The first piano chords

Eight chords: C, F, G, D, A, Am, Dm, Em. Chosen by two numbers — how many black keys the chord asks for and how often it is needed.

The eight chords

Cwhite keys onlyin 40 progressions0 Fwhite keys onlyin 40 progressions0 Gwhite keys onlyin 38 progressions0 Done black keyin 27 progressions1 Aone black keyin 13 progressions1 Amwhite keys onlyin 12 progressions0 Dmwhite keys onlyin 12 progressions0 Emwhite keys onlyin 11 progressions0

How these eight were chosen

On the guitar the shape decides what is hard. On the piano every note lies open — there, something else is hard.

Black keys push the hand back and the finger concerned onto another level. A chord of nothing but white keys almost plays itself.

The thumb is short and lies flat. If it lands on a black key the whole hand has to move up. That is why B flat major is harder than D major although both have one black key — in B flat it is the root, and the root belongs to the thumb.

Needed counts in how many of the eighteen common chord progressions the chord appears. A chord belongs at the beginning if it asks little and is needed often.

What you can already play with them

24 progressions need no chord outside these eight — counted, not promised.

I–V–vi–IVAm – C – F – GC major I–V–vi–IVC – D – Em – GG major vi–IV–I–VAm – C – F – GC major vi–IV–I–VC – D – Em – GG major I–vi–IV–VAm – C – F – GC major I–vi–IV–VC – D – Em – GG major I–IV–VC – F – GC major I–IV–VC – D – GG major I–IV–VA – D – GD major i–iv–vAm – Dm – EmA minor i–VII–VI–VIIAm – F – GA minor i–VII–VI–VIIC – D – EmE minor I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–VAm – C – Em – F – GC major I–♭VII–IVC – F – GG major

The next step is not new chords but other positions of the same ones: with inversions the hand barely moves between chords instead of jumping across the keyboard.

Anotona does this for you

Photograph a page of sheet music or play the melody — Anotona finds the key, engraves the notes and transposes them into any other. Free.

See Anotona

Every note on this page is computed, not typed in — following the rule that also makes F# major spell its seventh degree E#, not F.