| |
| |
|
Music Information |
|
|
|
Musicians: What Chords Do You Absolutely, Positively Have To Know?
As you probably know, there are thousands and thousands of different chords in music - everything from basic major chords to minor 7ths to 13ths to suspensions to poly-chords. Someday, you might want to learn all those chords if you don't already know them. But meanwhile, there are 3 chords -- just 3 -- that you absolutely, positively have to know. If you don't know these three, there's hardly a song in the whole world that you could play. But by knowing just 3 chords, you can play hundreds, if not thousands of songs! Really? Really. Are you ready? Here they are: I IV V Huh? What's all that about? Here's what: In every key there are 3 chords -- just 3 chords -- which are known as "primary chords" -- chords that occur way more than other chords. They are like family members of that particular key. They are groups of notes built on the 1st note of the scale, the 4th note of that scale, and the 5th note of that scale. (Those are 3-note chords called "triads" -- in another article we will get into 4 and 5 note chords.) For example, here is the C scale on the keyboard. It runs from C up to C and octave higher. The I chord is built on the first note of the C scale, and so on: So if I build a chord on the "I" -- every other scale note up from C, the chord is C, E, and G -- known as the "C major chord". If I build a chord on the "IV" -- every other scale note up from F, the chord is F, A, and C -- known as the "F major chord". If I build a chord on the "V" -- every other scale note up from G, the chord is G, B, and D -- known as the "G major chord". Please notice, if you haven't already, that those 3 chords contain ALL the notes in the C scale! So what? So any melody - tune - in the key of C (as long as it just uses the 8 notes of the scale) can be harmonized just by playing one of those 3 chords! Think about that -- that's a HUGE insight that most people never get. So, in any given key you can play in, there are PRIMARY CHORDS -- chords that occur way more than other chords. They are like family members of that particular key. At your house, let's say you have 3 people in your family -- your spouse, your child, and you. On the same block, but down the street a few houses, lives your cousin and her family. At any given moment, who are the most likely people to be in your house? The Terminator? Hillary? Dubba? I don't think so. It's possible, of course, but not too likely. If I had to guess, I would say it would be either you, your spouse, or your child. It might be your cousin down the street -- there's a much better chance of that than, say, David Letterman or Prince Charles -- but my best odds would be to guess that the family members would be there. It's the same way with chords. In any given key, there are 3 "family members" that are residents of that key -- the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord. They are far and away the most likely chords to occur in any given key. For example, if I am playing in the Key of C, and the first chord is the C chord and I have to guess what the next chord is, I would guess that it would be either the F chord or the G chord. Why? Because those are the other "family members". So we have narrowed the odds a great deal just by knowing who the members of the family are. Does that mean that there are always just 3 chords in a song? No, but there are literally hundreds of songs that are made of just 3 chords. The Primary Piano Chords ("the fam") Of All the Major Keys Here are the primary chords (the family chords) of all the major keys (remember that the primary chords are the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord based on the scale of that particular key): Key of C: C, F, G Key of G: G, C, D Key of D: D, G, A Key of A: A, D, E Key of E: E, A, B Key of B: B, E, F# Key of F: F, Bb, C Key of Bb: Bb, Eb, F Key of Eb: Eb, Ab, Bb Key of Ab: Ab, Db, Eb Key of Db: Db, Gb, Ab Key of Gb: Gb, Cb, Db Do you have to know all these chords in all these keys? No. You can choose to play in just one key, or just a few keys. But what you MUST know is the 3 chords in whatever key you want to play in! That means that the stark beginner can learn 3 chords in just a few minutes, and be able to play along with thousands of tunes, because most folk songs, hymns, country songs, and many rock songs just use the 3 basic chords. That's why people who know zilch about music can pick up a guitar, learn 3 chords, and strum along while singing everything from "On Top Of Old Smoky" to "Amazing Grace" to "My Country 'Tis Of Thee" to "Auld Lang Syne" to "Silent Night" to..........................well, you get the idea. And not only a guitar, but a piano, keyboard, or whatever. Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds an advanced degree from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He can be reached at http://www.chordpiano.com. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 56,000 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Music - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Various Countries - A Rant About Country Music It is no secret that over the past couple decades country music has struggled with it's identity far more than any other genre in the industry. At this point nobody can really claim to be a country music fan without being questioned what kind of country fan? The answers being seemingly endless, I've broken them down into a few main categories (but really, there could be so many more). Canadian Stars: The Marble Index and the Waking Eyes Canadian Indie bands are dominating the music scene and it just so happened that three of them took over the Rivoli on Queen St. for a night of true entertainment. The History Of Drums - A Journey Of Sound Music and musical instruments are an extremely important part of human history. The use of rhythm and song has long been used to express meaning, and feeling and accompany rituals. How Can You Make A Rock Vocal Sound Better? Admit it.. The Record Industry Continues Battle Against Free Music Downloads Movie and record producers alike are saying file-sharing networks that permit its users the ability to make copies from other network member's computers are infringing on the copyright laws and costing billions of dollars in lost revenue.The recording industry claims to have lost 25% of it's revenues since computer, so called thieves, have been using peer-to-peer file-sharing networks to obtain free music downloads. Learn Piano the Easy Way! There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note reading or chords. For those who want to spend years learning how to play other peoples music, note reading is the way to go. Piano Teachers - Whats Wrong with Them? Most of us like to use what we learn right away. So why is it that most piano teachers tell you you can't really play music until you learn 2 years of theory or more? What hogwash!If I had to wait that long before I could launch into my own creations I would go nuts. Fiddle Tab Makes Learning Fiddle Fast and Easy Learning fiddle tab is so intuitive and so easy that a student picks it up in five minutes. This is true even for five-year-olds. An Introduction to CD Mastering While many people think that the mixing of the separate audio tracks is the final step, a recording must be mastered well in order to sound good. CD mastering is the last chance for creative input when creating a compact disc. Composing George Winston Style If you're a fan of New Age piano, no doubt you've listened to some of George Winston's music. What I find fascinating about his songs is how he creates them. How to Become a World Class Expert in Just 20 Minutes a Day Is it really possible to become an expert in some field in 20 minutes a day?When I first was exposed to the idea, I'll admit I was rather skeptical. But I heard the idea from a very wise man named Earl Nightengale whom I respected, so the idea intrigued me. Play Piano As Fast As Possible! One of the rules of practicing we all hear over and over is "Be sure to practice slowly." (I'm guilty of this too!) Often the result of this is a feeling of inhibition, which leads to tedium. Review: The Bled - Pass the Flask Released in 2003, Pass the Flask turned this little quintet from Tucson, into a mainstream success overnight. Classifying this band as 'metalcore' or 'indie' or 'hardcore' is quite futile, because for every genre you pick, someone is going to disagree, and have a solid backing for their view. Choosing a Jazz Band for Your Party In many years of arranging jazz bands for all sorts of events I am struck by the similarity of how the request is made by most of our clients.It goes something like this: "We are looking for a jazz band to play at our wedding / book launch / family fun day / sixtieth birthday/ store opening etc. Anglican Arrogance: Small-Minded Choirmembers What is "Episcopal" music?We often hear people express concern about losing ties to our Anglican heritage, which dates back about 500 years. One area that draws attention is music. How to Compose Your Own Music Using 8-bar Phrases Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only genius's do. What a myth! It's a skill that can be learned. Your PC Is An Awesome Singer... If You Let It! As an amateur songwriter, who struggles with a computer far from powerful enough to run the necessary software to record vocals of good quality, I have looked for good solutions. And I've found a few. Piano Playing is Easier than You Think When You Understand Musical Form Form is the key that unlocks the musical map of a song or a musical compostition. Like a house has rooms, so a song has rooms or sections. Six Reasons to Play New Age Piano Here are six very good reasons to learn how to play piano in the New Age style:1. It's easy. Performance and Gigs "For optimum amp tone onstage, plug your amp into your own AC outlet..
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
