Learn Your Piano Chords: The Easy Way

One of the most important basic music theory knowledge that any pianist should have is the piano chords. It basically forms the moods and creation of new music. In order to know how to form theses chords, you must know what they are as well. So what are piano chords?

Piano chords or chords are three or more notes played together to create sound or melody. There are actually 4 types of piano chords, the Major Chords, the Minor Chords, the Diminished Chords and the Augmented Chords. There are also known as triads. You can use semitones also known as the half-step to form these piano chords.

The most basic and known piano chords are the Major Chords and the Minor Chords.

Major chords are also called the happy chords because of the light mood it makes. It uses 4-3 semitones to form. To build a C major chord on a piano, you will use the C note, the E note (4 semitones from C. Db is the first semitone, D is the second, Eb is the third, and E is the fourth), and the G note (3 semitones from E is G. F is the first, F# is the second, and G is the third).

Minor Chords is known as the sadder chords. It uses a 3-4 semitone formula to form Minor Chords. This formula is the opposite of a major chord's. Using the formula, we can construct/form any minor chord easily. The minor chord can be called the "moody" chord or the sad chord.

Example 1:
F minor chord = F + Ab (3 semitones from F) + C (4 semitones from Ab).

Diminished and Augmented Piano Chords are rarely used or known but are also needed in piano playing.

Diminished chords are traditional piano chords and may sound quite unstable. After playing it either a Major or Minor Chord must be played. The diminished chord can be called the "suspense" chord. It uses a 3-3 semitone form.

For Example:
C diminished chord = C + Eb (3 semitones from C) +Gb (3 semitones from Eb)

Augmented Chords is also a traditional piano chord that serves as a passing chord. When used appropriately, it will make the piano music sounds spectacular.

Example 1:
D augmented chord = D + F# (4 semitones from D) + A# (4 semitones from F#)

Playing piano chords can make piano playing easy and fun. Try piano chords improvisation and create your own music.

Finding the Right Piano Teacher

Piano Playing is a very fun activity for your kids to enjoy. It can really build their musical interest in such a young age and the known benefits are endless.

According to a blog post I read recently, children who are introduced and started piano lessons at a young age shows higher self-esteem and are unlikely to get any degenerative mental diseases such as Alzheimers disease. Piano playing stimulates the mind and keeps it mentally active.

You can give piano lessons for children even at the age of three, but it requires a really great, patient piano teacher. Children this young and a little older have really short attention spans. A piano teacher must give piano lessons for a toddler in around 15 minutes or less. Ages between six to 10 years old are the best ages to teach children how to play the piano. Children around these ages are curious and have an unlimited supply of energy.

Here are some tips on finding the right piano teacher for your kids:

1. Not because the teachers are inexpensive doesn’t mean they’re capable of teaching your kids. Find a piano teacher with an excellent background of piano teaching with kids and a great music background. You don’t want to be a guinea pig for a new piano teacher, don’t you?

2. Private piano lessons or class lessons. Depends on you actually. Some parents prefer private piano lessons for kids because the piano instructor can really focus on the kid’s lessons.

3. Patience is a virtue. Very true especially when they’re teaching kids.

4. What kind of teaching style do they have? Piano teachers are more inclined to teaching classical piano music but some also offers jazz lessons.

5. Recitals. It’s better if the piano teacher also have piano recitals. It helps the children get more confidence and know how to perform in front of an audience so they won’t have and piano anxiety attacks.

But the best way to teach your kids is if you are also active on the music lessons . It helps you understand your kids more and bond with them.

Resource: Play Piano - When Should You Start Learning Piano

Why Learn the Music Theory

They say learning the piano only needs skill, talent and perseverance to be really good at it. But sad to say not all pianist or even musicians know the music theory.

Now here is the question: is it really necessary to a musician, may it be a pianist or a singer, to learn the music theory. Some thought that by learning or “studying” the music theory won’t let them enjoy piano music anymore in which they are very wrong. Understanding the music theory will allow more appreciation to music and will also help increase your knowledge and skill to music.

Music theory basically covers everything from how to read the musical notes and up to how to do piano chords. Not only learning music theory can also enhance your ear sensitivity allowing you to play music by ear. You’ll be able to learn the major scales and the minor scales.

Knowing the music theory well is one of the main requirements to be one great musician. You might end up composing music especially if you plan to be in an orchestra.

Did you know that piano teachers commonly forgot to teach students how to play piano chords? Take it my experience. My teacher didn’t teach me that. So my resort was online piano lessons and I can say that they’re really effective.

So it’s important to know your music theory and even your major scales and minor scales to be one sought out musician of the world.