We can all agree that jazz musicians like to use chords with lots of notes. Academics and musicians have spent years arguing over what jazz music is. Here is an example of some intermediate chords from the C major scale: Different chords will use different scale degrees, hence each one’s unique sound. To build piano chords from this scale, we have to make different combinations of notes. To explain how we build piano chords, let’s label the notes in a C major scale from one to seven: This is a whole topic in and of itself, so you should do your reading on Piano Scales for Beginners if this is unfamiliar to you. When you play chords in a progression, they become the song’s fabric upon which you can play the melody.Ĭhords are built from the notes of a scale – a series of 7 notes with a specific intervallic formula. The chords you play in a song will determine if it is joyous and celebratory, melancholy and reflective, or angry and frightening. Adding a fourth or fifth note can achieve a wide range of variations.Įvery chord has a sort of personality. Most piano chords comprise three notes – this is a triad. You’re probably already familiar with this, but, just in case, a chord is when you simultaneously play two or more notes.
