Q&A for How to Play Major Chords on a Keyboard

So let me start off by explaining what a chord is to provide some context. A chord is three notes put together, and each of the notes has a very specific function and interval in the chord. So, typically, when we have things like C major and C minor, it refers to a change in the third degree of the chord. In a chord, we have the first note, the third note, and the fifth note: 1, 3, 5. And so, typically, the difference between major and minor lies with the third one. And if it's a minor, the distance between the first note and the third note will be what is known as a minor third, whereas if it's a major, the note between the first note and the third note will be known as a major third. So, typically, the difference between a minor third and a major third is one-half step.

An inversion is when you use all the same notes you normally do in a chord but you've changed which one you start with. For example: C major chord starts with the note C and has E and G above it (1, 3, 5). If you want to play the 1st inversion of this chord you will begin the chord on E, and play G and C (from the next octave) above it. In second inversion, you will start with G, and play C and E above it (from the octave above it).

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In sheet music, chords are made up of two or more notes stacked on top of each other on the staff. You read them the same way you read any other note in sheet music -- by memorizing which line or space corresponds to each note. To play a chord, you just play all the stacked notes at the same time.

If you don't want to attend classes, try YouTube videos or online courses. There are no specified chords on a piano. Music theory is the best thing to help you here.

My personal favorite book for scales is the Brown Book of Scales. It's fairly popular, and available at a lot of music stores. It includes all the scales you need to learn up to grade 10, and is fairly easy to understand.

It depends on the key you want to play. For example, CEG is a major chord while C, E flat, G is a minor chord. In that case, you are simply shifting the middle 3rd finger one note back.

YouTube is a great resource for free piano lessons.

F# major is F# (Gb), A# (Bb), and C# (Db). F# minor is F# (Gb), A, and C# (Db).

Yes, of course. With enough dedication and practice, people of all ages can learn to play the piano.

To make a minor chord from a major chord, you take the third down a half step. For example, to go from C major to C minor, instead of C, E, and G, the third (E) would go down one half step, making it Eb. C, Eb, and G would be C minor.

A semi tone is a count from the root or tonic.

Do what they do and follow their instructions. However, having someone teach you in person is always better. Piano apps don't always meet necessary requirements you have to learn. If you want to start out, I'd recommend the John Thompson First edition book.

There are seven basic major chords: A major, B major, C major, D major, E major, F major, and G major.

A chord progression is when you specific chords in a specific order and sometimes played a specific way. Example: C F G D. If you want to know the individual notes, here they are: C - C E G; G - G B D; F - F A C; D - D F# A.

You can play any chord, theoretically. However, there are chords called "Minor Major" chords, which have a b3 and a 7, essentially a minor chord with a major 7.