Basic Piano Chords

Major Chords

First, let's take a look at the major chords. Major chords are made of the 1st, 3rd and 5th note of the major scale. C major scale consists of the following notes: C,D,E,F,G,A,B, and C. All these are white keys on the keyboard(natural notes); there are no flats or sharps in a C major scale.

 To make the C major chord, you take the first note of the C major scale (C), the third note (E), and the fifth note (G). The C-major chord is - C E G.

 Remember, major chords are written as the uppercase letter of the root note. So C major is written as C.

Minor Chords

Minor chords are very similar. They are written with the letter name of the root note, plus a lower case m. Minor chords are made of the 1st, lowered 3rd, and 5th note of the scale. To get from major to minor all you need to do is move the middle note down half a step.

Basic Piano Chords

Here is a list of the most basic major and minor chords. The symbol # indicates a sharp note, while the b indicates a flat note.

Major chords

 C - C E G

 D - D F# A

 E - E G# B

 F - F A C

 G - G B D

 A - A C# E

 Minor Chords

 Cm - C Eb G

 Dm - D F A

 Em - E G B

 Fm - F,Ab,C

 Gm - G,Bb,D

 Am - A, C, E