{"id":1934,"date":"2020-09-25T08:20:39","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T15:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=1934"},"modified":"2023-10-13T08:10:21","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T15:10:21","slug":"beautiful-chord-patterns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/beautiful-chord-patterns\/","title":{"rendered":"Beautiful Piano Chord Patterns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Do you know that beginners can instantly sound better on the piano with a few simple\u2014yet beautiful!\u2014piano chord patterns? In this lesson, we&#8217;ll walk you through some simple yet sophisticated piano chord patterns step-by-step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first part is a play-along with Lisa. The second part is a new video we&#8217;ve released with even <em>more<\/em> chord patterns you can try\u2014inspired by popular music you&#8217;ll likely recognize!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#part-1-piano-chord-patterns-in-f-major\">Part 1: Piano Chord Patterns in F Major<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#chord-set-1\">Chord Set #1<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#piano-chord-pattern-a\">Pattern A<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#piano-chord-pattern-b\">Pattern B<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#piano-chord-pattern-c\">Pattern C<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#chord-set-2\">Chord Set #2<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#piano-chord-pattern-a-1\">Pattern A<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#piano-chord-pattern-b-2\">Pattern B<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#piano-chord-pattern-c-3\">Pattern C<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#part-2-piano-chord-patterns-inspired-by-pop-music\">Part 2: Piano Chord Patterns Inspired by Pop Music<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#pattern-a-the-broken-but-beautiful\">The Broken But Beautiful<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#pattern-b-the-adele\">The Adele<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#pattern-c-the-amelie\">The Am\u00e9lie<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#why-learn-broken-chord-patterns\">Why Learn Broken Chord Patterns<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\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 Learn Piano For Free<\/b><\/h2><p>Inspiring tutorials. Fascinating articles. Exclusive interviews. We create piano content anyone, anywhere can enjoy for free. Don&#8217;t miss out, sign up for more free lessons.<\/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 has-text-color has-x-large-font-size\" id=\"part-1-piano-chord-patterns-in-f-major\" style=\"color:#f61a30\"><strong>PART 1: PIANO CHORD PATTERNS IN F MAJOR<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In this beginner play-along lesson, we&#8217;ll show you two chord sets and different patterns to play them each. These chords are in F major and are based on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/pop-piano-chord-progressions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">I-V-vi-IV pop progression<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chord-set-1\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Chord Set #1<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To create a beautiful, delicate sound, we\u2019ll play in a higher octave. You may want to scooch to the right side of your bench so you don\u2019t have to wiggle to reach for notes. Here is our first set of chords and their fingering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2020\/Beautiful%20Chord%20Patterns%20Bootcamp\/f-major-root-position.png\" alt=\"Keyboard diagram of F major root position triad: F-A-C.\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2020\/Beautiful%20Chord%20Patterns%20Bootcamp\/c-major-1st-inversion-1-2-5.png\" alt=\"Keyboard diagram of C major 1st inversion triad: E-G-C.\" style=\"width:416px;height:237px\" width=\"416\" height=\"237\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2020\/Beautiful%20Chord%20Patterns%20Bootcamp\/dm-1st.png\" alt=\"Keyboard diagram of D minor 1st inversion triad: F-A-D.\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2020\/Beautiful%20Chord%20Patterns%20Bootcamp\/Bb-root.png\" alt=\"Keyboard diagram of B-flat major triad in root position: B-flat, D, F.\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ll play the chords in the following order: F-C-Dm-Bb. This is a I-V-vi-IV progression. You&#8217;ll notice that not all chords are in root position triads\u2014that&#8217;s because we&#8217;ll be playing these chords in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-inversions\/\">inversions<\/a>, meaning we&#8217;ve shuffled the order of notes in each triad. This changes the sound somewhat and also makes it easier to transition between chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Practice moving through these chords in their solid form until you\u2019re comfortable with the shapes. Practice with one hand, and then the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"piano-chord-pattern-a\" style=\"font-size:24px\">Piano Chord Pattern A<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Onto our first pretty chord pattern! We\u2019ll do the work on our right hand first, so play the chord progression broken twice like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>F Major: Root Position<\/strong><br>F-A-C-A, F-A-C-A<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3, 1-3-5-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>C Major: 1st Inversion<\/strong><br>E-G-C-G, E-G-C-G<br>Right hand: 1-2-5-2, 1-2-5-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>D Minor: 1st Inversion<\/strong><br>F-A-D-A, F-A-D-A<br>Right hand: 1-2-5-2, 1-2-5-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>B Flat Major: 2nd Inversion<\/strong><br>F-Bb-D-Bb, F-Bb-D-Bb<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3, 1-3-5-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Play along with me and repeat the pattern a few times. Get very comfortable with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you&#8217;re ready, pair your right hand with the root notes on your left hand. The root note progression is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\"><strong>F &#8211; C &#8211; D &#8211; Bb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want, you can press down the sustain pedal for an even prettier, floatier feel. Before long, you\u2019ll be sounding like a music box!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"piano-chord-pattern-b\" style=\"font-size:24px\">Piano Chord Pattern B<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Now let\u2019s add a little more to our patterns. We\u2019ll linger a little longer on the middle and top notes of these chords. So, practice setting up your hand on top of the next chord\u2019s notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>F Major: Root Position<\/strong><br>F-A-C-A-C-A-C-A<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-5-3<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-1-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>C Major: 1st Inversion<\/strong><br>E-G-C-G-C-G-C-G<br>Right hand: 1-2-5-2-5-2-5-2<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-1-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>D Minor: 1st Inversion<\/strong><br>F-A-D-A-D-A-D-A<br>Right hand: 1-2-5-2-5-2-5-2<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-1-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>B Flat Major: 2nd Inversion<\/strong><br>F-Bb-D-Bb-D-Bb-D-Bb<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-5-3<br>Left hand: 5-2-1-2-1-2-1-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once your right hand is familiar with the chords, add the root notes in your left hand for some accompaniment. Remember to relax your arm and shoulders if you start to feel some wrist fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, mirror the pattern by playing the broken pattern on your left hand and the root notes in your right hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pay attention to how your left hand feels in comparison to your right. I definitely hold more tension in my left hand. So, if you\u2019re right-handed, spend a little extra time getting your left hand comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve mastered this, see if you can speed it up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"piano-chord-pattern-c\" style=\"font-size:24px\">Piano Chord Pattern C<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Now let\u2019s go one step further and add even more to these broken chord patterns! This time, we\u2019ll go bottom &gt; middle &gt; top &gt; middle &gt; top &gt; middle &gt; bottom &gt; middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Written out, the notes and fingering look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>F major: root position<\/strong><br>F-A-C-A-C-A-F-A<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-1-3<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-5-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>C major: 1st inversion<\/strong><br>E-G-C-G-C-G-E-G<br>Right hand: 1-2-5-2-5-2-1-2<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-5-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>D minor: 1st inversion<\/strong><br>F-A-D-A-D-A-F-A<br>Right hand: 1-2-5-2-5-2-1-2<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-5-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Bb major: 2nd inversion<\/strong><br>F-Bb-D-Bb-D-Bb-F-Bb<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-1-3<br>Left hand: 5-2-1-2-1-2-5-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes a lot more sense when you hear it, so feel welcome to rewind the video a few times to get used to the sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Practice the broken chords in one hand with the root notes in the other, then switch it up. Mimic the fingering I\u2019m using here (such as using left finger 2 on Bb) for the most efficient way to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes people ask whether it\u2019s okay to look at your hands\u2014the answer is YES! Do you what you need to play what you like \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chord-set-2\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Chord Set #2<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>These are essentially the same chords as Set #1, but in different inversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2020\/Beautiful%20Chord%20Patterns%20Bootcamp\/f-major-1st-inversion-1-2-5.png\" alt=\"Keyboard diagram of F major 1st inversion triad: A-C-F.\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2020\/Beautiful%20Chord%20Patterns%20Bootcamp\/c-major-2nd-inversion.png\" alt=\"Keyboard diagram of C major 2nd inversion triad: G-C-E.\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2020\/Beautiful%20Chord%20Patterns%20Bootcamp\/d-minor-2nd-inversion.png\" alt=\"Keyboard diagram of D minor 2nd inversion triad: A-D-F\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2020\/Beautiful%20Chord%20Patterns%20Bootcamp\/Bb-major-root-position.png\" alt=\"Keyboard diagram of B flat major root position triad: B-flat, D, F\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The transition and fingering change between F major and C major can be tricky, so practice moving between these two chords. You\u2019ll get it in no time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"piano-chord-pattern-a-1\" style=\"font-size:24px\">Piano Chord Pattern A<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Now let\u2019s practice the first broken chord pattern with these inversions. Pair the following patterns with the root note in your left hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re done, switch it up so you\u2019re playing broken chords on your left hand and the root note in your right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>F major: 1st inversion<\/strong><br>A-C-F-C, A-C-F-C<br>Right hand: 1-2-5-2, 1-2-5-2<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3, 5-3-1-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>C major: 2nd inversion<\/strong><br>G-C-E-C, G-C-E-C<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3, 1-3-5-3<br>Left hand: 5-2-1-2, 5-2-1-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>D minor: 2nd inversion<\/strong><br>A-D-F-D, A-D-F-D<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3, 1-3-5-3<br>Left hand: 5-2-1-2, 5-2-1-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Bb major: root position<\/strong><br>Bb-D-F-D, Bb-D-F-D<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3, 1-3-5-3<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3, 5-3-1-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the way: if you mix up your inversions on occasion, that\u2019s okay! Just reset your hands and start again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually, we hope you\u2019ll add your own creative touch to these patterns. Improvise, experiment, and make these patterns your own!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"piano-chord-pattern-b-2\" style=\"font-size:24px\">Piano Chord Pattern B<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like the previous set, let\u2019s build out our chords. Written out, the second pattern looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>F major: 1st inversion<\/strong><br>A-C-F-C-F-C-F-C<br>Right hand: 1-2-5-2-5-2-5-2<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-1-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>C major: 2nd inversion<\/strong><br>G-C-E-C-E-C-E-C<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-5-3<br>Left hand: 5-2-1-2-1-2-1-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>D minor: 2nd inversion<\/strong><br>A-D-F-D-F-D-F-D<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-5-3<br>Left hand: 5-2-1-2-1-2-1-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Bb major: root position<\/strong><br>Bb-D-F-D-F-D-F-D<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-5-3<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-1-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve mastered this one, go to our third and final pattern!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"piano-chord-pattern-c-3\" style=\"font-size:24px\">Piano Chord Pattern C<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The third pattern of the second set looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>F major: 1st inversion<\/strong><br>A-C-F-C-F-C-A-C<br>Right hand: 1-2-5-2-5-2-1-2<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-5-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>C major: 2nd inversion<\/strong><br>G-C-E-C-E-C-G-C<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-1-3<br>Left hand: 5-2-1-2-1-2-5-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>D minor: 2nd inversion<\/strong><br>A-D-F-D-F-D-A-D<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-1-3<br>Left hand: 5-2-1-2-1-2-5-2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Bb major: root position<\/strong><br>Bb-D-F-D-F-D-Bb-D<br>Right hand: 1-3-5-3-5-3-1-3<br>Left hand: 5-3-1-3-1-3-5-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once again, pair the broken chords on one hand with the root notes on the other hand. When you\u2019re more comfortable, ramp up your speed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you make a mistake, just keep going. Mistakes are not the end of the world, and it happens to the best of us. In fact, knowing how to keep moving after a mistake is a great skill to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-x-large-font-size\" id=\"part-2-piano-chord-patterns-inspired-by-pop-music\" style=\"color:#f61a30\"><strong>PART 2: PIANO CHORD PATTERNS INSPIRED BY POP MUSIC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How To Make Your #chords Sound Beautiful\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ypJvzT3w_WY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Try these 3 beautiful chord patterns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this lesson, we&#8217;ll introduce you to some beautiful piano chord patterns that you may recognize from pop songs! Some of the patterns are the same as the ones we did in Part 1, but we&#8217;ll be venturing into different keys and progressions and applying our patterns to pop songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Go to our Members&#8217; Area for sheet music downloads. If you&#8217;re not a member yet, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">try Pianote for free<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pattern-a-the-broken-but-beautiful\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Pattern A: The Broken But Beautiful<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For this pattern, we&#8217;ll be venturing into the melancholic key of C minor and playing this i-iv-III-VII progression:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Cm &#8211; Fm &#8211; Eb &#8211; Bb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ll play Cm in 2nd inversion, Fm in 1st inversion, and Eb in 2nd inversion. And we&#8217;ll play the top two notes separate from the bottom. So, in standard notation, it&#8217;ll look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130348\/frame_822-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of hands playing piano with notation underneath.\" class=\"wp-image-15578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130348\/frame_822-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130348\/frame_822-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130348\/frame_822-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130348\/frame_822-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130348\/frame_822-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This pattern works no matter what inversion your chords are in! If you play the top two notes together followed by the bottom note, you&#8217;ll sound good \ud83d\ude42 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If C minor feels tricky, you can try the same progression transposed to A minor: Am &#8211; C &#8211; G &#8211; F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Psst: Try singing &#8220;Apologize&#8221; (Timbaland feat. One Republic) on top of this progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pattern-b-the-adele\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Pattern B: The Adele<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This riff is iconic. It&#8217;s a series of quick sixteenth notes arranged in an A major I-iii-vi-IV progression:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>A &#8211; C#m\/G# &#8211; F#m &#8211; D<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the pattern I&#8217;ll play goes like this: <strong>bottom-middle-top-middle.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130444\/frame_2606-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of hands playing piano with notation underneath.\" class=\"wp-image-15579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130444\/frame_2606-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130444\/frame_2606-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130444\/frame_2606-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130444\/frame_2606-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03130444\/frame_2606-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In my video example, I play A in root position, C#m in 2nd inversion, F#m as a power chord (root-fifth-root), and D in 2nd inversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sixteenth note pattern is what&#8217;s used in &#8220;Someone Like You,&#8221; but you can play it slower and more dramatically. Try this in both major and minor keys!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-play-someone-like-you-adele\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Play &#8220;Someone Like You&#8221;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pattern-c-the-amelie\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Pattern C: The Am\u00e9lie<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This pattern is also known as the Alberti bass. It has a very long history and Mozart loved using it. We&#8217;re calling it the &#8220;Am\u00e9lie&#8221; because it&#8217;s a key feature of the movie&#8217;s main theme. Here&#8217;s the chord progression we&#8217;ll use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Am &#8211; C &#8211; G &#8211; Am <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here&#8217;s the pattern: <strong>bottom-top-middle-top.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03131108\/frame_4687-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of hands playing piano with notation underneath.\" class=\"wp-image-15580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03131108\/frame_4687-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03131108\/frame_4687-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03131108\/frame_4687-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03131108\/frame_4687-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/03131108\/frame_4687-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The tempo of the Am\u00e9lie theme is rather fast, but you can definitely play this pattern at a slower pace. Psst: try singing &#8220;The Sound of Silence&#8221; (Simon and Garfunkel) over this!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, the same logic as before works: <em>you can play any chord shape you want<\/em>. Just follow the same bottom-top-middle-top pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/amelie-soundtrack-tutorial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Am\u00e9lie Soundtrack Tutorial<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-learn-broken-chord-patterns\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Why Learn Broken Chord Patterns<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Broken chords on the piano (or piano <i>arpeggios<\/i> if you want to sound fancy!) are both very useful chord patterns and a way to practice technique and hand independence. So try these patterns with different chords, progressions, keys, moods, and more! And if you want to improvise over your progressions like I do at the end of the second video, we have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-improvise-on-piano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lessons for that too<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want more help with chords? Check out these free resources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/chord-hacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chord Hacks:<\/a><\/strong> 5 free lessons on the essentials of chording.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/chords-and-scales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chords and Scales Library:<\/a><\/strong> diagrams of all the basic chords, scales, and inversions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/all-piano-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Play ALL Piano Chords:<\/a> <\/strong>a no-nonsense article that briefly explains the theory behind the most useful piano chords.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A play-along bootcamp \/ lesson on how to play beautiful piano chords. Learn how to master chord inversions to make a beautiful sound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":1936,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113,507],"tags":[1088,1134],"class_list":["post-1934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arpeggios","category-chord-theory","tag-ch","tag-easy-chords"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1934","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=1934"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15639,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1934\/revisions\/15639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}