
Learn piano by chord using chord-building blocks to guide practice, and gather a piano or 88-key keyboard with key regulation for bite sized chunks.
Explore how melody, harmony, and rhythm underpin music, focusing on piano harmony as building blocks; learn to play supporting background chords behind popular songs.
Master finger numbers and keyboard letter names, using thumbs as 1 and groups of two or three black keys to locate C and F.
Learn the C major, F major, and G major plains chords as building blocks, with finger placements and technique tips to play many songs quickly.
Apply the three building blocks C, F, and G to Amazing Grace, practice with a downloadable chord chart, and strengthen your right-hand technique before adding left-hand parts.
Master the A, D, and E mountain chords using the 1–3–5 building-block shape, sharpen notes with the adjacent black key, and build muscle memory for major vs minor.
Explore how to map different chord sets to the melody of Amazing Grace, enabling singing in varied keys and vocal ranges through hands-on practice.
Learn a minor, d minor, and e minor in the key of C, see how these minor chords relate to major chords, and build songs with cohesive progressions.
Learn C minor, F minor, and G minor as minor mountain chords related to C major, F major, and G major, formed by lowering the middle note and used sparingly.
Master Ab major, Db major, and Eb major chords on black keys using valley shapes, with thumb positioning and inversions, and apply to Viva la Vida.
Master c-sharp minor, f-sharp minor, and g-sharp minor using the valley chord shape. Learn how minor tones differ from major, and how black keys have sharp or flat names.
Master the B family slope chords—B major, B minor, B-flat major, and B-flat minor—by mastering their unique left-right hand shapes, tri-tone adjustments, and deliberate practice to lock the patterns.
Explore plateau chords built on black keys, including F♯ major (G♭ major) and E♭ minor, and learn how major and minor triads serve as building blocks for most songs.
Learn the song 50 ways to say goodbye using two chord progressions, verse and chorus, and master sharp naming and octave hand positions to play major and minor chords.
Explore variations to make common piano chords more colorful, building on earlier lessons with practical demonstrations, pacing options, and tips to stay motivated.
Playing the piano doesn't need to be complicated. All you need is to learn the building blocks.
Get ready to learn the basic building blocks of all music: chords.
Experienced instructor Nathan Lawrence guides you step by step through the process of learning to play piano by chord. Many online piano methods teach you what you need to know, but in an impersonal way. You might be able to see the piano and what to play, but there’s no human being there to make it feel like you’re learning in a personal lesson setting. That’s why this course has a fundamentally different approach. Every lesson is taught with a simultaneous view of both your teacher and the keyboard, as if you’re looking in a mirror.
Piano Building Blocks uses one-of-a-kind, shape-based approach to chord learning. All 24 major and minor chords are taught in intuitive groups by hand position shape, with memorable descriptions like “mountain” or “valley” to help you remember how to place your hand.
This complete course includes:
- The 24 Most Common Chords (one of the highest rated piano courses on Udemy, included free)
- Chord Additions & Variations
- Chord Inversions (parts 1 & 2)
The only way to reach your goal is to take the first step.
Sign up today!
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Hear what people are saying:
"I loved the course. You are a great teacher and I found your shape-based way of teaching chords to be really helpful to me. I now understand how chords are constructed which is amazing as I never thought I would learn it so easily. This will help me with both my piano playing and guitar playing. I have started writing songs so this knowledge will help me to bring more variation into my compositions. Your course was brilliantly done. Thank you so very much for doing it." - Amanda
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