{"id":11969,"date":"2023-02-17T12:05:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T20:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=11969"},"modified":"2023-05-02T10:28:11","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T17:28:11","slug":"take-your-piano-chords-to-the-next-level-beginner-lesson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/take-your-piano-chords-to-the-next-level-beginner-lesson\/","title":{"rendered":"Take Your Piano Chords to the Next Level (Beginner Lesson)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you\u2019ve learned your root position triads, congratulations! This is a MAJOR step in your piano journey. Chords and chord progressions are the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/chords-the-foundations-of-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">foundation<\/a> <\/em>of music, so you\u2019re well on your way to becoming a well-rounded piano player and musician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, you can probably look at a lead sheet and \u201cstrum\u201d the chords along with the melody. And while this sounds fine and dandy, you may find yourself wanting to play <em>more.<\/em> So, how can we make our chords sound even better? In this lesson, we\u2019ll show you ways to take your piano chords to the next level with a few simple techniques:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#both-hands\">Play With Both Hands<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#inversions\">Inversions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#broken-chords\">Broken Chords<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#left-hand-patterns\">Left-Hand Patterns<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Your Go-To Place for All Things Piano<\/b><\/h2><p>Subscribe to <i>The Note<\/i> for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>The Chord Progression<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll be working in the key of D major for this lesson, and our chord progression is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/pop-piano-chord-progressions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">I-V-vi-IV pop progression<\/a> that is found in pop songs everywhere:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color has-large-font-size\" style=\"color:#f61a30\"><strong>D &#8211; A &#8211; Bm &#8211; G<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you start dressing up the progression, practice the chords here in their basic, root position form first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<center><video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Next%20Level%20Chords\/next%20level%20chords%201.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video><\/center>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also experiment with playing just shell chords and removing the center note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"both-hands\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Play With Both Hands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An easy way to spice up chords? Play them with two hands!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, hand independence can be a tricky thing for beginners. But if you\u2019re just learning how to play with both hands, you can still spice up your chords with an easy two-hand pattern. Such as this one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<center><video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Next%20Level%20Chords\/next%20level%20chords%202.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video><\/center>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>With this pattern, you don\u2019t even need to play both hands at the same time. But by using two hands, you cover a wider ranger of notes. A pattern like this is perfect for playing and singing at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try experimenting with similar two-handed patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"inversions\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Inversions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Inversions will <em>instantly <\/em>level up your playing. What are inversions? Inversions are when we play the notes in a chord in a different order.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here is the root position and two inversions of the D major chord. We create each inversion by taking the bottom note and flipping it up an octave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Root Position<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"260\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101435\/D-Major-Root-1-1024x260.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11970\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101435\/D-Major-Root-1-1024x260.png 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101435\/D-Major-Root-1-300x76.png 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101435\/D-Major-Root-1-768x195.png 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101435\/D-Major-Root-1-1536x390.png 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101435\/D-Major-Root-1-2048x520.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>1st Inversion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"260\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101449\/D-Major-1st-Inversion-2-1024x260.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11971\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101449\/D-Major-1st-Inversion-2-1024x260.png 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101449\/D-Major-1st-Inversion-2-300x76.png 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101449\/D-Major-1st-Inversion-2-768x195.png 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101449\/D-Major-1st-Inversion-2-1536x390.png 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101449\/D-Major-1st-Inversion-2-2048x520.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>2nd Inversion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"260\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101455\/D-Major-2nd-Inv-2-1024x260.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101455\/D-Major-2nd-Inv-2-1024x260.png 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101455\/D-Major-2nd-Inv-2-300x76.png 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101455\/D-Major-2nd-Inv-2-768x195.png 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101455\/D-Major-2nd-Inv-2-1536x390.png 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/16101455\/D-Major-2nd-Inv-2-2048x520.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can learn more about inversions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-inversions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inversions aren\u2019t just for show. They\u2019re useful. In fact, inversions can be used to transition faster between chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s me using the second inversion of our D major triad to transition smoothly to A major root position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<center><video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Next%20Level%20Chords\/next%20level%20chords%203.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video><\/center>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"broken-chords\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Broken Chords<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Playing chords broken is an awesome way to make your chords sound fancy and more advanced. This is actually quite easy. Simply take your triads, inverted or not, and play each note separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<center><video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Next%20Level%20Chords\/next%20level%20chords%204.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video><\/center>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the example above, I added the root note with my left hand and played it in an octave. This adds more depth to the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Broken chords are used by tons of pop artists, including Adele. In fact, by playing this progression broken, you\u2019re basically playing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-play-someone-like-you-adele\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cSomeone Like You\u201d<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"left-hand-patterns\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Left Hand Patterns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This final technique combines a little bit of everything we\u2019ve learned so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On our left hand, we\u2019ll play a broken fifth pattern. And then we\u2019ll pair it with chords (inverted or not, it\u2019s up to you!) in our right hand. Like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<center><video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Next%20Level%20Chords\/next%20level%20chords%205.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video><\/center>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you leave this lesson with a few new ideas on how to spice up your chords! If you want more support and feedback from <em>real teachers<\/em>, consider joining Pianote as a Member. Here&#8217;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free trial<\/a> to get you started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Free Lessons:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/all-piano-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Play ALL Piano Chords (Major, Minor, 7ths)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/four-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4 Chord Piano Songs (Play Hundreds of Songs on Piano With Just 4 Chords)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/chords-the-foundations-of-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why We Love Chords! (The Foundations of Music)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size:20px;\">\ud83c\udfbc <b>Learn Your Favorites, Step By Step With Full Sheet Music Downloads<\/b><\/h3><p> As a Pianote+ Member, you\u2019ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists who have played with rock stars.<\/p><center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><br><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve learned your root position triads, congratulations! This is a MAJOR step in your piano journey. Chords and chord progressions are the foundation of music, so you\u2019re well on your way to becoming a well-rounded piano player and musician. At this point, you can probably look at a lead sheet and \u201cstrum\u201d the chords [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1104,507],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chord-progressions","category-chord-theory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11969"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13465,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11969\/revisions\/13465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}