The Complete Piano Chord Masterclass

Discover that a chord is three or more notes played together, building on major and minor intervals. Three notes form a chord, and adding more notes keeps it a chord.

Construct a major chord by stacking a major interval of four half steps, then a minor interval of three half steps from the second note, demonstrated from different root positions.

Explore building a major chord by counting four half steps from the root to the third, then three half steps to the fifth, using stepwise intervals.

Learn how a minor chord forms from a minor interval with a major interval, using three half steps on the bottom and four on top, with an E note example.

Build minor chords from any key by counting three half steps to the middle note and four half steps to the top note, using the rule of three and four.

Practice naming chords by building major and minor chords from root notes like F and D, using four half steps for a major third and three for a minor third.

Learn how root notes anchor chords by playing the chord in right hand. Play the root an octave lower in the left hand to add fullness and follow the chord.

Learn how the sustain pedal blends chords by holding notes after you lift your hands, enabling smooth C to G transitions.

Understand that a key is a set of notes that sound good together. See how chords in a key use these notes, like C major and D minor.

Learn to identify notes in a major key using the whole and half step rule and turn them into chords that set the key's happy tone.

Turn each note in a major key into a chord using the major minor pattern, shown in G, yielding G major, A minor, B minor, C major, and D.

learn how to find notes in a minor key and turn them into chords using a whole and half note pattern from the sixth scale degree, yielding somber, harmonious results.

Turn each note in a minor key into a chord by applying the minor-key pattern from the sixth degree, counting steps, and using flats or sharps.

Explore how to reference chords with roman numerals within a key. In C, chords map to one, two, and four, and roman numerals express the same progression.

Explore chord progressions by listing chords in sequence and understand how we progress through the chords. See how every song can be boiled down to a chord progression.

Practice chord progressions in the keys of C and G, moving through C–F–G–E minor and G–A minor–B minor–D, and build progressions using whole/half steps and roman numerals.

learn how roman numerals guide transposing chord progressions by changing the key while preserving the same interval distances, such as moving a 1-2-4 pattern from c to f or g.

Use drum loop practice to play your chords on the piano, improving rhythm and chord execution in the complete piano chord masterclass.

Explore tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords within a key, and see how these core major chords shape progressions by manipulating notes in major and minor keys.

Practice doubling the root note with an octave on the piano to expand chords and achieve a fuller sound, using thumb and pinky to reach the next octave.

Bring chords to life by using rhythm, counting four-beat and three-beat patterns, and subdividing with ands; experiment with beat placement and left-right hand mixing.

Explore the flat five chord, adding a flattened five to a minor triad, illustrated by the C minor flat five, and its role in the key’s seventh chord.

Explore suspended chords (sus chords) by removing the third to two or four to keep a single chord interesting and to resolve well in progressions like C–G–Am–F back to C.

Learn how to play sus2 chords by moving the middle note from three to two or four, using C as an example, and compare behavior in major and minor chords.

Explore the sus4 chord, turning a major triad into 1–4–5 (C–F–G) with a half-step middle-note move; from a minor triad, use a whole-step move; sus2 and sus4 share the shape.

Master slash chords by treating them as chords over a bass note, changing the root to a chord note, such as C over E or C over G.

Explore spread voicing chords by widening the root, third, and fifth across more than one octave. Apply these voicings in left hand or under a chord to enrich your playing.

Practice intermediate piano harmony by mixing C, F, G progressions with slash chords and sus chords. Explore spread voicing and bass movement to transform progressions.

Explore seventh chords by extending the triad pattern to include the seventh, forming four-note chords (1-3-5-7) and reinforcing how these notes relate to borrowed key tones.

Learn to form major seventh chords via interval and half-step methods, using C with notes C, E, G, B; the major seventh sits a half step below the octave.

Form a minor seven chord by lowering the three and seven of a major chord by a half step, and note the whole step below the octave.

Explore the dominant seven chord, a major triad with a flat seven on top, and how its shape fits in the fifth position within a key.

Discover how to build a minor seven flat five chord by combining a minor triad with a minor seventh and flattening the five, using C minor as an example.

Explore the diminished seven chord by building from a minor seven flat five shape, flattening the fifth and the seven to create a haunting, double-flat seven sound.

Review all common chords—major, minor, major seven, minor seven, dominant seven, minor seven flat five, and diminished seven—using C as an example and relate them to a key.

Replace major chords with major seven and minor chords with minor seven. Place dominant seven in the dominant position and replace minor flat five with minor seven flat five.

Turn a G key progression I–V–IV–vi into seventh chords, producing G major seven, D dominant seven (D7), C major seven, and E minor seven for practice.

Learn the rolling chord technique to create a soft, ethereal feel by subtly delaying the chord notes in sequence, demonstrated with a C major seven.

Explore chromatic motion by using in-between notes as stepping stones between chords, including notes outside the key to add color to progressions like C to D minor, sparingly.

Explore how to synchronize piano chords with drum loop rhythms, building rhythmic accuracy and chord progression skills in the complete piano chord masterclass.

Add sixth to a major triad to make major sixth chords, using C and A shapes; play one, three, five, and six, with sixth a whole step above the fifth.

Master the minor sixth shape for major sixths by placing the sixth on top of a major triad, forming a minor sixth with a minor triad.

Explore chord tensions and extensions to enrich piano harmony. Learn how tensions add notes outside the triad, and how extensions lengthen chords beyond the seventh, including nines, elevens, and thirteens.

Explore major ninth chords by building on a major triad, adding a seven and the nine, and using D as the ninth with options for a close or spread feel.

Learn to form minor nine chords by placing the same nine over a minor seventh, with piano or guitar applications and the signature sound.

Learn dominant nine by voicing a dominant seven (one three five flat seven) with the nine on top, keeping the nine position as major and minor nine shapes.

Explore ninth chords with sharp nine and flat nine, using the C dominant seven example to show adding a flat nine or a sharp nine atop the 1–3–5–b7 voicing.

Explore 11th chord extensions and sharp 11 alterations, and learn why jazzy chords like C major seven sharp 11 can fit a progression even when they sound unusual.

Explore 13th chord extensions, identifying 13th as sixth, an octave above, and how sharps or flats influence C major seven chords; jazz usage appears more often than rock or blues.

master extensions over the root by splitting voicings between hands, playing the root in the left and the rest in the right, as shown with c major nine.

Learn to break down long chords like F-sharp minor seven flat five sharp nine over a step by step, turning complex shapes into manageable instructions.

Explore arpeggios by breaking a chord shape into single notes, creating a spaced, melodic rhythm. Practice arpeggios with any progression, from triads to sevenths and octaves, including left-hand voicings.

Invert chords by reordering notes, moving from root position to first and second inversions; using G, B, D as an example, explore smoother progressions with C, F, G.

Practice advanced chord progressions, pausing to analyze and try each shape. Revisit difficult shapes, pull them apart, and learn the advanced shapes before moving on to specific styled chords.

Practice piano chords in sync with a drum loop to build rhythm, voicing, and timing in the complete piano chord masterclass.

Transform major chords into dominant sevenths to create bluesy piano progressions in the key of C, introducing chromatic left-hand motion, walking bass lines, and flat seven notes.

Explore the blues drum loop within the complete piano chord masterclass, strengthening blues-inspired rhythm and chord technique for expressive piano playing.

Discover jazzy piano harmony with chromatic motion, seventh chords, ninth chords, and thirteenth chords. Let the left hand outline roots while you explore dominant nine progressions.

Explore jazzy piano chords with a jazz drum loop in this complete piano chord masterclass.

Explore rock piano by using power chords with roots and fifths, sometimes omitting the third, to create a punchy, guitar-like rhythm.

Explore integrating a rock drum loop into piano chord practice to enhance rhythm and groove.

Explore common two five one chord progressions and the tension of five resolving to one, with guidance on using the two five one pattern to end songs and evoke comfort.

Explore the I–V–VI–IV chord progression; practice one, four, five, six in C (C, G, A minor, F); transpose to F or D to hear its powerful, somber major feel.

Learn the one four five six progression in the key of g, finish by adding a seventh, and resolve to the tonic; explore an e-based voicing as an alternative.

Explore minor chords in a key and build a major progression with one, two, and six degrees. Place chords on different beats and use quick passing chords to vary rhythm.

Master the 12-bar blues progression using triad chords, with the key of C example (C-F-C-F-G-F-C) and optional dominant seven for a bluesy sound, essential for jamming with others.

Explore a common chord progression with a flat seven, moving from one to flat seven back to one, using pedal to lift and sustain notes for a heroic, confident sound.

The pianist learns to fit in a band by occupying the space between bass and guitar, using low octave notes, chords, root notes, jazz notes, and inversions to mesh.

Find chords for popular songs using online chord sites, switch to piano shapes, and transpose easily. Apply rhythm by listening to the song to fit timing.

Create three chord progressions for the final project, building from beginner root-note chords to intermediate seventh and sus chords, then advanced tensions and inversions in blues, jazz, or rock styles.