For example, a D major chord is played D, F sharp, and A.Ī minor chord is built like a major chord but upside down. This is because the number of half steps will always be the same in-between notes, so the sound will always be the same. The major chords are the easiest chords to learn first. So an E Major chord would be an E for the root note, G Major would be a G, and so on. However, major chords have a sound that is “complete” and is always named for the root note. Major chords are just like the basic root, 3rd and fifth interval chords mentioned above with the Major C chord. So, for example, if you happen to start with playing the E note, then the next half-step up would be an F, which is a white key (also called an E#), and then the full-step would be to the F#, which is a black key. However, half steps are not always black keys, and whole steps are not always the next white key. A full-step would be to the next white key (two notes up), which is the D. The half-step up would be a C# – the very next note, which is the black key.
A half step is going to the next note on the piano, whereas a full step would be two notes.Īs an example, let’s say you are playing the C note. You can “alternate” these chords by going up or down a full or half step. You can recognize the chords on sheet music by playing the odd numbers on your hands – 1,3,5 to make up the 3 notes to form a chord. This may look overwhelming, but when you break it down, you can see that color-coding the chords gives you the root note and whether it is a major, minor, augmented, or diminished chord that you are playing. Here’s a chart available that displays all of the possible piano chords: Memorization is a key factor in learning chords.
When you’re just starting, it’s a good idea to start with only the piano chords until you get a feel for how to play them by sight. When you actually start to learn music theory and read music to play on the piano, you’ll notice that chords are mainly played with the left hand while the right hand plays the melody. For instance, C Major chord is root note C (the chord’s root), 3rd interval note E, and 5th interval note G. Songs are written in keys and what is known as the Key Signature so that you can identify your root note to start. Bye-bye for now.Diving a bit deeper into what the chord actually is, it consists of a triad of a root note (the bass or chord’s “name”), a third interval note, and then a fifth interval note. Thanks for being with me and we’ll see again tomorrow. Just take a look at that for a minute and that will be it today. I think you can tell it from the illustration how they’re related. Those are piano keys and they produce piano notes. That black key is G sharp and A flat and that black key is both A sharp and B flat. That note is both C … That key and that note is both C sharp and D flat. Each black key is both the sharp and a flat, depending on how it’s used. In other words, the black keys have two names. Now, if I’m coming down, if I go a half step below B, that’s B flat. For example, if I go up a half step from C, that’s called C sharp. The black keys, the black piano keys are sharps and plats. A, B, C, and so on through the top of the keyboard. It starts down at the beginning bottom of the keyboard, A, B, C, D, E, F, G. In other words, there’s only the alphabet notes or the alphabet A through G. This is a C on a piano, a piano key C, but it makes a piano note C. Let’s walk throughout the piano notes, they keys and the notes. Then the note itself, which is C, or D, or F, or G. We’ve got the piano keys and then we have the symbol of the note, which is a whole note, or quarter note, or half note, or whatever it is. The symbol is not the note, it is a symbol of a note. That becomes a note, a musical note that can be written on paper. That pitch is C defined by the vibrations per second. In other words, when I press a piano key, it makes a piano pitch of some sort.
Those are piano keys, right? Piano notes are the notes that the keys make.
Technically, keys are these things you see as white and black articles on the piano. Okay? I presume, if you’re more advanced, you can know the difference but there is some confusion with beginners about the difference between keys and notes. By the way, this short little video is just for beginners. This is Duane and today, I’d like to talk about the difference between piano keys and piano notes. Is There Any Difference Between Piano Notes & Piano Keys?