{"id":169,"date":"2019-05-14T08:05:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-01-16T15:02:01","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T23:02:01","slug":"open-chords","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/open-chords\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Open Chords on the Piano"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do we take basic chords<\/a> and, without changing the notes, make them sound more beautiful on the piano? Open chord voicings!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open chord voicing is when you take a chord and re-arrange the notes between the left and right hands so that they’re more spread apart. The notes all remain the same, but their positions on the keyboard are different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Make Open Chords on the Piano<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To understand how open chords work on the piano, let’s use C Major as an example. Here is a super simple C Major triad played on the left and right hands:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"C<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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In this example, we play C-E-G on our left hand and C-E-G on our right. It sounds fine and dandy, but we can take these exact same notes, re-arrange them, and create a totally different sounding chord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now let’s try this.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"C<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the C chord in open chord voicing. As you can see, the notes are re-arranged between the hands, and the distance between them is larger (“open”).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I think this arrangement sounds incredible! It also has a different sound and feeling than the basic C chord.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83c\udfb9 Hack Into Chords \ud83d\udc4a<\/b><\/h3><\/center>

Understanding how chords work will give you a BIG leg up in learning how to play the piano. Knowing just a handful of chords will unlock hundreds, if not thousands of pop songs. To get started today, check out our free<\/b> Chord Hacks<\/a> course, or read How to Play Piano Chords<\/a>.<\/p>

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CHECK IT OUT<\/a><\/center>

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How to Use Open Chords in Piano<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, what are open chords good for? Let’s try substituting some basic chords with open ones to create a new sound. Here are three ideas you can start with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Idea #1: <\/strong>Play the root and the fifth with your left hand (C and G) and play the third with your right (E).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"C<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Idea #2: <\/strong>Next, try playing the root and fifth with your left hand (C and G) and play a third and high root (E and top C) with your right hand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"C<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Idea #3: <\/strong>Finally, let’s use our third as our bottom note. So, play E and C (your third and your root) with your left hand, and play G and top C (your fifth and your root) with your right.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"C<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Remember: these are all C chords! So, if you’re playing with a chord chart in front of you and there are C chords, try substituting one of these open voicings in.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time To Experiment<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you have a few open chords under your belt, it’s time to experiment with different chord progressions<\/a> and different keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you play piano or keyboard for a band, such as on a church worship team<\/a>, open chord voicings help create a “fuller” sound. The notes get spread out, and other instruments can help fill in the gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, try it out. And happy practicing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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