RMIM Archive Article "117".


From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian

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# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: To learn to play Chords on the keyboards - 1
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# Posted by: anandv@flip.eecs.umich.edu (Anand Varadharajan)
# Author: anandv@flip.eecs.umich.edu (Anand Varadharajan)
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============================================================================ 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