Chord progressions – this topic is interesting for anyone who wants to accompany themselves on the piano.
But how can you remember them? How much playing technique do you need to accompany yourself? And what does “transposing” mean?
Chord progressions
I’d like to start with two questions about chord progressions:
- Why do chords exist?
- Why is it important to learn, understand and be able to play them?
In Western culture, every kind of music has a harmonic framework. Harmony and chords mean the same thing here. I can write chords down on the staff. When notes are stacked on top of each other on the staff, they form a chord. And these chords can be named precisely. This is done especially in pop and jazz. Once you can name the chords, you can also build and vary them yourself.
Playing the piano from sheet music – or really understanding it
If you don’t have this understanding of chords, you’ll always depend on reading notes and therefore on piano sheet music. You simply play what you see on the page. That’s not a bad thing in itself. It’s just that the deeper understanding behind it is missing, and that’s a bit of a shame, because it limits your playing. But don’t worry, this is something you can learn very well with lessons. As soon as you really understand which chords you’re actually playing and how your piece is structured, you can get truly creative and improvise. You’re then no longer dependent on your sheet music. It’s enough to know the chords by heart.
A short introduction
The Zapiano® Method means that there is always a balance between:
- creativity and structure;
- rhythm, melody and harmony; and
- all the senses.
We simplify the learning steps so that you can understand and internalize what you learn. That way, you no longer have to stop and think while you’re playing. Your brain is no longer busy with all the micro-information. And if you’re now thinking, “How am I supposed to remember all this?” – don’t worry. It’s easier than you think. Just practice for 5 to 10 minutes a day. That’s enough. And you’ll quickly notice that you’re making progress.
Diatonic chords
If you play a C major chord (C, E, G) and move your hand up note by note in this root position, new chords are formed. These diatonic chords – the chords on the degrees of the scale – therefore belong to one chord family. If you start in a minor key, the first degree accordingly holds a minor triad – for example the B-flat minor chord (Bb, Db, F).
These diatonic chords give rise to typical chord progressions, which in harmony theory are also called cadences (you’ll find more context in our article on this). You can hear it, too. Just try it out. And every song then has its own specific chord progression. You should know it by heart. That’s the most important thing of all.
Memorizing and transposing chord progressions
So now you have a chord progression. Take a close look at it and try to memorize it. That may be a bit harder at first, but it gets easier every time. If you want to transpose, you can also add Roman numerals. The degrees stay the same – only the notes change. Anyone transposing to Bb minor needs to have the Bb minor scale with its five flats securely in their fingers.
Here’s an example: in C major, the chord progression C – Am – F – G corresponds to the degrees I – VI – IV – V. In G major, the same degrees give you G – Em – C – D.
Chord progressions make music easier
A great example is this YouTube video: three comedians play lots of different songs based on just four chords. It shows you that a great deal of music is built on this chord family, even though we don’t consciously notice it. This example is simply meant to show you how simple music can be once you’ve understood the basic principles.