Every Player Needs To Learn The Diatonic Chords of A Key (Easy Theory)

[@PianoFromScratch]

You can check out the PDF here pianofs.com/chords-of-the-major-minor-keys/ Learn to hear chords in a key by ear with Chord Crush, an interactive web app! 🎹 👉 hooktheory.com/affiliate/248-4.html Also, not sure what happened but I must have slid my keyboard away whilst filming without realising which explains the weird angle!

[@fksimpson5755]

I am a 69 year young piano newby. I love how you can take a seemingly overwhelming subject and break it down into bite size pieces that are easy to understand and remember. You always have AWESOME content in your videos. Keep teaching us the things we need to know to make a go at this huge 88 key behemoth. CHEARS! Thank you.

[@karkar2006]

He asked at the end “I hope this was helpful” and I immediately said out loud “ This was BEYOND helpful!” Seriously. I’ve only been playing piano a year and I’ve never been able to understand this until now. Thanks

[@keith8701]

This is literally some of the best teaching for beginners that I've seen in years on KZbin. Can't wait to sit at my piano soon!

[@PianoFromScratch]

Thanks, good luck!

[@image30p]

It's amazing how it all fits together. I played trumpet when I was a kid. Four years. I just read from sheet music. Didn't even know what theory was. Then I switched to guitar. I just played root fifth interval chords and minor scales for years (hard rock haha!). Then a friend of mine who was a local pro jazz bassist showed me theory. Since then I've been studying and applying. But although I've known the major key pattern for 20 years, I only just learned the minor key pattern today. Isn't that crazy? I also only recently started learning every single note on my guitar neck. I'd recommend for anyone just starting as a musician to please be nice to yourself and learn theory. Learn as much as you can, because no matter what kind of music you play it will help you. Thanks for another great lesson! ❤

[@TheAtticradio]

I went the other way ! 😎 been playing guitar for years but never did music theory but learning piano now at 63. Now slowly understand the basic music theory ( the diatonic scale … etc ) and the guitar now makes much more sense in chords etc … Back to my diatonic scale ! Slowly ! …

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

For old time's sake, I came back to watch this for the third time. I've seen hundreds of videos on piano and your explanation of chords is the best I've seen on the internet. I saw that I had found your channel after 2 weeks, and saw this first. Right after I saw the video for chords and I felt much more accomplished. I had to change bank cards recently but I'll slip some money into your tip jar since I can't thank you enough for making the piano such a joy to play.

[@PianoFromScratch]

Thanks, Lawrence, much appreciated! Great to hear the videos can help people out

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I promised you 3 months ago that I'd be back and I kept my word. You really have a great way of teaching.

[@PianoFromScratch]

Welcome back!

[@jimwong5409]

I’ve seen what you talk about bits and pieces, here and there, major key, minor key and 1,4,5maj; 236minor 7 diminished and all that, played them on a guitar without knowing why but have never seen these put together in such a simple and related form. Now it all makes sense to me😮. I just need to digest it a bit and make it mine and get ready for more. Thanku for making these theories so simple and understandable for me and many.

[@miguelmunoz9989]

No doubt one of the best explanatory videos about chords for beginners. I wish I had seen such a good and clear explanation like this many years ago. You have a special talent to explain and communicate concepts like these. Many thanks for sharing !!

[@PianoFromScratch]

Thanks, Miguel, glad it was useful

[@dawnesmith-sliming7004]

Thank was really helpful. I love that you also used a key with a black key in it to illustrate the theory. Everyone teaches on C major, and I know they have their reasons, but it’s good for this beginner to see how the theory works with more complicated key signatures. Thank you.

[@TuneStunnaMusic]

Play-one-skip-one is the switch for my brain that makes it so obvious how to find these chords!

[@adriankolsters]

Very well explained, and I agree once you know all the chords in the various keys, playing the piano becomes much easier, especially reading and playing from sheet music as you recognize chord patterns immediately instead of ploughing through individual notes. Good job.

[@Mrtanweerkhan1]

U absolutely simplified both Major & minor keys n made it a whole lot easier to practice..most often used to get rather confused n d last change of min to Maj sounded awesome n very perceptable👍 U r such a blessing in disguise in d whole maze of white & black keys☺️

[@PianoFromScratch]

Happy to help, there’s a practice video coming next week on how to really get this stuff under your fingers

[@Mrtanweerkhan1]

@@PianoFromScratch Thanks ...I usually look fwd n nvr miss ur vdos...dey simply help put everything in perspective🙂

[@rasuchiang9370]

U are the best I have found on utube who explain so clearly for us beginners to learn. Thank u so much. 👍😍😍

[@PianoFromScratch]

Thanks! Glad it’s helpful

[@robloxlifewithangelarancic5441]

Yes that’s actually helps me a lot I am a beginner

[@robloxlifewithangelarancic5441]

@@PianoFromScratch thanks a lot for teaching us how to play by step by step ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@Jwellsuhhuh]

utube

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Agreed. He has helped me tremendously. Though I'm just a beginner, PfS has helped me have a mastery of forming chords which is invaluable.

[@a11y93]

Thank you so much!! Im learning chord theory in music school and my teacher failed to explain this fundamental idea behind why we get some major and some minor and the dim. Straight away just told us to remember the pattern. This understanding has helped me immensely!

[@tinmya1]

I just purchased the PDF for this lesson and printed the 11 pages. Was also sent an email with link to download in case I need to reprint. VERY easy and smooth process to order and print out. Thank you so much!!!! 🙏

[@kimberly1221]

😲 Mind blown 🤯 That makes so much sense! It’s like everything just came together in my head watching this. Thank you so much! 😃

[@dbreardon]

Wow! I just started to learn piano a week ago so I am a complete newbie. But I've been learning guitar for the last 10 months or so have have recently started to get into music theory with circle of fifths, chord families and beginning to play triads on guitar and looking at chord progressions. So with that bit of knowledge and seeing your video, I can pretty easily transfer this over to piano based on what you are teaching! And in my newbie mind it also makes playing the piano so simple......sitting down and actually implementing it on the piano is likely another story though...lol. But the simple linearity of notes on the piano and repeating octave pattern down the keyboard seems to make it so much easier to learn than guitar with six strings with each string note pattern shifted up and down the neck as well as difficult chord shapes. Please don't think I am saying playing the piano is going to be easy........just the understanding of things seems easier to me because of the linear keyboard layout. And your tutorial/video was pretty exceptional as far as learning how to play the chords for a particular key! Also, instead of just learning random chords, I can now learn the chords from the standpoint of chord families and various chord progressions (at least for major/minor keys and chords) which is fantastic! This really opened my eyes! Thank you so much!

[@anthonysallis]

O yes, that's what I do almost every day as keyboard practice. I've written out all the major and minor scales, I just pick one, stumble through it linearly, then start to make new connections and play the chords impromptu, linking to common notes, finding what goes with what etc. I make sure I a) work out, and b) use as frequently as any other, the diminished chord in the scale and listen to how it fits, (or doesn't sometimes), transitions well up or down or what it other chords in that scale it closely resembles, and how to slide into it when I've picked up the pace. It helps knowing all the chords individually (after many years I do - ie the 'formula' for a given chord) and that the 3rd chord of a major scale is its relative minor while the 6th chord of a minor is the relative major. But I really love making sure I include the diminished - fun fact - it's the same chord in both major and minor . . .!

[@RockLobster223]

That was SUPERB - will be watching all of your lessons now. You’re a good teacher.

[@mrwilliamz311]

One of the best tutorials on KZbin, but it’s worth noting the triad explanation skipped an important step and what I found to be fundamental to understanding how notes combine to make chords i.e tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone for a major. This for me was a game changer when it came to understanding how notes combine to make a scale.

[@geoffreyhoney5983]

What a great simple way of learning chords in scales. Never taught this way. So simple. Very grateful for tips. Keep it up!!!

[@greatdwimp4886]

I've been using many online sources and you and Josef sykora are very helpful organized and on point with each lesson. I feel I've been improving in my first month pretty well.

[@sanherron2595]

I just ordered your guides - "All 12 Major Scales" and "Chords of the Major & Minor Keys". These are just perfect! Just what I have been looking for to assist my learning of scales and chords. Thank you so much.

[@PianoFromScratch]

Ah great, thanks for the feedback. I’m currently revamping them so you’ll be sent a free update when they’re done

[@MCForty]

Oh wow dude! I've just had an epiphany. I've been writing and composing songs; using DAW's with little or next to no music theory knowledge, since I was a child. Most of those compositiions were usually in the genres of R'n'B; Hip Hop or Reggae, where most of those genres typically use only two chords in the entire composition and without knowing or understanding why; whenever I started a composition on a minor key I would always make the fifth chord a major key when diatonically that's not strictly correct but now I understand why my ears always coerced me into doing that, because it has a stronger pull back to the tonic - I totally get it now. I even had an argument with some musicians once when they were rehearsing one of my songs for a live gig and they were saying that the chord was wrong and I was telling them just to play what I played; the argument got quite heated but now in retrospect I can see that we were both right - thank you so much!

[@PianoFromScratch]

Well I would say that you're right actually. For a start, no such thing as a wrong chord, music theory isn't a set of rules to follow it just describes things we use a lot and we use non diatonic chords ALL the time anyway, if it's the sound you want, it's right. But even not considering that, we often change the 5 chord and it can be found within the harmonic and melodic minors, it's only the natural minor where chord 5 is minor. We often use the different variations of minor scales within the same piece of music.

[@Ranger1216]

Well explained, chords played same pattern way with the fingers no matter the key. 1 3 5 will practice these chords my diatonic chords. Thanks

[@boomieboo]

I don't understand when someone says something is in the key of blank for 3 reasons: 1) What about all the modes like Lydian, Dorian, Mixolydian, etc? If a song is in a mode do they say the mode along with the key like C Lydian, C Dorian, etc.? Or do they just say the song is in C and it can include all the modes and you just have to figure it out? 2) What about the different chord variations like augmented, diminished, suspended, etc. chords? Can you not play these types of variation chords because they don't fit in the key if the chords include notes outside of the key or the song (chromatic notes)? For instance, if an augmented or diminished, etc. chord has a sharp or flat in it. But the notes of the key or scale of the song don't contain these sharps or flats, will the chord sound bad? Or you can still use these chords for the key of the song even if they include some chromatic notes? 3) What about when a song changes key during the song? So many songs change keys. And certain bands like the Beatles and Radiohead make key changes a normal part of their songs. So if a song changes keys why don't the musicians say this song is in the key of C then C minor, F then A#, etc? Why do they always only say the song is in the key of blank (naming one note/key) even if the song changes keys?

[@vblessystella]

Thanks! You beautifully laid this out for a layman like me. It was confusing to me when I tried to apply triads on other scale.. I couldn't work them same as C major scale. But, now it is clear! Thanks again.

[@PianoFromScratch]

No probs, glad it helped!

[@gerardmcgee6073]

Outstanding teacher skills so easy to follow and understand very passionate about your music and this clearly comes across to students like me thank you so much

[@ralphskelton5386]

Thanks for using a common sense approach to teaching. This is a method everyone can understand. It works.

[@PianoFromScratch]

Hope it’s useful for you

[@charlesdavis5817]

Thank you for helping the beginner and I love your technique continuous blessings Sir.

[@sewzkewl1]

Thank you for explaining this for a better understanding.

[@johnnydunstan7602]

Thanks so much !!diminished chords are great to play in Jazz

[@kjwong4730]

Best piano teacher on KZbin. I wish I could take lessons from you

[@PianoFromScratch]

Thanks, glad the channel is helpful for you!

[@ens4566]

Diatonic chords are very well explained in your video., now I understand it . Thank you very much.

[@aimforspace]

You're such a good teacher. Thank you ❤

[@catherineirenepearson2847]

this is a wonderful easy way to remember these cords, thank you so much, off to practise now !!!

[@sandrafogarty1073]

Very clearly explained and simplified, it's very helpful.

[@PianoFromScratch]

Great, glad it was!

[@goldenlamb777]

So clear now. Thanks 🙏

[@PianoFromScratch]

No probs!

[@elshisu]

Very clear for a total beginner like me, thanks, going to check your website.

[@chrissobottka3806]

Simple explanation, but so important for all music

[@tinmya1]

This is the best explanation of diatonic chords I have seen. Thank you SO MUCH!!!🙏

[@andycordy5190]

I don't know why I was expecting harmony. 🤭When I began to explore the F Major key chord as I progressed up the scale following your example I was surprised that when each chord was compared to the root note they mostly sounded incongruent. Climbing the scale in single nots the same is true, only certain intervals sound "nice".😄

[@darkunft]

lol, sick Star Wars ref to explain it :-). All those clicking sounds in my head. Amazing video

[@annettemarie2076]

Your way of explaining makes it very easy to understand. Thank you

[@PianoFromScratch]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kenroythomas7783]

Good, love how you explained it.

[@harshithaharidas1912]

I'm jus so wanting to learn to figure the chords out.. more power to you❤️

[@yukselkaraman3571]

Thank you very much for the very good lesson. Teşekkürler. Many greatings from Türkiye

[@anzatzi]

Hi. I cut and pasted your pdfs to make a personal reference in OneNote. Super helpful!

[@neverlow777]

Thank you for the video and pdf, wish you more followers 🤞

[@n-spired]

Great content. Just get a video from you recommended and you caught me immediately. Good job

[@signaltouch7413]

you are the best instructor thank you

[@martywarwick]

Very good explanation - and loved the Star Wars analogy!

[@BrianAndersonTT]

This is one theory topic that takes out the guesswork from practical songwriting.

[@Flat-Five]

That’s a great way of putting it

[@mervelynscott2012]

I love good music. Thanks for tutoring me.

[@calvinhobbes7504]

What a great channel!! I never had a lesson in my life, but I love piano, organ, synth, etc music. I have learned to play the "Ballad of Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater" - but only in the key of (I think) Bb.

[@larryhiigel1680]

I'm very impressed that you were able to work in a Star Wars reference.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Uh, after less than two weeks, this was a bit above my pay grade. But I wasn't lost, so I'll be back. Merci.

[@thedefibull9375]

The "Play one - skip one" rule may be confusing with the black keys. I would use : major : 0-4-3 and minor 0-3-4 (Root key is 0 then how many semi tone after)

[@johnborg5078]

Thanjs for your simple explenation

[@Adks007]

You are awesome as usual!!

[@ricky4214]

i've been trying to learn more about this subject, great video very clear, the first video i tried to watch on this subject started with the person slowly showing us how to write the word diatonic, i am not a young person with tiktok brain but it was a bit too slow for my taste

[@kristinamusik7414]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@ihopeyoulovemecuzellavyou1216]

Learned today how transpose works 🥺💓

[@chisler26]

Oh i get it now. That was so easy. Brilliant!👍🏻

[@elainrei7797]

Hello there! Do you have a video going over all the notes in each individual scale? I really wanna learn the major and minor scales. Thank you for everything you’ve done so far. Literally the best video ever and the best teacher and explainer.

[@KJMcLaws]

I wouldn't suggest going over the notes in each individual scale. You would want to practice it really well and get the idea and the spacing cemented in just one key and then when you transpose to another key all the rules you learned for spacing stay the same and you just change the names and the pitch of the notes but the basic rules behind the spacing stay the same. Cement the idea of how to build a major scale from a root note, then do the same for building a minor scale from a root note, learn how one minor is the same notes as in another major. (A minor is the same notes as C major). Then build chords off them using the spacing given in this video.

[@prateekbhardwaj9943]

watched 4 videos, its the simplest one ,thanks

[@NikosMiliotis]

Very well explained. Thanks!

[@PianoFromScratch]

Glad it was helpful!

[@squidy2522]

Very helpful video well explained thank you 👍🏻

[@davidgriffiths3425]

Thanks for this one in particular! I'm going to get it because of your clear and fluid style. Ace ;)

[@PianoFromScratch]

No probs!

[@annietaylor2465]

Super video. Very helpful.

[@tedklampett1737]

thanks for explaining it so clearly ! :)

[@doreenanang]

Very relevant. Thanks.

[@timajrobins]

Really great video again, thanks so much! The information you provide in relation to minor scales/keys is really interesting - seeing how the order of chords stays the same but sort of 'shifts along' (so you start with a minor then diminished chord) was a great insight. Really makes it clear that when looking at minor scales you don't have to re-learn everything, but can use existing knowledge and apply it in a different way. I know you said you'd do some practice videos, but I had a quick question - would you suggest getting chords of the key down for all major keys first, or practising the major scale chords, and then the relative minor alongside this? Maybe there's no hard and fast rule about that, but I'm wondering -- with the info you have provided here -- whether practising a major key and the relative minor as a pair can help with minor keys 'as you go along', instead of 'completing' all of the majors and then almost starting again with minors? Apologies for long comment, just very curious about this! Thanks so much!

[@PianoFromScratch]

Hi, like you say there’s no exact way to do it. With stuff like that I tend to just do things in the order they will most likely end up being useful, so perhaps do a few major keys, the ones beginning on white notes, then start tackling their relative minors. The practice video is up now but it’s more practical and just really covers a few major keys but you can apply the same tips to minors too

[@trollingisasport]

Super clear.

[@Bassbarbie]

Really useful, thank you! The minor scale chords were new to me. Now subscribed 🙂

[@PianoFromScratch]

Welcome aboard

[@anzatzi]

Good graphics throughout!

[@Original_Lurke_fromthe_Unknown]

Really cool. I’m an advanced player however I enjoy all these it’s like a review for me.

[@ojojoseph5397]

Thanks a lot. Very useful

[@kathiefleming2830]

Nice graphics and explanations

[@hold_me_close]

could u do a vid on Phrygian mode music composition? would like to know how music theory and piano could help me compose modern pop/rnb music, thank u!!!!

[@21stkenn89]

I learned a lot from this video. Thank you!

[@mariopioggiajr.8546]

Excellent advice

[@dohlecarnett1866]

Another great video. What would've been super helpful if we had a basic example of a (pop) song that works with this changing of chords. Any recommendation here which would be a great example where the player uses this way of dealing with chords?

[@PianoFromScratch]

Thanks, I'll bear that in mind when I talk about it again. A player uses this all the time, i am right now actually, I have a rehearsal tonight for the first gig since covid started and a bunch of the songs we don't play in the original key, so I have to figure out how to play them from the track and then change it to another key

[@glennmeader626]

Dohle: Investigate “chord progressions” mentioned in this video. The chord numbers are the way chord progressions are discussed. Pop songs typically have a pattern of a few numbered chords that repeat throughout the song. One is the I-V-vi-IV (1-5-6-4). Hundreds of pop songs are based on this progression.

[@dohlecarnett1866]

@@glennmeader626 Yeah, I noticed right now that I need to have another look

[@wantleywantley1299]

That was great, cleared everything up!

[@PianoFromScratch]

Glad it helped!

[@mukachisira]

This really helpful as a beginner

[@ahmedhmd2521]

Great explanation

[@victorymore9454]

I love it...In my 50s and am learning!

[@PianoFromScratch]

Good luck!

[@graju6537]

Thank you bro good explanation

[@dancassidy7471]

play one skip one lost me as my brain says wait he is playing one and skipping two. I am so slow a learner. One would never know that I play multiple instruments by ear and have done 1000s of gigs thru the years..as soon as I think about what I'm doing it all falls apart. Clearly you are doing a good job as noted by all the positive comments.

[@PianoFromScratch]

Yea totally get it can be visually confusing, but it’s so helpful once you get there. The trick is to be able to just see the scale you’re in, ignoring the notes that aren’t in it, and when that’s clear, then it’s easier to see how you’re playing every other note inside that scale shape

[@yudipitre5720]

Your amazing I am learning something I never understood 😌 ✨ 💕

[@PianoFromScratch]

Great, it's one of those things that when you use it enough, you see how helpful it is and it becomes clear once you get used to it

[@yudipitre5720]

@@PianoFromScratch I have understood things that's taking me 3 yrs with other teachers. You break it down you demonstrate it . Thank you Thank you. By the way the backing tracks are wonderful.

[@PianoFromScratch]

@@yudipitre5720 Great it helps, I just use my experience of teaching people in real life and knowing questions they ask or things they get confused about and then explain those aspects in the videos as best I can to make everything clear

[@rashidbayg7641]

Amazing teacher

[@Garomation]

Very helpful, thank you.

[@PianoFromScratch]

No probs, glad it was useful

[@ronfrey5327]

excellent lesson.. im completely exhuasted and sat down saw this in feed and though theory is always beneficial watch and learn so I did and enjoyed the approach to teaching it. I am from Texas but I was speaking in accent MINOR DIMINISHED MAJOR MINOR MINOR MAJOR MAJOR But in the same reflection as your accent and I find it beneficial in learning MINOR keys Mina Diminished Ma jaaaaa Minaa Minna MAJAAA MAJAAA if I say it how I would It does not sink in. But if I remember how you said it and try to answer in the same dialect it sticks. So Ne ow when I star T get worried about Me Minor keys no worries at all Because ya just bump the last two over in Majaaa key to find ya MIIIIIIIIIna its a bloody epiphany .. aaaaaaooooooooooo its so simple is it ?? it is proooove it then step aside then ill do it ooooooooo hes gonna show us all minor go right ahead MINA DIMINISHED MAJAA. MINNA MINNA MAJAA MAJJA MINNA AWE FAWK ME HE DID IT HES LEARNED THE MINAA SCALE HAS HE GOOD ON HIM THEN NOW HOW BOUT SHOWING US 7TH CHORDS AND INVERSIONS. ILL JUST HAVE TO COME BACK NEXT TIME I WILL .. ME BRAIN HURTS NEAU GO ON YA SOD LEAVE ME BE.. THERE THERE ITS JUST MUSIC BOY MINAA DIMINSHED MAJAAA MINAA MINAA MAJAA MAJAA MINOR HES CLEARLY MAD RAMBLING ON ABOUT MAJAA MAJAAA SAD YA THINK HIS TOUCHED ?? TOUCHED YA SAY?? YEA KNEAU. TOUCHED IN THE HEAD OH DEAR COULD BE MAYBE HE WAS IN THE WAR......

[@tonyhomfray]

Another great video, cheers dude!

[@PianoFromScratch]

No probs, hope it was useful!

[@Original_Lurke_fromthe_Unknown]

I’m an advanced player. But I enjoy these easy videos.

[@Devi.KrishnaK]

Wanted to thank you for a great vid. Helped a lot. I've been trying to get going in both soft soft and didn't get very far. TNice tutorials vid helped a

[@sumanraghuvanshi7458]

Nice tutorial.

[@80sGameGuy]

The reference to Star Wars was very helpful when you shifted to the A minor key from C major, I hadn’t thought about it that way. Do you think it is helpful to try to ‘convert’ pieces like Imperial March to a Major key to see how they sound?

[@PianoFromScratch]

Nothing wrong with trying that, you will learn be trying to do stuff like that for yourself

[@alberttaye2370]

Brilliant!👍