Building Major and Minor triads by counting half steps - Chords 101 Course - DAY 2
Now that you’ve learned all about half steps and whole steps, you are ready to learn the formula for building the 2 most common chords, Major triads and Minor triads. All triad means is a group of 3 notes… As far as what major means, think of it as a chord quality. Major means happy. A minor should be thought of as a sad sound.
Here are the key points in this video:
There are 12 major chords and 12 minor chords, 24 total.
They all look different, white keys, black keys, etc. so don’t learn them based on the color patterns.
SHORTCUT: To find each chord, count up the half steps:
Major Chords = 4half steps + 3half steps
Minor Chords = 3half steps + 4half steps
It’s easier to remember all the major chords by counting up 4 half steps for the distance between the first 2 notes. Then three half steps for the distance between the second two notes. This works for every major chord. Minor chords are the same way, but you have to think 3 half steps and then 4 half steps.
[...] Building Major and Minor triads by counting half steps - Chords 101 Course - DAY 2 [...]
Years ago when I was taking beginning piano I learned to build a chord, put your thumb down on a key, skip a key, skip a key, don’t skip a key, skip a key, play 1,3,5.
I think your method is so much easier/quicker…at least for me.
k
how do i get chords like g minor 7 or b flat major 7.
my piano teacher always refers to chords by those names but i dont know them yet. Im currently grade 4 piano standard
This helped me so much i read about this but never realy got it. you braking it down and actually able to see it helped me understand this so much batter thanks so much!
Hey Chris, Quick question. How come when you are counting the 3 half steps in the second part of a major chord, you start on the same note you left off on in the first part of the the major chord instead of starting at the next note over? Thanks
Thanks Chris and The chord 101 course is great!!
i really loved the way you teach… im glad to have found this great tutorial : ))
Hi Chris,,your lessons are really easy to follow, keep up the good work.
I really enjoy learning Elton Johns and Billy Joel songs. I realize that playing piano comes easier for some people. I started about a year ago and still it hasn’t clicked in my mind yet. I will continue on part 2
OMG! Major & minor chord structure finally clicked! Thanks!
Hey man now i understand this whole thing about Major and minor cords,
I’ve been playing for a long time but never understood how to build cords.
I just learned how to play certain songs and thats it.
Thanks!!!!
Hi Chris!
Thanks for explaining about chords! I’m a beginner with the piano and I really want to learn how to play. Since I have never taken any lessons before I had no idea what “chord” meant or how to play them, before you explained.
Thank you very much!
Thanks Chris! I´ve been studying piano for a while and had never got to understand this quiestion of major and minor chords fully- You save me a lot of time.
Glad it was helpful Arolf!
I remember when I learned about this, it was a lot of fun experimenting and writing new songs with all the chords I now had at my fingertips.
Thanks!
Chris Marx
Man i just saw lesson one and now the two sand you´re fantastic… finnally i understood how chords are formed… i thought i had to know all them and remember but now i know how to get there without recording all the 24 in my brain
Thx a lot. This really help! Sorry the english but i’m from Portugal. Keep up the good work. Thx
Mario - Thats awesome!!!
Now go learn some super mario music
-Chris Marx
Hi Chris,
I’m from Santo Domingo and just found about your Blog. I decided to buy a keyboard and learn how to play it, I don’t have time during the day to take lessons and as I watched lots of videos and tutorials on YouTube for two weeks I was getting very anxious and frustrated, I was having second thoughts about this and was considering that maybe people are right when they say that learning how to play the piano at 32 is like an impossible mission and so… a waste of time.
But finding your blog and watching just the three first videos I’m like: “Gee!!! This is it! Was it so hard for the other guys to make it this simple?!!!!” I don’t know, I guess it takes a little bit of genius and lots of practice to make things this easy for us, but I just wanted to thank you and let you know how glad I am for finding your wonderful and FREE (yey!!!) resources on the web.
Peace.
Cristian.
Hi Chris!
I had a music teacher at school, when I was at 5th grade and she had told about major chords and minor chords. Though, I didn’t really understood it, but now I get it:) It’s not difficult as I thought.
Thank you very much!
Candice
I ‘m learning how to play the piano however, I do not know where to begin. I have been searching out lessons and now I feel overwhelmed instead. Where should I begin. I understand notes, and I am learning chords.
Hi Chris,
My main problem is not so much learning where the chords are but when do we change chords and the rhythm pattern..when playing a melody..
I am rather bad with rhythm and pattern.
I guess it is learning to listen rather than just hearing…Listening to tones, and beats, and rhythm is the hardest for me.
Thanks for leading me step by step..
Sui
this is absolutely cool!
THE BEST tutorial u can ever find!!!!
For me it’s too much talking about the same thing to call it a ‘fast’ lesson.
I appreciate however that for some ppl it may help to understand once and for good.
Hey Chris,
Thanks for these lessons! I have a question about the exercise at the end of this video. I was trying it out and I got it with my right hand no problem, using my thumb, middle, and pinky. However, when I tried it with my left hand that finger position felt really awkward. I saw in the video you used your middle, pointer, and thumb for that F Maj chord. What fingers should I use when playing root position Major and Minor chords?
Good tutorial. Easy to understand. Lets see if it’s going to be easy for me to play as well
Still very very helpful. I also find the mock piano on the top a great thing, it really does help me wheni am trying to find a key.
thanks, chris!
you teach me a lot during the tutorial how to play piano easily.