This FREE piano lesson is about piano chords - how they are built, their intervals and their inversions.
Here are the types of piano chords which are being used in contemporary western music and their structure in terms of intervals: Major - 1,3,5 ( e.g. Tonic note + Major Third + Perfect 5th). Minor - 1,b3,5 Augmented - 1,3,#5 Diminished - 1,b3,b5 Dominant 7th - 1,3,5,b7 Major 7th - 1,3,5,7 Minor 7th - 1,b3,5,b7 Augmented Dominant 7th - 1,3,#5,b7 Diminished 7th - 1,b3,b5,bb7 Suspended 4th - 1,4,5 Major 6th - 1,3,5,6 Minor 6th - 1,b3,5,6 Six Add Nine - 1,3,5,6,9 Minor 6 Add 9 - 1,b3,5,6,9 Add Nine - 1,3,5,9 Minor Add Nine - 1,b3,5,9 Major Ninth - 1,3,5,7,9 Minor Ninth - 1,b3,5,b7,9 Dominant Ninth - 1,3,5,b7,9 Dominant Sharp Nine - 1,3,5,b7,#9 Dominant Flat Nine - 1,3,5,b7,b9 Minor Eleventh - 1,b3,5,b7,9,11 Dominant Eleventh - 1,3,5,b7,9,11 Dominant Sharp Eleventh - 1,3,5,b7,9,#11 Major 7 Sharp 11 - 1,3,5,7,9,#11 Major Thirteenth - 1,3,5,7,9,11,13 Minor Thirteenth - 1,b3,5,b7,9,11,13 Dominant Thirteenth - 1,3,5,b7,9,11,13 If we take the C, E and G (these are stack of thirds) we can form the C chord triad which is composed of three notes - The root, the 3rd and the 5th. Do the same thing on the second up to the 7th degree of the scale and you will have the SCALE TONE CHORDS - basic (taken from the notes of the scale). Here are some piano chords (SCALE TONE CHORDS - basic) which are derived from the C major diatonic scale and their INVERSIONS (position of chord other than the root position). In the diagram, we have the root position, 1st and 2nd inversions. These piano chords are used in classical, pop, folk, and any other type of modern music. Study these in twelve keys and apply them to some of your favorite songs and don't forget to use the chord inversions. It is a pre-requisite for any piano player to learn the chord inversions because you will not be playing chords on their root position all the time, so keep on practicing these chords until you master them and have automatic fascility.
Here are some piano chords on the key of C that you can use as a reference guide. Most of these chords sound better if you play them in open position (e.g. for a CMaj7 chord, play C and G on your left hand, and on your right play B and E or E and B). Transpose and learn them in twelve keys of the keyboard.
Some piano chords are either extended or altered to add "color" to a specific chord. This can be a fifth, ninth, eleventh, or thirteenth that is added, lowered (flatted) or sharped (#). Here are the extended and altered chords:
Major Chords in 12 Keys
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