Do you find chords a little overwhelming or intimidating? Especially if they are black key chords … AKA chords that start on a black key? With a few tips, these amazing chords can be incredibly approachable and easy to play!
If you haven’t read “Flats and Sharps On The Piano“, you may be missing some key concepts that we are using in this article. Be sure to read it before continuing on!
Unfounded Anxiety
As I think back to my early piano years I remember feeling intimidated by the black keys. It’s something I’ve also noticed with piano students today. Some things don’t change, do they?
And yet this anxiety is completely unfounded. Black keys are just a different colour: both physically and musically. They help you turn what can be ‘meh’ into amazing!
A Little Music Theory
We talk about musical note names, but don’t often get into the musical theory behind them. And, for good reason. To much theory can hold students back from playing or just confuse the matter when a simple demonstration will take care of the problem.
And, then you get inquisitive students like me … or some of my current students! After being on the receiving side, I have learnt to appreciate how my piano teachers navigated these questions all along the way.
Note Names
Note and chord names all go back to context. There are musical rules that let us know what the individual notes with a key (like C Major) will be called). And, the same is true for chords. Including black key chords! The end results is we all have to follow certain musical rules.
If you are an inquisitive beginner piano player, let me know in the comments if you would like articles that go into musical scales or the Circle of Fifths (which is how we get chord names).
Major Black Key Chords
If you haven’t read, “The Theory Behind Creating Major and Minor Chords” I would highly recommend jumping there for a reminder of the Big-Small method. We will be following the same rules for Major black key chords.
- Tonic: Home note … same as the name of the chord
- Middle: Skip up 4 half notes/semitones and play that one
- Top: Skip up 3 half notes/semitones and play that one
For a quick primer in how these chords relate to each other using hand shapes as a guide, watch the video below or click here.
Often Major black key chords use flat names. This is important once we get to the minor chords.
Minor Black Key Chords
Just like Major chords have their own rules, so do minor chords. Again, if you missed the article check it for more details. In the meantime, follow the “Small-Big” method (exactly the opposite of how we make Major chords).
- Tonic: Home note … same as the name of the chord
- Middle: Skip up 3 half notes/semitones and play that one
- Top: Skip up 4 half notes/semitones and play that one
For a quick primer in how these chords relate to each other using hand shapes as a guide, watch the video above or click here.
While Major black key chords tend to have flat names, the minor ones tend to have sharp names. And this is because of how those minor chords relate to their Major counterparts.
Major and Minor Black Key Chords
It might be easy to assume that the names of the chords don’t really matter. Especially when you are first exploring these on the keyboard. However, once you are talking with your piano teacher or other musicians it’s important to use common terms so everyone is on the same page.
To quickly find and play black key chords … both Major and minor:
- For Major chords: Use the Big-Small trick
- For minor chords: Use Small-Big trick (opposite)
- Major black key chords tend to use flats in the name
- Minor black key chords tend to use sharps in the name
What was the most challenging part of learning these black key chords?
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