Left Hand Chords
So far all of the chords you have played have involved only one or two fingers of your left hand. This is because the keyboard is programmed to automatically provide all of the notes of the chord when the correct keys are pressed down. However, chords usually contain at least three notes.
If you intend to play the piano or become a competent musician on the keyboard you will need to know how to play full chords with your left hand. This means you will need to know how to read bass clef as well as treble clef. The bass clef and bass staff are shown in the following diagrams.
Bass Clef
This symbol is called a bass clef.
Bass Staff
A staff with a bass clef written on it is called a bass staff.
Notes on the Bass Staff
The Grand Staff
For the melody and accompaniment style of keyboard playing used in this book, the melody (played by the right hand) is written on the treble staff and the chords (played by the left hand) can be written on the bass staff. In piano music and most sheet music, the treble and bass staves are bracketed together to create what is known as a grand staff. The grand staff is shown here.
To play fingered chords you will have to select the correct setting on your keyboard.
- For Type 1 Keyboards (e.g., Yamaha), find the auto bass chord section and select the fingered position.
- For Type 2 Keyboards (e.g., Casio) find the Casio-chord section and select the fingered position.
- For Type 3 Keyboards (e.g., Roland and Kawai), find the chord intelligence button and select the off position.
The first two chords presented here are C and G7. These chords were introduced as one and two finger chords in Lesson 2. They are shown here with the full left hand fingerings. Notice the use of the bass staff to write the notes of the chords. The C note in this chord is one octave below middle C.
The C Chord
The C chord contains three notes: C, E and G. To play the C chord use the first, third and fifth fingers of your left hand, as shown in the C chord diagram.
The G7 Chord
The G7 chord contains a new note - the B next to the C below Middle C. Play the B with the fifth finger of your left hand, and use your first and second fingers to play the G and F notes, as shown in the G7 chord diagram.
Changing Chords
Practice changing between the C and G7 chords. As both these chords contain the same G note, changing between them is quite easy because the thumb stays in the same position. It is important to always use the correct fingering when playing notes and chords.
The following exercise is a new version of the Austrian Waltz which you learned in Lesson 4. It is in the key of C major and uses the chords C and G7.
When you are playing full chords you will need to determine the length of time they sound by the way you play instead of automatically holding the shape down until the next chord change. Notice the use of rests in this song. This means you will need to lift your fingers off the keys with both hands to stop the chord sounding as well as the melody note.
The next chord you will learn to play is the F chord. To play the F chord, use the first, second and fifth fingers of your left hand, as shown in the F chord diagram. The F chord introduces the note A below middle C.
The F Chord
When changing between the C and F chords keep your fifth finger in position as this note is common to both chords. When changing between the F and G7 chords keep your second finger in position as this note is common to both chords. Practice changing between C, F and G7.
When the Saints Go Marchin’ In was introduced in Lesson 3. Here is a new version which uses full chords in the left hand part. It contains the chords C, F and G7. Once you are comfortable with these chords, go back through the book and play some of the other songs you know using full chords instead of the one and two finger versions.
Root Position Chords
There is always more than one way to play any chord on the keyboard. As long as the correct notes are contained within the chord, it is possible to arrange these notes in any order. The different arrangements of the notes are called inversions. The name note of the chord is called the root note, e.g., the root note of a C chord is C, the root note of a G7 chord is G, etc.
When the root note is the lowest note of the chord shape (fingering), the chord is said to be in root position. The C chord shape you learned earlier in this lesson was in root position. Here are the chords F and G shown in root position. The fifth, third and first fingers of the left hand are used for both chords.
F Chord Root Position
G Chord Root Position
The following exercise contains the chords C, F and G in root position. Because all of the chords are played with the first, third and fifth fingers of the left hand, a complete shift of position is required each time the chords change. This is easier once you realise that all three chords are the same chord shape moved up and down the keyboard. Practice the left hand by itself at first if necessary.
Here is a 12 Bar Blues that makes use of the root position chords you have just learned, along with the G7 chord from earlier in the lesson. The chords are played as eighth notes, which may take some practice before you are comfortable with it.
Eighth note left hand parts are common in styles such as Rock, Blues and Funk. The melody played by the right hand is all in one hand position, so all the notes will be right under your fingers. Notice the use of ties to create syncopated rhythms in this example.
