Fast Piano Lessons Blog

14 Comments so far

1. Dan the Music Master on February 26th, 2009

   I’m glad to see semitones (half steps) explained thoroughly. Constructing chords and understanding transposition are quite dependent on this type of rudimentary knowledge.

2. Your Help Needed! CHORDS 101 Feedback!!! | Fast Piano Lessons Blog on March 1st, 2009

   [...] Beginning Piano Day One - Learning Half Steps and Whole Steps - Chords 101 Course - DAY 1 [...]

3. Pedro on March 6th, 2009

   Hi, Chris. I’d like to learn about the weird chords, in your performance. Thanks for this space, where I’m learning a lot of exercices. I’m the colombian boy

4. liz on March 6th, 2009

   great explaination and easy to follow I liked the quize at the end I am just a beginner and I dont understand why I have to know the whole and half step rule. can you explain this please.

   Hey Liz,
   Go to day two,
   learning half steps and whole steps helps you build chords.

   There are 24 major and minor chords…
   (Take the 2 major and minor shapes and multiply it by the 12 keys)
   Now you COULD memorize the way each chord looks: white, black, white… black, black, black.. etc.
   But this is not a good use of your time or memory!

   This is where half steps and whole steps come in.
   There is one pattern of half and whole steps for all major chords and one for all minor chords.

   So to memorize all your major and minor triads, you just need to remember this:
   Major = 4+3; Minor = 3+4

   Thats going to be a lot easier for you than memorizing each of the 24 shapes…
   Go on to Day 2 for more details and
   GOOD LUCK!!!
   Chris Marx

5. Carlos on May 20th, 2009

   Hi Chris,

   Thank you so much for the site. The materials are very very good. Great effort, care and quality on them. Amazing job.

   Thanks a lot Carlos!
   I’m working on adding some more this week.
   My goal is to give piano players a good foundation for what will help them be able to create their own music and read from fake books or lyric sheets off the internet.
   Keep practicing!
   -Chris Marx

6. Mackenzie on July 23rd, 2009

   hi this site has helped me understand chords better! thank you chris! also i was wondering if you would be kind enough to post videos of you teaching songs on keyboard, like different song that we would like to learn because you break things down and teach it simply. thank you again!

7. Chris Marx on July 29th, 2009

   Hi Mackenzie!

   Glad to help with learning chords!

   I try to switch up the videos between songs and theory lessons.

   The next video I post will probably be a song, its impossible for me to meet everyones requests though.

   I’ll keep working on it!

   Thanks,
   Chris Marx

    

8. Rosie Young on October 5th, 2009

   Hi Christ

   I just start back trying to play the piano about 3 month I took lesson some time ago but i was not good at it. So I stop am trying to play for my church choir. Am having a problem hearing the notes; when am playing a song i can’t find the next chord or note to the song. What sould I do. Plese help!

   I spend hour, and hour on the web trying to play along with keyboard player
   when i try by myself i can’t remember the notes.

   Thank you for share the whole and half step with me now it is clear to me how to form the cords. If I can only memorize them when I play them.

   Please, Please, Please help.

9. Candice on October 31st, 2009

   Hi Chris!

   Very good lesson:) I understood everything when I watched the video.

   Candice

10. Bud Brown on November 18th, 2009

    Thanks. You’re a great teacher! I’m really looking forward to the other lessons.

11. Chris Marx on November 22nd, 2009

    Thanks Bud!
    Great picture by the way.

    I have a lot more lessons planned for 2010!

12. karly on December 19th, 2009

    So that’s what a b flat is lol ..

    now all of my dreams will come true
    haha just kidding,
    thanks, very useful although i don’t get some parts of it,
    well that’s because they’re in english, i mean; i do understand it and i can speak it too
    the thing is that i don’t even know anything about music in my own language, so the help that i could get from here would it be great, because i still haven’t found sites in spanish

    thanks again Chris!

13. Глеб on December 24th, 2009

    Привет Крис..!! Всё просто великолепно :)) Очень наглядно и понятно.. Правда не все слова, а в общем легко разобраться.. Побольше бы таких уроков…

    Спасибо Огромное!!! :))

14. Nathan on February 6th, 2010

    Hey Chris!
    i wanted to let you know that it was your ray charles lesson on everyday i have the blues that made me start getting into the piano again, i am a guitarist at heart and soul, but ray just makes me wanna hit a few keys from time to time haha. But i was wondering, if you could do a lesson on either his version of driftin blues by charles brown, or charles browns original version. Ive picked up alot by ear, but turn arounds have never been my pal, hopefully you can help!

    Thanks alot man
    and keep up the great work

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