How To Play Piano Chords?
How to play piano chords? Find out the different ways you can
use chords to accompany a melody!
A chord is nothing but a combination of notes played together to create a rich sound.
It is used primarily for harmonizing a melody.
In the simplest form, you play a piano chord with your left hand while your right hand is busy playing the melody. Pros play chords with both their hands, with the melody becoming the top note of the chord played on the right hand.
Here are some suggestions on how to play piano chords.
Arpeggios/Broken Chords - An easy way of playing chords is to play the notes of a chord in an arpeggiated manner i.e. play arpeggios with your left hand. Play a constant up and down pattern to accompany the melody.
Fixed/Block Chords - Another easy method of playing chords is to play straight chords i.e. all the notes together, you can choose to play the chords in the root position or use any of the inversions. You will need to try out various rhythmic patterns while playing in this style.
Chord Picking - Play the chords in a pattern that alternates between the bass note and the remaining two notes i.e. play the root note on one beat and the other two notes together on the next beat. Keep on repeating the same pattern.
Right Hand Chords - This is an advanced way of playing chords where you play chords with both the hands, with the melody note becoming the top note of the chord played on the right hand.
Chords can be used in many different ways but these are some of the methods that should answer most of your queries on how to play piano chords. Start using them right away!
Keyboard Chord Finder
Instant access to over 2,000 chords and variations - in the palm of your hand! The KCF1 features a large LCD display, a Find feature, and more. It's a great way to learn new chords and quickly find chord names from any position on the keyboard.
Go back to the Piano technique page
Go back to the Homepage from the How to play piano chords page
