How toquick find the chords on the piano?

[countrymath]

I play keyboards and piano on a country band and i want some exercises to find the chords quickly on any position. Someone told me to play the chords and inversions simultaneously,  but i think that  may have a better way to train this. Basically i need to quickly change chords fast and find the inversions fast.

Any tips?

[Bob]

Rote memorization if you want quick.

Learn scales and chords if you want the long way.


I'm guessing the person meant to play the root position, first inversion, second inversion, etc. for chords while learning.  Don't just learn them in root position. 

I would think learning major scales would be the fastest way to have them more solid.  Otherwise... lots of drill.

[countrymath]

Anyone more?

[mephisto]

I am assuming you are focusing on major and minor chords.

Firstly you should learn what major and minor chords actually are.

Any major chord on the piano can be found like this:
 Let us say you want to play a c major chord. Then you start with a C.
The next note should be E and then G. To find this out you just have to start with the C, and then count to 5 and you will find the E: 1 C 2 C# 3 D 4 D# 5 E.
From E you then count to 4 like this: 1 E 2 F 3 F# 4 G.

You can do this with ANY major chord. Let us say You want to play a E major chord then you do this: You start with the note E. Then you go to 5 wich is G# and then to 4 from G# wich is B. So E major is E-G#-B. Does this make sense? When you learn enough chords you will be able to "see" them on the keyboard and you will not have to think about it this way.

Minor:

Instead of going from 1 to 5, you go from 1 to 4. That's the only difference.
So you do like this:
Let us say you want to play A minor. Then you do this: A. 1 A 2 A# 3 B 4 C. And then: 1 C 2 C# 3 D 4 D# 5 E. So A minor is like this: A-C-E. A major would be like this: A-C#-E.

Does this answer your question?

[ted]

Whenever you find a new chord you like, work it around the key circle and improvise using it in as many playing forms as you can invent. Myself, I think it is better not to repeat precise transpositions as long as notes within the given chord are used. This way, over time, you can develop the ability to "see" the totality of any given subset, i.e. scale or chord, over the whole keyboard and can put your hand anywhere at once and know that you are striking the required group. It's hard to describe in words but easy in practice.

Also, the number of ways of regarding a chord or scale combinatorially is, for practical purposes, infinite. When a new way of seeing a chord occurs to you, add it to your mental library. As a simple example, you might notice that a major chord in the left hand together with a minor chord on the note a fifth higher in the right hand produces a ninth chord in total. Store up all these combinatorial facts in an ever increasing memory and it will help to avoid the positional monotony you sometimes hear from even good players.

Anyway, it isn't just a matter of memorising a few sets in one or two fixed positions and then ceasing learning. Pianists talk a lot about which chords they use but nowhere near enough about the precise mental approach they use to generate them. It is this latter aspect which makes all the difference to the harmonic life of the music.

[wilmerguido]

I am assuming you are focusing on major and minor chords.

Firstly you should learn what major and minor chords actually are.

Any major chord on the piano can be found like this:
 Let us say you want to play a c major chord. Then you start with a C.
The next note should be E and then G. To find this out you just have to start with the C, and then count to 5 and you will find the E: 1 C 2 C# 3 D 4 D# 5 E.
From E you then count to 4 like this: 1 E 2 F 3 F# 4 G.

You can do this with ANY major chord. Let us say You want to play a E major chord then you do this: You start with the note E. Then you go to 5 wich is G# and then to 4 from G# wich is B. So E major is E-G#-B. Does this make sense? When you learn enough chords you will be able to "see" them on the keyboard and you will not have to think about it this way.

Minor:

Instead of going from 1 to 5, you go from 1 to 4. That's the only difference.
So you do like this:
Let us say you want to play A minor. Then you do this: A. 1 A 2 A# 3 B 4 C. And then: 1 C 2 C# 3 D 4 D# 5 E. So A minor is like this: A-C-E. A major would be like this: A-C#-E.

Does this answer your question?

I also do this, but kinda differently. My way, is instead of counting from the first note to the second, I just check the number of keys in between the notes of the chords

For major chords, you have to have 3 keys (including black keys) in between the first two notes of the chord, and 2 keys in between the last two notes. For example in a C major chord, C-E-G, between C and E there are C#, D, and D#. That's three keys. In between E and G, there are F and F#. That's two keys then.

For minor chords, 2 keys between the first two, and 3 keys between the last two

For diminished, 2 keys between the first two, and 2 keys between the last two.

For augmented, 3 keys between the first two, and 3 keys between the last two

It's just that simple and I think every kind of chord has this similar pattern

[nanabush]

Take a chord or two (for example, take C minor and F minor) and improvise with them.  Play some broken versions of the chords, listen and look for each part of the chord, try moving them around a bit, move between the two. 

I find if I have a brand new technique or chord-ish thing I need to work, out, I just let loose and get comfortable playing in that kind of 'frame', and then I go back to what I initially wanted and I'm like "ok, I'm a bit more familiar" lol.