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Piano chords for beginners: the 8 you need first
Eight chords, C to A, all built from the same simple shape: skip a key, play a key. Learn them with the right hand first, then add the root in the left hand.
Learn them in this order
All eight chords use the same hand shape, so the order follows the keys: the three major chords of C major first, then their minor relatives, then two chords with a black key.
- C — three white keys: skip one, play one. Thumb, middle finger, little finger.
- G — the same shape moved up to G; together with C it ends half the songs ever written.
- F — the same shape starting on F, right under the C chord. Keep your hand in one place.
- Am — all white keys again: A, C, E. Your first minor chord, the relative minor of C.
- Em — E, G, B: move Am two keys up. A softer replacement for G in many songs.
- Dm — D, F, A: the minor chord between C and F. Great before G.
- D — your first black key: the middle note is F♯. Same hand shape, the middle finger moves to the black key.
- A — again one black key in the middle (C♯). With D you can play in the keys of G and D.
The changes to practise
Move between these chords without looking at your hand. Keep the fingers that stay on the same key, and move the others the shortest way.
C to F: the thumb stays on C; the other two fingers move up one and two keys.
C to G: play G as B–D–G (1st inversion): G stays, the other two fingers slide down one key.
Am to F: play F as A–C–F (1st inversion): A and C stay, only the top finger moves from E to F.
F to G: the whole hand moves one key up. Keep the shape frozen.
Am to Em: E is shared; the others move by one or two keys.
Dm to G: the ii–V move of every jazz tune, here with plain triads.
A two-week plan
Ten to fifteen minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday. Use the metronome at a slow tempo and only speed up when the changes are clean.
- Days 1–2: C with the right hand, 1-3-5. Play it, lift, play again, without looking.
- Days 3–4: add G and F. Loop C–F–G–C with four beats each at 60 BPM.
- Days 5–6: add Am. Play C–Am–F–G, the four chords of countless pop songs.
- Days 7–8: add Em and Dm. Now you have all six chords of the key of C major.
- Days 9–10: learn the 1st and 2nd inversions of C, F and G, so the hand barely moves.
- Days 11–12: add D and A with their black keys. Loop G–D–Am–F.
- Days 13–14: add the left hand: the root an octave lower, on beat 1, while the right hand holds the chord.
Common mistakes
- Flat fingers. Curve them as if holding a ball; play with the fingertips.
- Looking at the hand for every chord. Feel the black keys as landmarks instead.
- Stiff wrist. Drop into the keys from a loose wrist and let the arm weight do the work.
- Always using root position. Inversions make C–F–G almost effortless.
- Uneven chords: one key louder than the others. Press all three keys at exactly the same moment.
What next?
Next, learn the seventh chords (G7, Cmaj7, Am7) and the inversions of every chord you know. The printable chart puts the common chords of all 12 roots on one sheet.