Learning your root position major chords can seem like a lot of information to memorize at first. Having a chart like this that has all of the information in one place will make it easier for you to memorize. Take one chord a week and in twelve weeks you will have all of your major chords memorized. If you memorize one page per week you will have all twelve of your major chords memorized in three weeks!
What does “piano root position major chords” mean? Root position means that the lowest note of your chord is the root of the chord. For example if you are playing a C major chord, C would be the root. So the lowest note you would be playing is C. The next note would be the third, a major third to be exact. A major third is 2 whole steps from the root. The next note in our chord would be the fifth, a perfect fifth to be exact. The fifth would be 1 1/2 whole steps from the third, or 3 1/2 whole steps from the root. So the notes in a C major chord would be C – E – G.
If you are unsure how your intervals work check out this great tutorial on intervals.
Here is a recap of how the intervals work in your major chord
- Root to Major 3rd = two whole steps (ex. C to E, F to A, G to B, etc)
- Root to Perfect 5th = three and one half whole steps (ex. C to G, F to C, G to D, etc)
- Major 3rd to Perfect 5th = one and one half steps (ex. E to G, A to C, B to D, etc)
You don’t need to memorize the whole and half steps to learn your chords, but it certainly is helpful.
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