How Many Chords Are There, Anyway?

Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of the three most vital elements of music ? the others being melody and rhythm ? it would be useful to know how many chords there are. And it doesn't matter whether you play piano or guitar or some other instrument ? chords are chords.

It's certainly not necessary to learn all the chords in the whole wide world, but it is necessary to learn some of them ? at least enough to allow you to harmonize the songs you would like to play.

But meanwhile, there are 3 chords -- just 3 -- that you absolutely, positively have to know. If you don't know these three, there's hardly a song in the whole world that you could play. But by knowing just 3 chords, you can play hundreds, if not thousands of songs! And those chords are simply the primary chords in any given key:

·The I chord (the chord built on the 1st degree of the scale)

·The IV chord (the chord built on the 4th degree of the scale)

·The V chord (the chord built on the 5th degree of the scale)

For example, if you were playing in the Key of C, the I chord would be C (c, e, g), the IV chord would be F (f, a, c), and the V chord would be G (g, b, d).

But as you probably know, there are thousands of other chords, so it would be helpful to at least know of their existence and maybe someday learn them.

So here goes:

Since there are 12 major keys one can play in (not counting enharmonic keys ? keys that sound the same but are written differently), there are:

*12 major triads (a triad is a 3 note chord)

*12 minor triads

*12 diminished triads

*12 augmented triads

*12 diminished 7th chords (4 note chords)

*12 major 6th chords

*12 minor 6th chords

*12 dominant 7th chords

*12 major 7th chords

*12 minor 7th chords

*12 half-diminished chords

*12 9th chords

*12 flat 9th chords

*12 9th/major 7th chords

*12 9th/minor 7th chords

*12 11th chords

*12 13th chords

*12 suspensions

*12 flat 5th chords

*12 flat 5th maj 7th chords

If that's not enough chords for you, remember that each chord can be inverted ? turned upside down. So multiply all the triad chords by 3, and all the 4 note chords by 4, and all the 5 note chords by 5?.

Then there are:

· poly-chords ? chords that combine two or more other chords, and

· voicings ? the way chords are positioned on the piano keyboard

And that's just in one octave. A standard piano has 7 octaves, so multiply all that by 7 and you get the answer to how many chords there really are:

More than you can count.

But again, you don't need to know them all. Just master enough so that you can play the songs you want to play, then gradually over time learn more and more chords. Your musical world will continue to grow and maturity as a musician will become obvious to others.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music courses for adults. His low-cost CD ROM software titled "Duane Shinn's Instant Piano Chord Finder Chart!" is used by musicians around the world. He is also the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 60,000 current subscribers.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


New Age Piano Playing and the Sustain Pedal

There are 3 pedals on most pianos. The one on... Read More

JOHN LENNON - The Man and His Times

John Lennon wasn't always my favorite Beatle; at first it... Read More

Learn To Play The Piano Better By Learning To Arrange Chords & Chord Progressions

Piano arranging is the process by which you take a... Read More

Establishing Your Mix

Now that you've spent hours and days and weeks and... Read More

Buying A Guitar - Do You Know What To Look For?

Buying a guitar is an important decision that my students... Read More

Are iPods Changing the Way We Listen to Music

They're everywhere, and not only are they everywhere, they look... Read More

The Three 8 Mile Battles

Three battles at the end of the 8 Mile movie... Read More

Living Life Loud

Change is good. Just ask the millions of unsigned artists... Read More

New M3 with Competition Package

The new competition package available for the BMW M3 is... Read More

Songs Await Singer

I Want To Grow Old With You (C)Chorus: I want... Read More

The Top 10 Reasons Why You Suck At Playing Guitar

You don't 'need' to play guitar enough.If you desire to... Read More

Self-Expression Without Criticism

When I was 9 years old I played the Saxophone... Read More

How to be Creative at the Piano

So you want to be more creative when playing piano.... Read More

Guitar Humidification

Problems with humidity can lead to heartbreak for the classical... Read More

Setting Up In-House Retail Sales

Now, that you are familiar and likely connected with online... Read More

Piano Playing and Performance Anxiety

I'll never forget the first time I played the piano... Read More

Improvising On The Piano: Jazz Musicians Do It -- Why Not Other Styles?

Why jazz piano improvisation?Why not gospel piano improvisation?Is it not... Read More

The Record Industry Continues Battle Against Free Music Downloads

Movie and record producers alike are saying file-sharing networks that... Read More

12 Reasons You Should Learn to Play the Piano

All right, folks, here you go: My 12 reasons why... Read More

How To Make Money On A Music Website Through Pay-Per-Click?

Interested in making money while you're asleep, or making money... Read More

Play Piano As Fast As Possible!

One of the rules of practicing we all hear over... Read More

Piano Teachers - Whats Wrong with Them?

Most of us like to use what we learn right... Read More

Guitar Performance - Make The Most of It!

Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be... Read More

How the Internet Helps Musicians

Everyone talks about the negative impact of the Internet on... Read More

Legal Free Music Downloads - Songs You Want at No Cost

It's all over the news these days. Download music from... Read More

Bang on Your Drum All Day Long - Without Annoying Your Neighbors!

Bang! Bam! Bang! Have you always wanted to play the... Read More

Music & Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person?

How many times have you turned to music to uplift... Read More

Shopping For Your First Drum Set

Your first drum set purchase is very exciting! You have... Read More

Discover The Perfect Place To Perform

Once you know what your Unique Selling Proposition is as... Read More

The British Invasion

The Kasabian concert at the Kool Haus seemed like a... Read More

Modal Theory for Guitar Players - Part 1

IntroductionThe fact that you are holding this in your hands... Read More

How to Construct Chords and Improvise

How To Construct Basic Chords on the PianoThe easiest way... Read More

Dont Censor the Music and Artistic Expression

Ann Powers said: "Don't censor the music and artistic... Read More