Piano Chords for Beginners: How to Play Your First Chords
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You want to play chords on a piano or keyboard, but you can't read music and you have no idea where to start. Good news: you don't need to. With one simple counting trick you can find any basic chord yourself, and with four chords you can already play your first loop.
In this guide you'll learn how to find your way around the keys, how to build a major and a minor chord, which chords to learn first and how to switch between them smoothly. Perfect if you want to write songs or make beats with a MIDI keyboard.
The short answer
A basic chord is made of three keys: the root, the third and the fifth. You find them by counting half steps up from the root:
- Major chord: the root, then 4 half steps up, then another 3 half steps up. Example: C, E, G.
- Minor chord: the root, then 3 half steps up, then another 4 half steps up. Example: A, C, E.
Start with these six chords that use only white keys: C, F, G, Am, Dm and Em. With those you can already play a lot of chord progressions.
Step 1: find your way around the keys
At first a keyboard looks like one long row, but the pattern keeps repeating. Look at the black keys: they come in groups of two and three.
- The white key directly to the left of a group of two black keys is always a C.
- From there the white keys go up to the right: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and then C again.
- Black keys have two names. The black key between C and D is C# (C sharp) or Db (D flat). A # means one half step higher, a b means one half step lower.
Play every C on your keyboard from low to high. You hear the same note each time, just higher. That distance is called an octave.
Step 2: count half steps
This is the whole secret. Going from any key to the key right next to it, white or black, is one half step. So you count every key, not just the white ones.
Watch out for two spots: between E and F and between B and C there is no black key. There, the step from white to white is only a half step.
Try it with C major. Put your finger on C and count 4 keys to the right (C#, D, D#, E): you land on E. From E, count 3 more keys (F, F#, G): you land on G. Together that's C, E, G. Done, that's your first chord.
Step 3: get your hand in position
Piano players number their fingers: thumb is 1, index finger 2, middle finger 3, ring finger 4 and pinky 5. For a three-note chord in your right hand you usually use 1, 3 and 5: thumb on the root, middle finger on the third, pinky on the fifth.
- Keep your fingers slightly curved, as if you're holding a ball.
- Press all three keys at the same time, not one after another.
- Is one note missing? A finger probably isn't pressing the key fully. Play slowly and listen to each note.
Chord chart: 9 chords for beginners
Start with the first six. They only use white keys and all belong to C major and A minor. After that, D, E and A are a good next step, because each one adds a single black key.
| Chord | Type | Notes (low to high) | Black key? |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | major | C, E, G | no |
| F | major | F, A, C | no |
| G | major | G, B, D | no |
| Am | minor | A, C, E | no |
| Dm | minor | D, F, A | no |
| Em | minor | E, G, B | no |
| D | major | D, F#, A | yes, F# |
| E | major | E, G#, B | yes, G# |
| A | major | A, C#, E | yes, C# |
Notice the difference between Dm and D? Only the middle note moves up a half step: F becomes F#. That one key turns a minor chord into a major chord. Read more in major vs minor explained.
The m after a chord name means minor. So Am is A minor, and A without the m is A major.
Your first progression: C, G, Am, F
You hear these four chords in a huge number of pop songs. If you play every one of them from the root, your hand keeps jumping back and forth. That's why piano players play some chords in a different order, called an inversion. Same keys, just a different note at the bottom. This keeps your hand in almost the same spot:
| Chord | Right hand (low to high) | Left hand (bass) |
|---|---|---|
| C | C, E, G | C |
| G | B, D, G | G |
| Am | C, E, A | A |
| F | C, F, A | F |
See what happens: with every change the keys only move one or two steps, and often one note simply stays where it is. That instantly sounds smoother. Want to understand exactly how this works? Read chord inversions explained.
Your left hand only plays the root, an octave or two lower. Feel free to start without the left hand and add it once the right hand feels natural.
How to practice (10 minutes a day)
- One chord per four beats. Count 1, 2, 3, 4 out loud and change on the 1.
- Turn on a metronome at a slow tempo. Only speed it up a little once it feels tight.
- Practice the change, not the chord. Play only C to G, ten times in a row. Then G to Am. The changes are the hard part.
- Look at your hands as little as possible. Feel where the groups of black keys are.
- Play along with a beat. Find the key of a beat with the free Beat Lab and pick chords that fit.
Which chords go together?
The six white-key chords in the chart belong together because they all come from the same key: C major, or A minor if you treat Am as home. Every key has seven chords like this that naturally sound good together. On the chords in C major page you can see them on a keyboard and play progressions right away. For other keys, check chords by key, and the pattern behind it is explained in which chords go together.
From chords to your own beat
Playing on a MIDI keyboard? Then you can record your chords straight into FL Studio, Logic Pro, Ableton or GarageBand. If your playing isn't quite tight yet, click the notes into the piano roll instead. Same keys as in the chart, just with your mouse.
Out of ideas? With the free Chord Progression Generator you pick a mood (Dark, Sad, Chill, Happy, Epic or R&B), major or minor, a key and a tempo. You hear the four chords right away in your browser and download them as MIDI with a chords track and a bass line. Then play them on your keyboard: you learn new chords and you've got a loop at the same time.
Chords locked in? Finish the beat with drums, 808s and FX from our sample packs.
FAQ
Do I need to read music to play chords?
No. With the letter order of the keys and counting half steps you can find any basic chord. Plenty of producers play chords without ever reading sheet music.
How many chords do I need to know to play songs?
Four chords like C, G, Am and F already get you a long way. Add Dm and Em after that and you know six of the seven chords in C major.
Does this work on a keyboard or MIDI keyboard?
Yes. The keys are laid out exactly the same. A small MIDI keyboard has fewer octaves, but for one-hand chords that's enough.
Why does my chord sound off?
Usually you've miscounted a key. Check the steps between E and F and between B and C in particular: there's no black key between them, so that's only a half step.
What's the difference between C# and Db?
On the piano it's the same black key. Which name you use depends on the key you're in. When you're starting out, it makes no difference to how you play.
Want more free help, like a BPM finder, master checker and rhyme finder? Check out all our free music tools.