Chord Jammer: Play & Write Piano Songs Without Reading Music

In this lesson you'll learn exactly where to find Middle C and why it is the most important note on the piano to be able to find at the beginning of your learning. We also look at a simple trick using the black key patterns that lets you find the note C anywhere on the piano instantly, a technique you'll use every time you sit down to play.

Starting from Middle C, this five-finger scale exercise builds the foundation for everything ahead. Follow along as we work through the right hand, left hand and both hands together.

Repeat the five-finger scale from Middle C, this time saying the note names out loud as you play. Saying the names while your fingers move is one of the most effective ways to lock note names into your memory, simple but powerful.

In this tutorial I explain to you what an octave is on the piano, I show you how to create an octave from any note. We then look at some other intervals on the piano including thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths and sevenths.

In this exercise we practice moving in octaves with the right and left hand, up and down the piano.

In this exercise, I am going to call out notes and you need to find the note and play an octave from that note. Play along with me as I then reveal the answers.

Practice the octave scale with both hands. If your left hand can't reach a full octave comfortably, play just one note, never force it. Say the note names out loud as you play to help with recognition.

In this exercise we will repeat exercise two, I will call out notes and you need to play an octave from that note. Play along with me as I then reveal the answers.

Half steps and whole steps are the building blocks of every chord and scale on the piano. In this lesson you'll learn what they are, how to find them, and how they form the formulas that let you construct any chord or scale instantly. In classical music they are referred to as tones and semitones.

Now you know what a half step and a whole step is, we are going to construct a half step scale with the right hand and practice moving up the keyboard. This scale takes time to become fluid, so take it nice and slowly to start with.

In this exercise we are going to practicing coming down the half step scale. This scale takes practice so take it nice and slowly. Once you become confident with the right hand you can try it in your left.

In this exercise we are going to practice moving up and down the keyboard in half and whole steps. I'll give you a starting note and an interval amount to move — play along and test yourself.

This is the same as exercise three but I am increasing the difficulty. I'll give you a starting note and an interval amount to move — play along and test yourself.

This is the same as exercise four but I am increasing the difficulty. I'll give you a starting note and an interval amount to move — play along and test yourself.

The black keys unlock a whole new range of notes on the piano. In this lesson you'll learn how they are labelled as sharps and flats, how to find them instantly, and how we use them in music.

Practice finding sharp and flat notes on the keyboard. I'll give you 5 notes to sharpen and 5 to flatten — play along and check your answers.

Same format as Exercise One with increasing difficulty. 5 notes to sharpen and 5 to flatten.

Same format as Exercise Two with increasing difficulty. 5 notes to sharpen and 5 to flatten.

Every song is created using Major and Minor chords. In this tutorial I show you a way to find a major or minor chord from ANY note on the piano. Once you know this simple technique you can play any song you like.

In this exercise we will practice building major chords from random notes on the piano, using the big/small technique we learned in the lesson.

In this exercise we will practice building minor chords from random notes on the piano, using the big/small technique we learned in the lesson.

In this exercise you'll practice building major chords starting from the black notes, using the big/small technique.

In this exercise you'll practice building minor chords starting from the black notes, using the big/small technique.

In this lesson you'll learn your first major scale — C major, which uses all the white notes. You'll cover the technique and finger positions for each hand separately before putting both hands together. Don't attempt hands together until you are fluid with each hand on its own.

Practise playing the C major scale with your right hand. Practise this every day and when it is nice and fluid and even, move on to your left hand.

Practise playing the C major scale with your left hand. Practise this every day and when it is nice and fluid and even, you can try playing both hands together.

Practise playing the C major scale with your both hands together. Keep it nice and slow and even. Make sure your pacing is even and fluid.

In this lesson we take a look at the chord numbering system and how to apply it to the scale of C Major. There is a formula we can learn to help us construct the 7 chords of every scale in a quick and simple way.

Practise playing the chords of the C major scale with your right hand, this will strengthen your fingers and help you get used to the chord patterns. It can help to say the name of the chords as you are playing them. C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor, B diminished.

Practise playing the chords of the C major scale with your left hand, this will strengthen your fingers and help you get used to the chord patterns. It can help to say the name of the chords as you are playing them. C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor, B diminished.

Practise playing the chords of the C major scale with both hands together, this will strengthen your fingers and help you get used to the chord patterns. It can help to say the name of the chords as you are playing them. C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor, B diminished.

Chords are the building blocks of all songs and once you have an arsenal of chords you can start using those chords to create songs. You now know the chords of a C Major Scale and you can use those chords to create chord progressions. In this lesson I show you how to do this and we look at some famous chord progressions that many popular songs are using.

The famous 1564 chord progression (written in Roman numerals as I - V - vi - IV) is a sequence of four chords built on the first, fifth, sixth, and fourth notes of a major scale. It is widely considered the most popular chord progression in pop music history and has been used in many songs over the years.

The 2-6-1-5 chord progression is a highly popular sequence built around the major scale. It uses the second, sixth, first, and fifth scale degrees as the foundation for the chords. It is widely used in gospel, worship, and pop music for its smooth, emotional, and uplifting sound

The 6-4-1-5 chord progression is a highly popular and emotionally resonant sequence of chords used across thousands of pop, rock, and contemporary Christian songs. It utilizes the 6th, 4th, 1st, and 5th notes of a major scale.

The 12-bar blues is a foundational musical structure lasting 12 measures (or bars) that uses three specific chords: the 1, 4, and 5 chords of a key. It is widely used across blues, rock, and jazz to build songs and facilitate group jamming.

When creating songs or improvising on the piano we can choose to work within a Chord Family which is essentially a 'key' on the piano. We have been looking at the Major Scale in this course and each Major Scale has it's own Chord Family. We have learned the chords of a C Major Scale, so in this video we take a look at the C Major Chord Family and how the chords all work together.

In this fabulous exercise we are going to play six rounds of the 1-5-6-4 chord progression to a beat. Each round uses a different way of the playing the chord. It is super fun and a great way to practise.

In this super fun exercise we are going to play six rounds of the 2-6-1-5 chord progression to a beat. Each round uses a different way of the playing the chord.

In this super fun exercise we are going to play six rounds of the 6-4-1-5 chord progression to a beat. Each round uses a different way of the playing the chord.