Piano Chords Tips

The familiar ear player is one who plays "piano chords." He takes any tune he has heard and supplies his own piano chords to it. These piano chords may be the same that the composer used, or they may be quite novel; but they satisfy the ear of the player.

This pattern of piano chords which the composer supplies beneath his melody in most pieces is correctly known as harmony. In the next chapter we consider harmony in an orderly arrange­ment; but at this point we shall acquire some skill with the three basic piano chords—the ones which the popular ear player has as his stock in trade.

Three Basic piano chords

The surprising fact is that three piano chords are quite adequate to harmonize most of the tunes the beginner is able to play. Over ninety per cent of the folk tunes and old popular airs use only this very basic harmony. Indeed, that is why they are popular. The folk tunes have been bandied about until they have lost any unusual harmonies which they may have had in times past. A popular tune becomes quickly popular because it has no complicated harmony which must be heard two or three times before it can be comprehended.

When modern players reproduce such pieces, they often decorate them with new piano chords according to the style of the time or merely according to their own inclination. You may wish to do this, too. Why shouldn't you? There is no harm done in providing new harmonies to pieces in which the original harmony was hackneyed or of no importance to the effectiveness of the piece. When the ear player is playing for his own pleasure, he should supply the harmonies which he hears. But first it would be well to become quite pro­ficient in handling the three basic piano chords which most com­posers use more than all the other piano chords put together. What are these piano chords?

Tonic Chord

The most important is the tonic chord, built upon the first tone of the scale. In building piano chords we take alternate notes in the scale. Thus in the key of

You can always figure out the tonic chord by playing the scale and then using 1-3-5 of the scale; but it is much better to find the chord by ear. Take any tone and build the chord upon it, allowing your ear to tell you when the chord is right.

The chord may then be inverted, that is, turned upside down or rearranged in various ways. It always remains the same chord so long as you use only the same notes.

We always spell our piano chords from the bottom up. You may have two of any note or of all the notes. In short, any combination or arrangement of these three tones will still be the same chord and will be satisfactory in harmonizing a tune.

Practice these piano chords with each hand and with both hands jumping around the keyboard and trying various positions. If you hold the sustaining pedal down (the "loud" pedal), you will detect instantly any mistake you make in inverting a chord, because the dissonance will be so obvious. Play a strong octave down low in the left hand and then, still keep­ing the pedal down, play various inversions of the chord built upon that octave, up and down the piano. You will be able to build up some very pleasing resonance in this manner.

Dominant Chord

The next most important chord is the dominant chord, built upon the fifth tone of the scale. In the key of C the dominant or 5th tone is G; and the chord
                        D
built upon it is B. This dominant chord in the key of C is obviously the same
                        G
as the tonic chord in the key of G. Each chord serves in many capacities. That is why you can learn this basic chord structure so easily, once you become familiar with the chord which is built on each of the twelve tones—the seven white keys and the five black keys. This dominant chord, of course, inverts in the same manner as the tonic chord.

again. You will now hear the relationship and understand why the second chord is called the dominant. This can be done more smoothly and effectively                                                                  G     G      G
if we invert the  dominant chord  thus:  E      D      E. Practice this sequence
                                                                 C      B     C

in all the keys and in each hand; the left hand is most important because it will usually have to supply the piano chords while the right hand plays the tune.

Many simple tunes are harmonized with only these two piano chords. All of the tunes which are marked with a single asterisk in the lists on pages 22-24 and 32-33 require just these two piano chords to provide adequate harmony. Try as many of them as you know.

Remember there is not just one way that is right and all the others wrong; experiment and discover how you like the piece best.

Subdominant

The third chord that you will need, to harmonize most of the tunes you are called upon to play, is the one built upon the fourth degree of the scale—
                                                                          C
the subdominant. In the key of C this will be A. This, of course, is the same
                                                                           F
as the tonic chord in the key of F, so you are already familiar with the chord and its inversions. Play it in connection with the tonic chord, thus:
G     A      G
E      F      E. You will recognize that this is the chord which is always
C     C      C

Cadence

One standard cadence includes all three of these piano chords in the most perfect harmonic progression in all music. In the key of C it is:          

The Roman numerals are used in music to indicate the cord on certain degree of scale, so it can be used in key:

Play this progression in all keys until it becomes thoroughly familiar and can be played without thought. If this becomes monotonous, invert the piano chords, thus:

and also again, thus:

Now add a bass part in octaves and it will sound very-grand. For this bass part use the root of the chord each time, that is, the note on which the chord is built. Thus the bass part in the key of C will run C-F-C-G-C. The bass part remains the same, regardless of which inversion or position of the piano chords is used in the right hand.

Perfect Cadence

In the final form, known in harmony as the "perfect cadence," the bass in the third chord uses the 5th of the chord instead of the root. The 5th of 1 is the same as the root of V, so the latter is dropped down an octave in the succeeding chord.

The importance of this cadence cannot be overemphasized. It lies at the center of all ear playing. It is the harmonic structure around which most music is written. Practice in all keys and in various positions. But, most important of all, listen to it.

The final result is very satisfying. Here it is in the key of C:

In Appendix i, the perfect cadence is given in every key. Do not use this, if you can learn the cadence by ear or figure it out for yourself. It is provided as a check, if you are in doubt, or to fortify the ears of those who find harmonic listening exceptionally difficult. Do as little figuring as possible. Try always to make your ear your guide.

Ear as Guide

The ear player usually does not stop to figure out his chord; his ear and fingers find it for him as easily as they find the melody notes. But if we do not have that ability, the quickest way to acquire it is to practice these cadences and then use their familiar piano chords to accompany our tunes.

You are now ready to apply these piano chords to any of the tunes which have been mentioned so far. All of the tunes in the lists on pages 22-24 and 32—33 which are marked with two asterisks can be harmonized throughout with only these three piano chords. Also try tunes which are not on the list. Decide in what key you are going to play the tune, and then play the cadence for that key, to make it familiar to your fingers. Then play the tune in the right hand and supply the piano chords in the left. At first try just the piano chords of the cadence in their easiest position. Use whichever sounds best. Oftentimes there are two possibilities; make your own choice. Then invert these piano chords to give variety and provide your own style.

Discord

Do this with many tunes until you can hear the chord you want just before you need to play it. Oftentimes you will find that the chord which sounds best makes a discord with the melody tone with which you need to play it. This sounds incorrect to you, because you are listening to it so critically; but it is probably the same chord you have always heard and liked there. Indeed, this dissonance is often the very thing that is desired to make the composition press ahead in search of a consonance.

Accented Discord

and the harmony beneath it is. The 8 is a strong dissonance against the V and on that account is pulled down to the 7; and again, the 2 is a strong dissonance with the I and is pulled down to the 8. This device is characteristic of Tschaikowsky and often accounts for the feeling of longing that is found in his music.

On the other hand, this usage is effective because it is exceptional. Ordinarily the chord agrees with the melody note, and the melody note is an index of what piano chords may be used. There are only three possibilities: the melody note can be the root of the chord; it can be the 3rd of the chord; it can be the 5th of the chord. Thus, if the melody note which needs
                                                                                                  E
a chord under it is A, the chord may have A as the root —C#. A may be the
                              C                                                           A   A
3rd of the chord—A—A may be the 5th of the chord—F#. Only one of these
                               F                                                          D
of these will be in the key; only one will fit. Or, if two are in the key, make your own choice.

Um-pah

When you have gained a fair facility in supplying these piano chords of the cadence in their most simple form to the tunes you are harmonizing, try inverting the piano chords. The most frequent form is the "um-pah" pattern, which is best illus­trated by the story which originated the term.

The little German bands which a few years ago circulated in our country in the springtime, playing on the street corners and serenading the leading musicians of the town, always had a tuba player and an alto horn player in addition to whatever other instrumentation made up the band. One day when the alto horn player was sick, a new player was pressed into service.

"But," he protested, "there is no music, and I do not know when to play."

"That is easy," replied the tuba player. "Every time I play 'umph,' you play 'pah pah' right after me." The "umph" was always the root of the chord, and the "pah pah" were the inversions.

This is a fairly correct description of the old German waltz tunes, which made up so much of the repertoire of these wandering musicians. However, the piano player must play both the "umph" and the "pah"; he plays the "umph" as a low octave in the left hand and then jumps up to some inversion of the chord on that octave for the "pah." How many times he repeats the chord and the type of inversion he uses is a matter to be decided between the melody and himself.

Upbeats

The beginner is sometimes confused when the melody begins on a weak beat and no chord seems to fit the first notes. In such circumstances it is better not to play any chord until the first accent. Thus, in Dixie ("Oh, I wish I was") the first accent is on "wish"; "Oh, I" should be played without any chord beneath it. Again, in Auld Lang Syne ("Should auld acquaintance") the first chord conies on "auld." This also happens in the middle of a piece; once the player gets the feeling of these weak upbeats, he is not tempted to try to harmonize them.

Accuracy

A large part of the effectiveness of the ear player is determined by his ability and style in keeping this left hand part going. The average popular ear player isn't very accurate. He is satisfied to hit the main spots down in the bass section and to indicate the more prominent piano chords in a vague way; but he skips all the less important piano chords which are more difficult to find, or satisfies himself with an idle gesture, touching nothing or barely grazing an uncertain chord. His hand is following his desire to hear something down there but cannot find anything with enough assurance to risk playing it. Such playing may satisfy him, but it is banal to anyone with a good ear. In playing by ear, it is necessary only to have a better ear than those for whom you are playing. If we would advance beyond this stage of mediocrity, we must pay much attention to the left hand and its piano chords.

Take the trouble to find all the piano chords that are needed. Experiment to find the most effective positions and the best octave to play and how often that octave and the piano chords should be played. Always be ready to try new combinations. Listen, listen, listen.

piano chords Influence Tempo

If you want the music to be fast and lively, do not play the chord so often and do not change the harmony until you must. Experiment for this effect with Yankee Doodle. Try to play it fast thus, with a chord struck at each capital:

This goes more smoothly, does it not? You will find that it fairly zips along, although you may feel that a change of chord is necessary on "town" and "ny."

But the good composers do not change the harmony when they are trying to get easy movement. Play the first phrase, the first eight measures, of the trio (chorus) of Stars and Stripes Forever; the first seven bars are all on the tonic chord, and you do not get any inclination to change until the last bar, where the dominant is used. And if you continue, you will find that the dominant is used continuously for the first four bars of the following phrase. This is why the melody sings so easily and keeps a feeling of light, easy motion.

Favorite Keys

What key shall you play the piece in? By now you have probably found that you have certain favorite keys. Ear players generally prefer Bb, Eb, Ab on the piano. This is because it is easier to find the tonic and dominant octaves in the left hand in these keys. Gb is the easiest of all in this respect, and it is the favorite key of many players; but the six flats in this key frighten most of us. It is better to avoid becoming too partial to any one or two keys; keep working in the other keys. The best ear players have no key preference.

The favorite keys of string players are the sharp keys, which permit them to use their open strings more freely and to use more comfortable fingering in passage work. The wind instrument players, on the other hand, prefer flat keys. The piano, however, has no such good reasons for partiality to a key; the choice is largely a personal matter.

Mood and Key

Many musicians object to having a piece played in any but the original key in which the composer wrote it. They insist that the various keys have certain moods for which they are most effective and that a change of key detracts from the effect intended by the composer. Whether or not there is any valid basis for such a statement, it is certainly true that the difference is too small to be of importance to any but the very finest performers. Pianos vary greatly in their pitch, orchestras do not tune to the standard pitch, and the standard pitch today is not even approximately the same as the pitch for which many of our greatest composers wrote their master-works. The idea of any connection between pitch and mood may be entirely a psychological illusion.

Absolute Pitch

On the other hand, many players have absolute pitch or some slight inclination toward absolute pitch, and they find the tones by recalling the exact pitch used. Nearly all of us develop this memory to a certain degree, though often we are unconscious of it. We find it easier to play a piece in the key in which we have always heard it than to attempt it in a different key.

In our course here, we are developing our memory of tones in relation to the tonic—to the key in which we are playing; but we cannot disregard this sense of absolute pitch. For practical rather than for esthetic reasons, therefore, use the original key.

Best Keys for Singers

Most of the tunes we have attempted are published and played in so many keys that no particular one is the favorite. We play these in the key that suits our fancy or that is in the best range for singers. Songs fall roughly into two classes: those which lie between i and 8 of the scale, and those which lie between 5 and 5. Eb is a good key for the former and Bb for the latter; but this is only a rough rule. In short, try them out and use your own best judgment.

Begin Anywhere

With a good understanding of the three basic piano chords we have discussed, you will now find endless possibilities in playing most of the music that is sung by small children, by older ones in "jam sessions," and by adults in the community sings. For your own amusement attempt more formidable pieces than these.

Do not feel that you must begin at the beginning of a piece; make a start at the part that keeps ringing through your ears, and you will find that it will gradually develop in both directions. This is the road to progress.

Effect of Chord Position  HERE2006

Your improvement will largely depend upon the keenness with which you listen to your playing. You can help your listening to become more sensitive by playing piano chords in different positions and noting the slight differences in effect. For instance, put two 3rds in a chord and hear how
                                                 B      D
oversweet it becomes, thus: D or B. Leave out the 3rd entirely and it
                                                 B      G
                                        G B G
becomes hollow and aching: D. The most satisfying combination is three
                                                  G C
                                                      G
roots—two 5ths, and one 3rd:   E.
                                                     C
                                                     G

Notice that your piano chords sound better if you place the upper notes fairly close together but keep the lower ones spread apart. Thus a C octave in the left
                    G                                                            C                            G
hand and a E in the right is much preferable to a G in the left and a G in
                    C                                                            E                            C
                                                                                   C
the right. In order to get this finer resonance on the piano, since we have only two hands, we generally take an octave down low and hold it with the pedal while we move the left hand up to play full piano chords which will supply the harmony.

If even more fullness is desired, the right hand can play the melody with the little finger and fill in harmony with the lower fingers. Or, to get even bigger effects, play the melody in octaves in the right hand and play some of the harmony notes as afterbeats with the fingers inside the octaves. When a big crowd is singing, it is sometimes most effective to play the bass in octaves down low and the melody in octaves up high and fill in piano chords wherever possible, leaving the middle part of the resonance to be furnished by the singers. There is no rule for doing this; the ear must be the guide. A sensitive ear can be developed and is of the utmost importance.

So vast is the material suggested in this chapter that it may take months to accomplish the results, even in a superficial way. There will be no harm, however, in reading the remain­ing chapters and using whatever comes easily. The following chapter continues the work on piano chords and harmony, but the remaining chapters each approach music from a different angle and should be read without waiting to master the present material completely. Let your own inclination be your guide, but keep the ear attentive at all times.

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