{"id":8700,"date":"2022-08-26T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=8700"},"modified":"2023-01-11T13:34:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T21:34:03","slug":"ultimate-chord-hack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/ultimate-chord-hack\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Chord Hack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>So you\u2019ve mastered the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/four-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four core chords<\/a> (C, G, F, and Am) and unlocked hundreds of songs in the process. Now you\u2019re ready to take your chording skills to the next level. In this lesson, we\u2019ll show you how to add more texture, color, and complexity to your basic chords. This will instantly make your playing sound more professional!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/The%20Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack%20QT%20-%20Score-1660939968.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DOWNLOAD LESSON RESOURCES<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" 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\" id=\"the-chords\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>The Chords<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the chords we\u2019ll be working with in their basic triad form:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter 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\/2022\/Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack\/Big%20Four%20Chords.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t know already, these four chords are some of the most common in pop music\u2014and they all exist in C Major! Don\u2019t believe us? Learn more about these core chords <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/four-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\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\">\ud83d\udd25\ud83c\udfb9 <b><i>HOT TIP!<\/i><\/b> Another way to think of these chords is by the scale degree they&#8217;re built on. Our C chord is built on the first note (I) of the scale, while the G chord is built on the fifth note (V). Together, this chord progression can be referred to as I &#8211; V &#8211; vi &#8211; IV. This is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/pop-piano-chord-progressions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">super common chord progression<\/a> found in pop songs everywhere.<\/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\" id=\"adding-texture\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Adding Texture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In a nutshell, what we&#8217;ll do is we&#8217;ll play a second inversion C Major triad with our right hand and different root notes with our left.<\/p>\n\n\n\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\/2022\/Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack\/Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack%201.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Why this works is because the four chords all have notes in common with our C triad, which is also our tonic or &#8220;home&#8221; chord because we&#8217;re in C Major \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s further break down these chords and what we&#8217;re doing to make them more interesting&#8230;<\/p>\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\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"f-fmaj9-no3\" style=\"font-size:28px\">F \ud83d\udc49 Fmaj9(no3)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Our basic F chord is F-A-C. By adding G, we extend this chord to the ninth degree because G is nine notes away from the root (F). We also omit the third (A) by voicing our F chord this way.<\/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\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter 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\/2022\/Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack\/ultimate%20chord%20hack%20Fmaj9no3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"276\" height=\"300\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/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\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"am-am7\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Am \ud83d\udc49 Am7<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Am triad is A-C-E. Am has many notes in common with a C Major triad, but adding the G from a C Major triad turns our Am into a jazzy Am7 chord. Try it!<\/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\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter 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\/2022\/Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack\/Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack%20Am7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"268\" height=\"311\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/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\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"g-c-g\" style=\"font-size:28px\">G \ud83d\udc49 C\/G<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The G Major triad is G-B-D. When we play our C Major triad in 2nd inversion with our right hand and the G chord root with our left, we play a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/slash-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">C\/G<\/a> chord. This is technically more of a C chord than a G chord, but having that G in the root preserves the nature of the G chord, helping it function as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/diatonic-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">V chord<\/a>.<\/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\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter 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\/2022\/Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack\/ultimate%20chord%20hack%20C-G.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"276\" height=\"307\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/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><h4 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Need More Help on Chords?<\/b><\/h4><p>If words like &#8220;scale degree&#8221; and &#8220;second inversion&#8221; are new to you, check out some of our beginner chording lessons. Or sign up for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/chord-hacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chord Hacks<\/a>, a suite of <b>four free lessons<\/b> that will explain everything you need to know to get started with chords.<\/p><\/center><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-play-piano-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Play Piano Chords: Triads, 7ths, Extensions &amp; More<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-inversions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ultimate Guide to Piano Chord Inversions<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/diatonic-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Diatonic Chords, Explained<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/the-number-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Nashville Number System: Beginner&#8217;s Guide<\/a><\/li><\/ul><center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/chord-hacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CHORD HACKS<\/a><\/center><br><\/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\" id=\"more-alterations-to-explore\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>More Alterations to Explore<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The sky is really the limit when it comes to making chords more interesting with tensions. What we mean by &#8220;tensions&#8221; is using notes that sound just a tiny bit crunchy\/dissonant with our chords. That extra tension adds depth to a chord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, let&#8217;s try throwing a D into our C Major and G Major chords. This creates the chords <strong>Cadd2<\/strong> and <strong>G6(sus4)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter 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\/2022\/Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack\/ultimate%20chord%20hack%20-%20cadd2%20G6%206th%20degree.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Cadd2<\/strong> &#8211; What this means is we add the second degree of the C Major triad to the chord. This note is D, the second note from C (our root).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>G6(sus4)<\/strong> &#8211; The &#8220;6&#8221; refers to us adding the sixth degree of the G chord (E). A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/sus-piano-chords-101\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;sus&#8221; chord<\/a> is when you suspend the third of that triad (in our case, the B in G-B-D) and substitute the fourth or second degree of the chord into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chord extensions are when we add notes beyond an octave&#8217;s reach to a chord. For example, here are some ninth chords:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter 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\/2022\/Ultimate%20Chord%20Hack\/ultimate%20chord%20hack%20am9%20f9.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"311\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>You can learn more about chord extensions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-play-piano-chords\/#extensions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, adding just a note or two to a very basic chord can change it dramatically. Go try it yourself!<\/p>\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:22px;\"><b>Master the Piano YOUR Way \ud83d\udd25<\/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 and learn whenever you want, wherever you want, and whatever you want.<\/p><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Simple techniques to get more colour and texture out of basic triads. Beginner piano lesson with Pianote&#8217;s Kevin Castro.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[507],"tags":[1088],"class_list":["post-8700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chord-theory","tag-ch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8700","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\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8700"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10625,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8700\/revisions\/10625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}