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Piano and Voice Training that WORKS.

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How to Read Chord Symbols

How to read chord symbols super easy. Piano and voice with Brenda creator Brenda Earle Stokes smiling in front of the piano.

 

The ability to read chord symbols is a huge advantage to musicians of any level or genre.  Every musician can benefit from being able to play harmony on the piano, both as a way to develop your ear training and to deepen your understanding of theory.  In this short tutorial, I will give you a simple and thorough lesson on how to read chord symbols.

The Basics of How to Read Chord Symbols

You can think of chords as being stacks of thirds.  This means that you will be playing the root, third, fifth, seventh, etc. of the key.

Your first step to learning chords should be to learn major and minor triads in all 12 keys.  Once you have these mastered, it will be much easier to play the more complex chords. 

Get your free downloadable chord cheat sheet HERE.

Major and Minor Chords 

As we get started working on learning our chord symbols, it is important to have complete mastery of your major and minor chords.  These simple triads are the building blocks of all chords.  The better you can play them, the easier this whole process will be!

Major 7th chord  

1-3-5-7

Major triad + major 7th (HALF step lower than the root)

 

Dominant 7th chord

1-3-5-b7

Major triad + lowered 7th (WHOLE step lower than the root) 

Major 6th chord

1-3-5-6

Major triad + natural 6th

How to Play Minor Chords 

Minor major 7th Chord

1-b3-5-7

Minor triad + major 7th (HALF step lower than the root) 

Minor 6th chord

1-b3-5-6

Minor triad + major 6th (WHOLE step higher than the 5th) 

Minor 7th chord

1-b3-5-b7

Minor triad + minor 7th (WHOLE step lower than the root)

Diminished Chords 

Diminished Triad

1-b3-b5

Made up of minor 3rds.

 

Half Diminished Chord (also known as Minor 7 Flat 5)

1-b3-b5-b7

Diminished triad + minor 7th (WHOLE step lower than the root)

OR Minor 7th chord with a flattened fifth.

 

Diminished 7th Chord

1-b3-b5-bb7

Diminished triad + bb7 (bb7 is the same as the 6th)

OR Minor 7 chord with a lowered 5th and double lowered 7th 

OR a chord with all minor thirds.

How to Practice Your Chords On Piano 

Practice chords:

  1. Right Hand alone
  2. Left Hand alone
  3. Chord in the Right Hand, Left hand playing a bass note.

The best way to practice your chords, is to work on them a few at a time until you are confident.  Make sure to master your major and minor triads first, since they are the building blocks of all of the rest of the chords.

Practice your chords in 12 keys, organized in four different ways:

  1. Counterclockwise via the circle of 5ths:  C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D, G.
  1. Clockwise via the circle of 5ths:  C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F.

3. Up by 1/2 steps:  C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C. 

4.  Down by 1/2 steps:  C, B, Bb, A, Ab, G, Gb, F, E, Eb, D, Db.

 

Logo for Crash Course in Piano Skills for Singers online piano course. Woman singing and playing the piano with statement that learning piano doesn't have to be hard.

Want to dig into your piano skills?  Check out Crash Course in Piano Skills for Singers – a simple and effective online course.  Sign up HERE.

For $49, you get:

🎹 7 video modules with a close up of the piano keyboard. 

🎹 23 page course book with meticulously notated EVERYTHING.

🎹 A brilliantly organized practice checklist

🎹 Weekly emails to inspire, motivate, offer practice tips and give bonus material

“Thanks Brenda. This was a fantastic workshop and I’m excited to use your approach to improve my playing for my students.”

– Sarah

“Thank you for breaking things down into understandable ideas, and for explaining why certain things were important. I now know very clearly what I should prioritize when I practice. After a couple of days, I can already feel a difference.”

– Gillian

“This was empowering. I don’t feel like a dud or a fraud. I know what my skills are and how and that I can improve them.”

– Samantha

“Brenda’s approach is simple and clear and fun and rather than feeling overwhelmed by how far I have to go, I now feel encouraged by the skills I already have under my fingers.”

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Sign up HERE.

 

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