. Bill Withers "Ain't no sunshine when she's gone" 7. Tears for Fears "Mad World" 8. Adele - "Hello" 9. Coldplay - "Fix You" 10. John Legend "All of me"
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