RMIM Archive Article "117".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: To learn to play Chords on the keyboards - 1
#
# Posted by: anandv@flip.eecs.umich.edu (Anand Varadharajan)
# Author: anandv@flip.eecs.umich.edu (Anand Varadharajan)
#
============================================================================
KEYBOARD CHORDS - PART 1
============================================================================
This is for people who are trying to learn to play the keyboards. After
observing that there are quite a few people with lots of interest in music,
I decided to write a simple article on "How to learn to play simple chords"
on the keyboards.
This is for keyboards novices only. I have described some of the important
chords (simple ones). The presentation may be amateurish, the way I learnt
those. This is just an easy way to pick up chords. Notations may vary.
If I am wrong, the experts should please point out.
Acknowledgements: Subu of Purdue for this keyboard drawing :) in his
excellent article on Melakarthas. This only provoked my interest to write
this. If anyone is interested, I shall follow this with some chords of
popular Tamil songs.
Notations:
The various keys in each octave is given below.
-------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |C*|
| |C*| |D*| | |F*| |G*| |A*| | |
| | | | | | | | |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| | | | | | | | |
|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|
The notations I usually follow are as follows:
eg.,
The white keys are usually called just by the alphabets. The black keys
may either be for eg., C sharp (C*) or D Flat (C*). I am consistently
follwing the "sharp" notation, ie., the black key above C, for eg., will
be C sharp (C*), and similarly the black key in between G and A white
keys is G Sharp (G*). Please note that there are no "sharps" for B and E
keys.
(I dunnow the technical funda behind the chords etc., but I just know how
to play those. I learnt these by playing the "single finger" chord mode in
a standard Yamaha synth. So, if any one can write about the technical funda,
I will be grateful. Jaideep?).
I shall now go through the "major" chords. The allied chords usually are
based upon the major chords.
MAJOR CHORDS
C Major
-------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |C*|
| |C*| |D*| | |F*| |G*| |A*| | |
| | | | | | | | |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| | | | | | | | |
|_##_|____|_##_|____| ##_|____|____|____|
A keypress is denoted by "##"
One basic funda in this (Pros - please don't mind the amateurish lingo :-)
is every major chord goes like this.
For eg., C Major, you first touch the C note, then the 4th note, ie., E
(after C*, D, D*) and then the third note from E, ie., G (after F and F*).
Play these three notes together, and you get C major chord.
Now, if you start the same sequencing from C*, the chord becomes C* major.
If you start the same seq from D, it is D major and so on. So, D major will
now be,
D MAJOR
-------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |##| | | | | | |C*|
| |C*| |D*| | |F*| |G*| |A*| | |
| | | | | | | | |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| | ## | | | | ## | | |
|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|
So, D major is now, D, F* and A pressed together. Please note that F* is the
fourth note from D (after D*, E and F), and A is the third note from F*.
Try E major and Fmajor by yourself. Lets see F* major.
F sharp major (F* major)
(technically this may also be referred to as G flat)
-------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |##|
| | | | | | |##| | | |##| | |C*|
| |C*| |D*| | |F*| |G*| |A*| | |
| | | | | | | | |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| | | | | | | | |
|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|
So, F* major is F*, A* and C* all pressed together. Note the same count
sequence :-)
Lets now move over to the "MINOR" chords.
One easy fundoo way of remembering "minor" chords is that these are just a
small modification of the major chord, in that the middle note of each chord
is shifted 1 note behind (guitar and keyboard pros - I am sorry :).
So, for eg., C minor will now be
-------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | |##| | | | | | | | | |C*|
| |C*| |D*| | |F*| |G*| |A*| | |
| | | | | | | | |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| ## | | | ## | | | | |
|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|
as against C major, which was
-------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |C*|
| |C*| |D*| | |F*| |G*| |A*| | |
| | | | | | | | |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| | | | | | | | |
|_##_|____|_##_|____| ##_|____|____|____|
Please note that, instead of E key, you would now play the D* key. So, the
count sequence for C minor, for eg., will be C, followed by the third note
from C ie., D* and the fourth note from D*, ie., G.
The same thumb rule can be followed for all "minor" chords. So, F* minor
will now be
-------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |##|
| | | | | | |##| | | | | | |C*|
| |C*| |D*| | |F*| |G*| |A*| | |
| | | | | | | | |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| | | | | | ## | -------------------------------------------
as against F* major which will be
-------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |##|
| | | | | | |##| | | |##| | |C*|
| |C*| |D*| | |F*| |G*| |A*| | |
| | | | | | | | |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| | | | | | | | |
|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|
The same "truth" holds good for all the "minor" chords. If you note the
difference in sound between the major and the minor chord, you may observe
a "melancholy" effect in the minor chord. So, usually music directors use
this transformation (from a major scale to a minor scale) for "sudden sad"
scenes!! :)
OK, I shall continue the same lingo for some more chords after I get a little
feedback (If the feedback is on the negative, we have to request some of the
technically fundoo people, to proceed or to restart).
Anyway, these are the simplest chords one can learn and any amateurish
self-learning keyboardists should know. I shall continue with 7th, 4th,
diminished, augmented etc., based on the feedback. Some of these chords
have a "magical" effect on the song based on how these are used. Ilayaraja
is a KINGPIN in using the "4th" and "7th" (ie., C 4th or C 7th for eg.)
very effectively for some grand finishes and starts.
Once again,
"Kurai Iruppin Mannikkavum" ie., please forgive any errors and please correct
those.
With Smiles
Anand
============================================================================
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian