12 Most Common Piano Chords - A Timed Quiz!
This lesson is a quickie!!!
- Play along with the video.
- Then play through all 12 major chords in one hand. Time yourself!
- Then work on all 12 minor chords in one hand. Time yourself again! Try to beat 30 seconds. I know you can do it! I’ve had a few 5 year old piano students of mine accomplish this!
This will help you become one of the fastest piano players in the west!!! …or the east if thats where you live. If you live in the south, sorry you’re out of luck. 
You don’t have to be able to play all those chords in 30 seconds, but it does help when you try an learn a new song. When learning a new song, you don’t get stuck on how to play the chord among the 50 million other things you have to learn, your only worry is what chord comes next. So just time yourself and make sure that you can find each chord in both hands fairly quickly!
How long does this take to learn?
I remember that it took me quite a few weeks to practice this and see a lot of improvement. Some of my piano students who practiced a little bit everyday have accomplished this goal to be able to play all their major triads in under 30 seconds in one week though!
What order should I play all the chords in?
They usually play them in this order because its fast: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, Ab, Bb, Db, Eb, F#. That’s useful, but eventually you’ll want to challenge yourself so you keep improving your reaction time and you’re not just practicing a routine. The circle of 5ths shown below is another pattern that you can play your chords in!
The Circle of Fifths:
The image below is the famous circle of fifths. It is a great way to make sure you get through all 12 keys when you’re practicing. Its called the circle of fifths because each chord is a 5th apart. Its a good challenge to find chords that leap so far apart.
OK, will work on it
F#maj7 looks like a real challenge, but i’ll try hard))))
By the way, what else is the “Circle of Fifths” for?
F#major7 (Gbmajor7) has the notes [F# A# C# F]
I have an easier time thinking of it as Gbmajor7. Some of those chords are trickier, but only because you haven’t played them as many times as you have played the C chord!
You’ve probably played a C chord hundreds or thousands of times already!
The circle of fifths is also good for writing songs, you’ll notice a lot of songs (especially jazz tunes) follow a similar chord progression and move in 5ths.
You’ll notice a 251 progression is based on the circle of 5ths (thats a jazz progression) Dminor, G7, Cmajor7. That goes left of the circle of fifths.
It is good to practice around the circle of 5ths both directions, left & right because chords happen in all sorts of different patterns.
Thanks!
Chris Marx
This is interesting because one of my weaknesses is finding the chords as the music is playing. I programmed a calculator to flash chords on the screen as they appear on lead sheets. It starts out slow and gets faster and faster with the goal being to increase the speed in finding the chords and the music being played sounds smoother.
Hey Chris, I love the video lesson. I was able to name the 12 major chords and almost got all the minor chords. Do you have any tips for sight reading music faster? I have been working from chord sheets or lead sheets and was wondering if you have any suggestions on how to “spice” up or make a piece more interesting instead of playing just block chords.
Thanks and keep up the videos,
Jimmie
I love that idea of a calculator quiz Lloyd! Nice work.
Another student of mine just made some flash cards as a low-tech solution.
Anything you can do to challenge yourself in different chord progressions.
Then try reading through a fake book at a STEADY tempo… (The key is to go slow enough to no drop a beat).
Then see if you can speed that up. Use a metronome for an absolute number/tempo to measure yourself against.
Thanks!
Chris Marx
Hi Jimmie,
sadly I don’t really know of any shortcuts for reading music in addition to the ones in the chords101 course.
(FACE & Every Good Boy Does Fine etc.)
I had to just sit down for 5-10 min. a day and read through all the music I could find. Could be easy or hard, just get practicing writing in the notes and finding them on the piano.
In 2 weeks you’ll notice you’re faster, and even MORE so in 1 month. But you have to measure your progress over a couple weeks.
Kinda like working out at the gym. Don’t expect to lose 40lbs after one workout!
As for spicing up lead sheets, you can play chords in a MILLION different ways. Break them up, roll them are just a few variations.
Look at song books for piano & vocal, they usually are like a lead sheet with the chords, but then also have a sample piano arrangement.
In the piano arrangement, use that as an example of what to play on certain chords.
Thanks!
Chris Marx
Cool this will give me something to do in my spare time. =] Thanks for the challenge!
Bring it on!
Hey Chris,
I get lost when i do the slide thing down the keyboard, like i dont know where to put back my hands for the next chord. any tips?
Hi Dom - Which section are you talking about?
Are you referring to the video in this post about common piano chords?
Great tutorial, work on your fingering
Good quick review of 5th’s and the relative minors (sixths) . Next, I would suspect, would be inversions of the same.
As you said, good for the head. then do them without looking for recognition
Thanks
Phil
is their a book like hanon except it teaches composing melody’s
Hi Devonte,
If you want to compose melody’s, don’t learn it from a book about composing melodies…
because it will give you rules, and every rule is broken in music.
STEP 1: Take your top 3 favorite melodies from anything, movies, songs, etc
STEP 2: Learn them pretty well
STEP 3: ANALYZE them: (Ask yourself, What is different about your favorite part of the melody? which parts do you like the best?) Also look at the chords & the harmony. Which note of the chord is the melody? Is it major or minor? as many questions as you can.
This is the best way to learn, because you end up with the ability to write the music you really enjoy.
Everyone has a different taste in music, if you learn how to compose melodies from someones book, theres a good chance you’ll end up writing music you don’t like.
Thanks,
Chris Marx
Tnx for this!!! “)v
Thanks Marx
Can you send me the chord 101 course download thanks
Rosie Young on October 6th, 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.
Hi Chris-
It is literally my second day, I started last night before my last final for school. Your videos have helped me so much!! Catching on very quickly, and also learning some of the christmas songs for the holiday. Working on chords right now, really trying to not get frustrated about not being able to find different chords. Thanks!
I love this tutorial. At first I thought that I was way beyond it because of my many years studying classical but after timing myself, I think this is going to drastically improve my playing.
Now I actually understand the circle of fifths and why it is useful. The info on how songs are written is a revelation to me. I have always wanted to know how it is done however the books that I looked at just confused me. Now I am seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
Suzanne
hi chris I can’t really understand the CIRCLE OF FIFTH’S
CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT IN MORE DETAILED….???
OR CAN YOU POST A VIDEO ON HOW TO USE THE CIRCLE???
Hi Chris…is there some kind of rule that if you use sharps in a piece they should all be noted as sharps everywhere else it is needed or flats all the way where required but not mixed?
eg:B Eb F# (B chord) instead of
B D# F#
or B Eb Gb
Hi Chris,
So glad I ran across you on u-tube. I know all my chords and I am very blessed with rhythm. I learned how to play an ole 8-bass accordian in the moon light at night in my front yard. Was so determined, I figured out the chords and learned one song, Silent Night, in every chord. I Saw The Light, was the next one, and I started out slow,and soon I was playing it faster than some had ever tried to sing. My two sons play drums and my brother plays guitar and he is amazed at my style. We jam out when we get together. We play Country, Gospel, Rock and Roll, etc. I was asked to help out in a small church when the piano player had moved. I was just going to help till they found another piano player. Well, They stopped looking. At first, I was intimidated with that grand piano. Then I fell in love with the sound. I’m 65 years old, retired, just went thru a battle with cnacer, chemo, the works. God has blessed me so,I am only human, and I just want to do more with fill-ins, and runs.
Just can’t thank you enough. Rocket Piano is not for me. I did Try it.
Keep up the good work. Look forward to my next lesson. Diane
THANKS MARX!