Chords form the foundation for every song you learn, so knowledge of the basic three-note chord is critical to learning the piano. In order to participate fully in this lesson on basic piano chords, you'll want a keyboard handy. Before you can master chords, you'll need to know scales . A chord is a combination of three or more musical tones sounded simultaneously.
Major chords have a distinctive sound.
They're happy, bright and solid sounding. A minor chord is a sadder, tighter, more constrictive chord. It sounds a little melancholy. The simplest of chords typically played on the piano is the basic triad. Because there are 12 half steps on a piano before notes start repeating, there are 12 major chords.