playing chords

K

Karel Lootens

New member
hello,

I've bought the DGX-300 last monday and i'm having a great time with it!
I've never had any piano or keyboard classes, and now I am venturing into chords... the DGX does show WHERE to find the chords, but i'm quite puzzeled at HOW on earth I am going to play them...
it's probably still a bit out of my league and i'm going to try the basic chords first, but I have tried some of the more exotic ones and can't seem to figure out which finger goes where!? I'm talking about chords with 5 fingers (is that quints?) it feels like I'm playing Twister with my hand :)

Are there any tutorials out there that show how to play these?

thanks in advance,
Karel
 
You would do well to start with basic triads (3 note chords - root, 3rd & 5th) with the right hand (including inversios) and practise adding a bass note with the left.

While things like 7th and 9th chords do get into the 4 & 5 note range, it is rare to play all five notes with one hand - it is normally a combination of notes using both hands.

There are numerous books, videos, etc. that show chords positions you would likely do better to find a teacher to show you some theory and some proper hand positions.
 
if you want to be able to survive as a rock organist/keyboardist, i'd recommend knowing your basic triads with their respective inversions and major/minor (w. harmonic and melodic minor) scales. blues scales would also be helpful.

knowing your scales will help you play the "weirder" chords because you'll know which notes "make sense" in the key you're playing in.
 
You might do best to find a beginners book. Which will give you good tips on posturing your hands, and stretching exercises. Here is a good online resource with lots of tutorials http://www.8notes.com/piano/ scroll down to Free Piano Lessons and click the Beginners course, which has about 50 interactive tutorials (PLus there are more available once you get them done and, go to the home page for TONS more good resources).

Personal Tips: I do play twister a lot, and 2 things to keep in mind, you may need to cross your arms when doing rapid progressions, and practice placing unused fingers on already depressed keys to relief the fingers that were just previously playing them, so that your hand will be more relaxed for your next transition (this is more of a classical technique, and is more suited to slower pieces, at least until you get it mastered). Also try playing without looking. A good pianist can rip through even the toughest of pieces soley on feel alone, and will definitely increase your confidence in your hands (Think Ray Charles here). Isometric finger excercises are a plus, as are stretching your fingers to there extreme side-to-side limits (Which will be a BIG plus when it comes to play those big 4-5 note chords, especially when there is more than a 1 octave spread).

Finally for true Piano work, keep your arms and hand almost completely parallel with the keyboard, this will minimize wrist fatigue, and the Dreaded Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. Obviously this is good advice know matter how you play, but in some cases can't be avoided (Most common when dealing with say, triple tier keyboard stands), but if you have good limber, strong wrists initially then all the better, and you can always compromise playing off-parallel with shoulder techniques (I won't go there now, buy the time you need that, you'll be able to figure it out). Hope at least some of this helps.
 
...most importantly, if you've just finished a gig and your fingers aren't bloody then you haven't tried hard enough and failed as a keyboardist. hahaha..
 
start with the key of C which is all the white keys. with your left hand pinky press a key. then the middle finger skip one white key press the next key then pointing finger skip another white key and press the next key then skip two white keys and press it with your thumb. notice the patern. keep this patern and shift the your fingers up or down staying on the white keys. you can ommit the middle key if you want (middle finger). Play these around the middle of the keyboard cause playing low frequency chord dont sound all that great. these are simple cords. And with your right hand you play leads or the rest of the 9ths or 11th cords. This is just to start you off on chords. even two keys can be a chord
 
thanks

thanks a lot people.

great links, I've learned a great deal already.

Like I said, I I thought those voiced chords were "a bit" over my current league to start with.
I'm going to get confident doing intervals first, moving on to triads and inversions when I've found my way through the keyboard.

Guess the same holds for everything... unless you're at the top already it's always very difficult to get on the highest step of the ladder without using the lower ones :)

Cheers,
Karel
 
I have the Piano Chord Encyclopedia i got from Guitar Center, thing is awesome it tells u all about triads and then some, and gives you a picture for every chord there is, so convenient
 
rweiss said:
I have the Piano Chord Encyclopedia i got from Guitar Center, thing is awesome it tells u all about triads and then some, and gives you a picture for every chord there is, so convenient
Click to expand...
Ditto, great book. Had mine for about 10 years, good stuff. Also Guitar Grimoire series is good for really off-the-wall scales and chords, and very easy to convert to piano.
 
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