Because all four basic triads are similar, they’re all easy to play. Each one has just three notes … and each one is pretty common in music. But the major triad and minor triad are (by far) the most popular. Together, they just sound more pleasant to the ears. So musicians use them a lot more often. To see what

Say it with me, people: “Chords are totally easy to play.” That’s right … chords are really simple. Like everything else in music, they’re made of the same, old notes and intervals we already know and love. So there isn’t much to them. But let’s pause for a moment to think about one thing. And that is, what’s

So … major chords are easy to play. They’re all built from a basic note pattern of “1-3-5” … and each one has a nice, strong sound that goes well with most songs. But the truth is, the major chord isn’t our only option. Because, really, it’s just one of fourbasic chords in music: In the key

You’ve got to admit … music just sounds better with chords. And in our last song, it was pretty fun to move between two different chords. But things would have been a lot easier to play if our left hand didn’t have to move so much. I mean, when we go from playing a C major

After you’ve had a little practice, it’s easy to add chords to any melody. You just have to play the melody with your right … and hit the chords with your left hand. It’s as simple as that. And this combination of notes makes our music sound a lot more interesting. But things get even more

The nice thing about chords is that they use the same 12 notes we all know and love. Sure … we have to play those notes together in a chord … instead of only one at a time. But there’s nothing too special about that. In fact, you might even say that chords are easier to play

Right now, it might still be difficult to get your hands playing together. But honestly, that’s okay. If you’ve already mastered the art of playing chords with a melody, then you’re a fast learner. And if you need some more practice (don’t we all?), then try playing this next song. It’s a classic and one

Like I said … chords make music especially cool. They add weight to a song and provide support for the melody. By giving our ears something to listen to, chords just make life more interesting. At the same time, chords also create a little more work for our hands. And that’s because, on a keyboard, the

Now that we know how to play music’s most popular chord—the major triad—let’s see it in action, shall we? In our next song, we’ll focus on hitting each major chord with the left hand … while playing the melody line with the right hand. In music notation, we show this by splitting the bass staff and

Okay, so this is how chords work … just like scale patterns, chords are totally simple. We use the same 12 notes to make them. And just like before, we label each note using the same number names, or “scale degrees.” Based on these 12 notes, we can create all sorts of cool chords. But