Have you ever heard a song on the radio and felt the immediate urge to play it on the piano?
Whether the song gave you a peaceful, easy feeling or was a party anthem, being able to play something you love is arguably one of the best benefits of learning an instrument!
And learning to play by ear is a great way to hone your musical creativity.
Although there are any number of places where you can easily access the sheet music for basically any song ever written, there's something incredibly satisfying about figuring it out yourself.
Sometimes, learning a written piece of music can take away from the simple experience of playing something you love.
Luckily for you (and me!), most well-known songs follow the same basic chord progression. Learn this chord progression; you can play (almost) any song ever written!
But before we dive into the chords, let's explore a few basic music theory concepts.
I promise to keep it VERY brief because I'm sure you can't wait to impress your friends and family with your new-found musical improv skills!
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The Backbone of Your Favorite Songs
Chords
When you break it down, all of the famous songs you hear on the radio have two basic components: melody (the part you can't stop singing in your head) and harmony (all the rest of the music you hear that supports the melody).
Broadly speaking, the melody and harmony fit together to form chords.
The easiest way to understand chords is to think of them as a collection of notes that sound good together.
There are always exceptions to the rule (especially in jazz!), but most chords are built on a foundation of 3 notes.
The chord's name is the first note, and the remaining two are generally a third and a fifth away from the first.
For example, an A chord would contain an A, a C#, and an E.
And a C chord would be comprised of C, E, and G.
Major and Minor
Chords can have different qualities, meaning they sound slightly different based on the individual notes they contain.
Many people think a major chord sounds "happy," while minor chords sound "sad."
Chords can be built on a major or minor interval, giving you the "happy" or "sad" feeling.
For example, an A major chord is built on an A and C#, a major third.
If you built the chord on an A and a C, the chord would transform into a minor chord.
The same goes for the C chord.
Combine a C, E, and G for the major.
Taking the middle note down a half step (C, E-flat, and G) results in the C minor chord.
Although the popular songs you hear on the radio have a decidedly "happy" or "sad" sound, they are generally a mix of major and minor chords.
Chord Progressions
In Western music, songs are built up of a series of repeating chords.
And the majority of pop songs have the same simple chords, repeated over and over again.
The chord progressions used most often in popular music are built on the major scale and are chords I, V, vi, and IV.
For example, in the key of C major, those chords would be C (the first tone), G (the fifth tone), a minor (the sixth tone), and F (the fourth tone).
You can play those chord tones in any key signature; however, the chords would contain different notes depending on the key signature.
If you played this chord progression in the key of G, the chords would be G (the first tone), D (the fifth tone), e minor (the sixth tone), and C (the fourth tone).
Roman numerals indicate basic chords from any given key signature in music notation.
Capitalized Roman numerals indicate a major chord, while lowercase ones indicate a minor chord.
Key Signatures
Music may be written in different key signatures depending on the singer's vocal range.
Key signatures may also be adjusted to make it easier for the band, as lots of flats or sharps can be challenging to play.
The chords within the standard chord progression would change based on the key signature.
Chord names are based on the individual tones within a scale.
Starting with the first tone in the scale (and the name of the key signature), each subsequent tone represents a number.
Follow the notes up the scale, and you will find the correct chord for any given key signature.
Sticking with our most common progression found in pop music: I, V, vi, and IV, the chords in several common key signatures would be:
C Major: C, G, a minor, F
F Major: F, C, d minor, B-flat
G Major: G, D, e minor, C
A Major: A, E, f-sharp minor, D
B Major: B, F-sharp, g-sharp minor, E
You can play any song in any key signature if you know the chord progressions.
Songs Featuring the Most Popular Chord Progression of all Time
Now it's time for the fun part ... playing music!
This list is only a tiny sampling of all the songs based on the I, V, vi, and IV chord progression.
But if you listen closely enough, you'll quickly be able to identify others.
- Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver)
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Elton John)
- Torn (Natalie Imbruglia)
- Wannabe (Spice Girls)
- Right Here Waiting (Richard Marx)
- Save Tonight (Eagle Eye Cherry)
- Complicated (Avril Lavigne)
- Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)
- I Remember Everything (Zach Bryan)
- White Horse (Chris Stapleton)
- No One (Alicia Keys)
- Shivers (Ed Sheeran)
- Hey Soul Sister (Train)
Tips for Success
If you've been playing piano by reading music, switching to playing music based on a handful of chords can take some practice.
But even beginner pianists can learn to play a recognizable version of these songs relatively quickly.
Keep it Simple
Keep it as simple as possible when you're first starting out with playing songs based on chords.
In general, the left hand plays the harmony of the song; this is the part that supports the melody.
The easiest way to start is with 5th chords.
For example, in the key of C, start by playing a C chord consisting of a C and the note a 5th about the C, which would be a G.
After playing the C and G fifth, play a G and the note a fifth above it, which would be a D.
This note combination represents the V in the chord progression.
You would then play an A and an E, making up the vi in the progression.
Lastly, play an F and a C to finish up the progression with the IV chord.
Once you can quickly move between the chords, add your middle finger to form the 3rd note of the chord.
Sticking with our example of the progression in the key of C major:
I: C, E, G
V: G, B, D
vi: A, C, E
IV: F, A, C
Root Position vs. Inversions
You might hear the terms "root position" and "inversions."
Root position simply means playing the chord with the name of the chord forming the bottom note and the others stacked on top.
For example, playing a C chord in the root position would mean playing the C with your left hand pinky, the E with your middle finger, and the G with your thumb.
Playing chords in root positions is always right, but sometimes, transitioning between chords in root positions can be awkward.
Adding inversions eases the line and makes it more interesting.
Inverting a chord means that a note other than the root note would be on the very bottom of the chord.
Sticking with the C major chord example, inverting the chord would mean playing a G with the pinky, C with the middle finger, and E with the thumb of the left hand.
You can also play the E on the bottom with the G and C stacked on top.
Practice playing chords in both root position and inversions to build muscle memory and to make it easier to play from a chord chart versus written music.
It's easiest to start practicing chords in major keys and then move to playing minor keys.
Need More Help with Chords?
Playing music based on chords instead of music that has been completely written out can be confusing!
If all this talk of I and V chords, roots and inverting has you confused, don't worry.
There are a ton of resources out there to help.
If you are a visual person, check out this colored chord chart. It's easy to hang up by your piano and is a handy reference when you're learning chords.
And if you're more of a book person, this book called Playing Piano with Chords: Tunes, Chords, and Techniques in all Styles is a really helpful resource.
Lastly, if you're confused by key signatures as well, this book is incredibly useful to have on your shelf.
What About the Melody?
If you really want to improve your ear, the best way is to spend time listening to and then playing back music.
Start simple.
If there's a great song on the radio, start with the melody.
Listen carefully and try to figure out which note the melody starts with.
The next step is to figure out the following note.
Continue until you have worked out the entire melody.
Once you have the melody figured out, you can use your simple chord progressions with the left hand.
Some of the best songs to learn this way are the ones that use the I, V, vi, and IV chord progression repeatedly throughout the song.
Not all songs use the chord progression as faithfully throughout the song as others.
But some, including "Save Tonight" and "Right Here Waiting," are essentially the chord progression over and over and over.
Other songs have the chord progression scattered occasionally but are also based on other chords.
It's Your Turn
Learning to play music by ear takes time and practice.
But it's a skill that can help round out your overall musicianship and make you a better pianist.
Hearing and playing something back on the keyboard is also incredibly rewarding!
Even if you love classical, pushing yourself in other realms is always good.
And developing a good ear can help with memorization, sight reading, and other aspects of playing the instrument.
Plus, it's fun to learn to play your favorite Taylor Swift or Bruno Mars song on the piano!
I hope you've found this post useful and spend some time putting it into practice.
If you love this post, check out my other posts geared toward motivating you in the practice room and in life.
And until next time, happy practicing!
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