HEY PIANO 4UPiano Chords for Beginners: Major, Minor and the I-IV-V Pattern
A chord is several notes played together. Chords are the harmony that supports a melody, and learning a handful of them lets you accompany many songs.
The triad
The simplest chord is the triad, made of three notes: the root (the note the chord is named after), a third above it and a fifth above it. On the piano you can build a triad by playing every other white key. For C, play C, E and G. That is a C major chord.
Major and minor
The difference between a major and a minor chord is the middle note. Counting in half steps (the distance between neighbouring keys, black or white):
| Chord | Root to third | Third to fifth | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major | 4 half steps | 3 half steps | C – E – G |
| Minor | 3 half steps | 4 half steps | A – C – E |
Major chords sound bright and settled. Minor chords sound softer or sadder. To turn a major chord into a minor chord, lower the middle note by one half step.
Three chords that go a long way
In the key of C major, the three most common chords are built on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. They are called I, IV and V:
- I = C major (C, E, G)
- IV = F major (F, A, C)
- V = G major (G, B, D)
Many folk, blues and pop songs use just these. A common pattern is I – IV – V – I, which in C is C – F – G – C. Adding the minor chord on the sixth note (A minor) gives another very common pattern, I – vi – IV – V.
Using chords in Hey Piano 4U
When a step in a song has several notes, one press plays them all. That means you can feel how chords sit under a tune without needing to stretch your hand. The library has a Chords category of short drills, for example “Chord changes in C”, where each step is a full chord. The 12-bar blues tracks in the Blues category show how I, IV and V work in a real form.
Practice ideas
- Find C, F and G major chords and play them slowly in order.
- Play the C major chord with your right hand while your left hand plays a single C below.
- Pick a simple song and try changing chords at the start of each bar.
Next, learn scales, which explain why those chords fit together. Open the Chords drills
Keep learning: Piano Rhythm for Beginners: Note Lengths and How to Count · Piano Scales for Beginners: Major and Minor, Fingering and Practice