Keyboard Chords

Before looking at the most important keyboard chords, it's useful to know what chords are. They are three or more notes played together. But what kind of notes?

There are twelve different kinds of notes. These notes repeat up and down from Middle C (near the center) on the keyboard.

There are "natural" notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, G
There are "sharp" notes: A♯, B♯, C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯
There are "flat" notes: A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭

Each sharp note is the next note above the natural note, and each flat note is the next one below the natural note. As you can see on the keyboard below, some notes have two names.

It's also important to know that there are no sharp/flat notes between B to C and E to F.

How do we make chords?

Major Chords

To play a major keyboard chord, for example, put your right thumb on C, count up four notes and put another finger on E then count up three more notes and put a third finger on G. You can do the same with any other note.

Major chords use three kinds of notes from the major scale (more about music scales):

• 1st note (Root)
• 3rd note
• 5th note

And all other chords are derived from these notes.

This is what a C major chord looks like for example:

To make a major triad (major chord), count up four notes from the Root note (not counting the Root itself). Then count up three more notes from the 3rd to find the 5th note. It means that you don't need to memorize the notes in a chord. If you know the root, you know the other notes you have to play.

Advanced Chords

All other keyboard chords are modifications or extensions of the major chords we talked about in the previous section. What you always do is start with a major chord then follow the instructions given in the chord name.

Most songs in contemporary music contain major chords (triads), minor chords and seventh chords. If you know how to make these, you can play most of the songs out there.

Minor Chords

You use minor chords when you'd like to play melancholic music. How do you make minor keyboard chords? Just substitute the 3rd note in the major chord with the flatted 3rd note, i.e. Root, 3♭, 5th. So if you see an "m" in any chord name, e.g. "Cm ", you'll know that all you have to do is flat the 3rd. Take a look at the example below:

Seventh Chords

Seventh chords have a kind of pulling sound. They are made by adding a 7th flatted note to a chord, i.e. two notes below the Root. They are easy to recognize, e.g. "C7". If you add a 7th note and not a 7♭ note, it's called a "dominant 7th".

Major 7th Chords

In major 7th chord titles there is a capital "M". In 7th chords there is no "M". So for example, CM7 would consist of C, E, G, B. The 7th note is one note below the Root.

6th Chords

You make a 6th chord by adding the 6th note to the chord. Example: C6 would consist of C, E, G, A. The 6th note is three notes below the Root.


Suspended Chords
Suspended keyboard chords have a "sus" in the chord title. You make them by moving up 1 note from the 3rd and substitute the original 3rd with it. For example, Csus would consist of a C, F, G (because we substituted the original 3rd, E with F that is one note up).


Flat 5 Chords
In flat 5 chords you flat the 5th note. So if you see a chord title like Cflat5 or C-5, you'll know that it means C, E, G♭.


Augmented Chords
You'll know it's an augmented chord when you see "aug" or "+" in the chord title. You make the augmented keyboard chords by using 5♯ instead of 5th. For example, Caug would consist of C, E, G♯ .


9th Chords
If you see a "9" in a chord title, you'll have to know immediately that first you'll need to add the 7♭ note and the 9th note to the base chord.


11th Chords
If you see an "11" in a chord title, you'll have to recognize that first you'll need to add the 7♭, the 9th note and then the 11th note to the base chord.


13th Chords
If you see a "13" in a chord title, you'll have to know that first you'll need to add the 7♭, the 9th, the 11th note and the 13th note to the base chord.


Diminished or Half Diminished Chords
In a diminished chord, you flat the 3rd and the 5th. If you diminish a C chord, you'll get C, E♭, G♭.


Diminished 7th Chord
In this kind of chord, you lower every note except the Root. If we take a C chord as an example, we'll get C, E♭, G♭, B♭♭. (In a seventh chord, the last note would be B♭♭ and it's the same as the 6th note.) B double flat means an A.


Chords with Added Notes
The "add" part of a chord title means that you'll have to add a note to it. For example, a Cadd11 means that you'll need to add an 11th note to the C chord.
The different chord symbols we've talked about so far can appear "in bulk". For instance, if you see a Csus7+, you'll have to make the 3rd sharp (sus), add the 7♭ because of the "7" and sharp the 5th because of the "+".


Chord Inversions
If we take major keyboard chords, you can make the first inversion by moving the Root up. It means, that you play the 3rd, the 5th and the Root. Example: s C major chord first inversion is E, G, C.
In case of second inversion, you move the 3rd to the top, which gives you 5th, Root and 3rd. Example: C major chord second inversion is G, C, E.

Summary of Piano Chord Theory

When you make keyboard chords, you always start by playing a Root, a 3rd, and a 5th. Then you modify this major chord according to the chord theory rules:


▪ minor chord ("m") - change the 3rd to 3♭
▪ suspended chord ("sus") - change the 3rd to 3♯
▪ flat 5 chord ("-5") - change the 5th to 5♭
▪ augmented chord ("+") - change the 5th to 5♯
▪ major 7th chord ("M7") - add the 7th note
▪ dominant 7th chord ("7") - add the 7♭ note
▪ sixth chord ("6") - add the 6th note
▪ ninth chord ("9") - add the 7♭ and the 9th note
▪ eleventh chord ("11") - add the 7♭, the 9th and the 11th note
▪ thirteenth chord ("13") - add the 7♭, the 9th, the 11th and the 13th note
▪ added notes ("add") - add the 6th note
▪ diminished chords ("dim") - flat the 3rd and the 5th
▪ diminished 7th chords ("dim7") - flat every note except the Root


Now you're able to play most of the keyboard chords out there. You can also play the combinations of these chords above, and there are thousands of them. If you wish to learn even more about keyboard chords, I recommend Chordmaster Chord Theory for Keyboard and The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios and Cadences. Have fun!

Go to the Piano Chords Chart 

Music Theory Online

Why should you learn some music theory online? Being familiar with what's behind the music isn't absolutely essential for songwriting. However, if you have no idea about music theory, it really makes your job a lot more difficult than it should be. So do yourself a favor and start familiarizing yourself with it. And these days it's easier than ever. You can find plenty of books and other resources on this topic where the information is incredibly deep, well-organized and understandable. Or you can learn music theory online, right here and now. This way, you can save years of music college education by reading these "music theory online" pages here.

✓ The most basic thing you should know is how to get around the mighty musical staff. What's treble clef? What's bass clef? How do you find Middle C on the staff and the keyboard?

✓ Once you know which note is where on the musical staff, the next step is to learn the value of different notes. There are a couple of kinds of note lengths: whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes and rests.

✓ To make mastering music theory easier, I suggest that you learn the keyboard notes. It's enough if you know where C is on the keyboard and it couldn't be simpler from there. If you know which note is which key, you'll be able to memorize the structure of music much faster than without.

✓ Trying to read all those different notes after each other would be an exhausting task without musical bars. Measures and musical bars are the devices that divide music into smaller pieces so that you can read it more easily.

✓ Learning how to read music notes is quite important for songwriters. It'll help you understand and write music more easily.

✓ Music intervals are important to know to be able to communicate effectively with other songwriters and have a thorough understanding of music theory.

✓ Music scales are also important to know. They help you decide about the pitch of your songs and stay in tune.

✓ Are you confused about musical modes and musical scales? Why does one choose one musical mode and not the other? You'll find all the answers on this page about musical modes.

✓ Some musicians don't like to or can't read traditional sheet music. Others just prefer a simpler method. Fortunately, the Nashville Number System has been invented. It helps musicians putting music on paper fast and easy. It also gives players much more freedom for improvisation and creativity.

✓ The next step in learning music theory online is reading some information about key signatures. They help you read, play and understand sheet music.

✓ Being familiar with music clefs can help you a lot in reading sheet music. You've probably seen the treble clef and the bass clef - they are the most common ones - but there are cases when an alto, tenor, neutral or some other kind of clef is used.

✓ When you know what key signatures are, it's time to learn about the circle of 5ths. With the help of this little tool you can easily remember the organization of key signatures.

✓ If you want to play the piano a little and would like to use it for songwriting, you should definitely look at a piano chord chart to see what popular songs are made of.

✓ To be able to write amazing songs, you should know what the chords that sound good together are. There are only a few rules and they are easy to remember.

✓ Great music isn't made up of I, IV and V chords only. To make your music express feelings even more intensely, it's worth spending a couple of minutes learning how to do chord substitutions.

✓ And if you have a couple of minutes, you can learn the rules that help you make thousands of chords.

✓ There are also slash chords. They are special chords that you use when there is a bass note that is added to or different from the base note of the chord.

Have fun learning music theory online!

And if you would like even more information on these topics, I recommend the following books:Chordmaster Chord Theory for Keyboard, The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios and Cadences or Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory.

Songwriting Links

Here are some songwriting links to sites I've found to be the most interesting and useful.

Guitar

ABC Learn Guitar - Free beginner guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on buying a guitar, songwriting, recording, and creating a music career.

Start Playing Guitar by reading articles that inform without overwhelming: Guitar selection, buying guides, all about amplifiers, reading TAB andsheet music, chords, care, more... Why wait?

Piano

Enjoy Your Piano.com - Get everything you need to enjoy your piano, including a technician's advice on how to take care of it. Find sheet music and resources to help you learn to play.

PlayPiano.com - How to play piano - piano lessons using piano chords.

Other

Church musician jobs - Improve your heart and your art. Assist church musicians in developing professional skills.

Free-Internet-Music.com - Offers free legal MP3 music downloads. Provides info on free Internet music, p2p music downloads, free Internet radio, and free Internet games. Also, includes help with how to download free movies and how to watch free live TV.

Media Web Source - Music Jobs, Band and Song Writer Resources, Press Kit and Demo Tips, How to Get Gigs, Music Articles, Music Industry Books, Band Promotion, and Record Company Resources.

How Long Does Copyright Last?

'How long does copyright last?' you might ask before or after you fill in the copyright form and pay the rather high fee. The answer depends on the date of creation, publishing and registration of the song.

The following laws are valid in the US.

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer so don't take this as legal advice.

There are three possibilities but for most people the first one will be the right one:

1. Works Created On or After Jan. 1, 1978: the copyright lasts until the end of the author's life plus an additional 70 years after the author's death. If there was more than one author, it lasts for 70 years after the death of the last surviving author.

1. 2. Works Created Before Jan. 1, 1978, But Not Published or Registered by That Date: the death of the (last) author plus 70 or 95 or 120 years.

2. 3. 3. Works Created and Published or Registered Before Jan. 1, 1978: the copyright lasted for 28 years. After the end of this term, the copyright was eligible for renewal for 28-47 years. So altogether, these works are/were eligible for protection from 75 years, in some cases 95 years.

To find more detailed answers to the question 'How long does copyright last?', visit the website of The Copyright Office. You can also electronically copyright your song on this website. It costs $35 currently. If you want to do it on paper, it costs a little more, $50.

If you'd like to find out more about questions like

• How long does copyright last?

• How do you use copyright law to your benefit?

• What are the proper licenses for the legal online delivery of music?

• Previous cases of copyright violations and how they ended

• Using music on sites like MySpace, YouTube and more…

I recommend that you read Allen Bargfrede and Cecily Mak's book, Music Law in the Digital Age to find out the answers to these questions.

More on How To Copyright a Song

How to Register Copyright on the Internet 

Keyboard Notes

Learning keyboard notes is not absolutely essential for songwriting or even music theory. But it makes both much easier. And learning where notes are on a keyboard takes minutes. So why not memorize them?

If you know the place of only one note on the keyboard, the rest will be obvious.

This is what a keyboard looks like:

You can probably see a pattern here. There are several white keys next to each other and there are pairs and threes of back notes between them.

White Keys

Find a pair of black notes. C is always the white note to the left of the two:

All the notes on the keyboard which are to the left from the pairs of black notes are called C, only the pitch changes. The C's on the left side of the keyboard are lower than the ones on the right.

As you probably know, in music we identify notes by names: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Since they are in alphabetical order, it couldn't be easier to remember them. It's just that easy on the keyboard too. If you know where C is, you can identify the other notes. To the right of C there is the next white key D, the next white key is E and so on:

If I tell you to play Middle C, which note are you going to play? It's called "Middle C" for a reason, it's the C almost in the middle of the keyboard.

Black Keys

So if C, D, E, F, G, A, B are the names of the white notes, what's left for the black ones?

The shortest interval between two notes is called a semi-tone. Each key on the piano is a semi-tone away from the next. So for example, the black key to the right from C is a C# (C sharp). It means that it's a semi-tone higher than C. Therefore the black keys are called (from left to right): C#, D#, F#, G#, A#.

There is a semi-tone difference between E-F and B-C so there is no black key between them.

You can also approach these keyboard notes from another angle and instead of C# you could call the same black key a D♭ (D flat). It means that it's a semi-tone below D. If you look at a keyboard, you'll realize that C# and D♭ are identical.

If you'd like to master music theory in even more detail, I recommend Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory. It's an awesome self-study course. There are even ear training CDs included. You can practice music theory with music writing and reading exercises and tests. Answers are also included so you can really do it all without the help of a teacher.

If you'd like to learn to play the piano, you've made the first step by learning what keyboard notes are called. The next step is to find a systematic course that will take you from complete beginner to quite an advanced level. The best one I've found is called Learn and Master Piano. Will Barrow (a Grammy-winner pianist) is the instructor and he has a really clear, down-to-earth teaching style. Highly recommended!

More Music Theory 

Note Lengths

Note lengths differ. If they didn't, music would be a very boring series of notes.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to see and compare different note durations. And if you learn these, you'll almost be able to read music. Of course, you'll also need to learn about where notes are in the staff. But if you master these two things, you can read almost any sheet music.

Note Durations

Here is a chart of note lengths:

It's all basic mathematics:

⁃ Two half notes = a whole note.
⁃ Two quarter notes = a half note.
⁃ A half note + two eighth notes + a quarter note = a whole note.

By the way, there are much shorter notes than sixteenth notes but they are not used very often.

Dotted Notes

This is an example for a dotted quarter note:

The dot after a note means that you increase the note by half of its value. It's the same as if you wrote a quarter note + an eighth note. You can make any note dotted and therefore increase its value by half.

Ties

You can also increase note length by adding a tie to it:

A tie means that you have to add up the value of the notes you tie together.

Beams

Sometimes there are several quarter, eighth, sixteenth or even smaller notes next to each other. They would be hard to read. And it would look strange on the staff to write several of them next to each other. To simplify this, you can use beams to connect them inside a bar.

You can connect eighth notes with one line (beam), and sixteenth notes with two:

Direction of Stems

The line coming from the egg/circle part of a note is called a stem. You've probably noticed when looking at sheet music that sometimes the stem points up, sometimes down. How do you decide which direction to go?

• If the note is below the middle line, the stem points up.
• If it's above the middle line, the stem points down.
• If it's ON the middle line, the stem can go either way, whichever looks better to you.

Rests

In music, silence is called a rest. Rests also have a value and are written into the sheet music:

Related pages:

How To Read Music Notes 

Keyboard Notes 

Musical Staff

The musical staff has five lines and four spaces. We count the lines and spaces from the bottom up. So we can say: "the note on the second line" or "the note on the third space". The staff may have more or less than five lines but in modern music it's uncommon.

Clefs

Where you find notes on the musical staff will be determined by the clef at the beginning of each line of music. The two most common clefs are the treble clef and the bass clef.

Notes on the Staff - Treble Clef

In music, notes have letter names: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. (Some countries in Europe use the letter H instead of B.)

In the treble clef staff, you put E on the first line (i.e. the first line at the bottom). Then you go on naming the other notes from there. F will be on the first space, G on the second line, etc. When you get to E on the fourth space, you just start the circle again and continue with F, G, etc. You'll easily memorize the places of notes if you remember the word FACE(from the bottom up) for the spaces and Every Good Boy Does Fine (again from the bottom up) for the lines.

Notes on the Staff - Bass Clef

The system of naming notes in bass clef is the same as in treble clef. However, you'll find G on the first line. Then comes A on the first space, B on the second line, etc. You'll easily remember the places of the notes if you remember the sentence All Cows Eat Grass (from the bottom up) for the spaces and Good Boys Do Fine Always (similarly, from the bottom up) for the lines.

Notes on the Staff - Ledger Lines

Sometimes music includes notes lower or higher than what you can put into the musical staff. That's when you use ledger lines. For example, if you have a piece of music which starts with treble clef, there might be a B in it which is lower than E on the first line. In that case, you'll have a little extra line under the first line and place the note B under that. There might be one or more ledger lines below or over the musical staff, whether the music is written down in treble clef or bass clef. Theoretically, you can use as many ledger lines as you like - only the available space will limit the number.

Notes on the Staff - Middle C

In treble clef, Middle C is on the first ledger line under the staff. In bass clef, Middle C is on the first ledger line above the staff. It means that they are identical notes. On the piano, it's the C literally "in the middle".

The Gand Staff

When you have a treble clef line and a bass clef line, and they are joined by a line, you call it the grand staff. You use it in cases when two or more instruments play at once and/or when an instrument is capable of playing several notes at the same time, e.g. the piano.

Practice Makes Perfect!

The only way to memorize where the notes are in treble and bass clef is to practice them. For example, you could choose a piece of music you'd like to learn to play on the piano and (without writing the note names under the musical staff) learn to play and read it. The more you practice it the faster and easier you'll read music. Even if you don't play the piano, if you visualize notes on a keyboard, it'll be much easier to remember the system of music notes.

If you'd like to practice the musical staff and reading music more, I recommend The Everything Reading Music Book. There is great step-by-step music theory instruction in it. This book doesn't bore you with unnecessary technical terms that you'll never use!

More Music Theory