Q&A for How to Read Piano Chords

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  • Question
    How do you know what notes are in a chord?
    Michael Noble, PhD
    Professional Pianist
    Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Performance from the Yale School of Music. He is a previous contemporary music fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
    Professional Pianist
    Expert Answer
    To understand what notes are in a chord, you need to know how to read music. Check out the wikiHow article "How to Read Music" (https://www.wikihow.com/Read-Music) to learn more.
  • Question
    What does C+ mean in music?
    Michael Noble, PhD
    Professional Pianist
    Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Performance from the Yale School of Music. He is a previous contemporary music fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
    Professional Pianist
    Expert Answer
    C+ in music means a C augmented triad, thus, the notes would be C, E, and G#.
  • Question
    How do you know if a chord is major or minor?
    Michael Noble, PhD
    Professional Pianist
    Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Performance from the Yale School of Music. He is a previous contemporary music fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
    Professional Pianist
    Expert Answer
    A major chord has a major third (4 half steps above the root) while a minor chord has a minor third (3 half steps above the root).
  • Question
    How do play augmented chords?
    Community Answer
    An augmented chord is just like a major chord except the highest note is raised by a semitone. For example, a C major chord would be C-E-G, but a C augmented chord would be C-E-G#.
  • Question
    How do you know how long you play the chord for?
    Jamie Lange
    Community Answer
    If you're playing a modern song, it makes sense to listen to the song for where the chords are. You'll get better at this over time. If the chords are placed between bars like this: | C | G | A | D | . You play one measure per chord, which is 4 beats (count to 4) for most songs. If there are 2 chords within a measure, they get 2 beats each. Example of chords and how they are counted: | C | G | A | D A | 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 12 34. If you play by sheet music, the sheet music may tell you how long to play the chord. If not, play it until the next chord change.
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