Which chords go together?
In this article, you’ll discover which chords always go together, which triads will make you a piano genius, and how to perfect your piano playing with chords.
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Gordon November
Gordon November
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88 keys that mean the world. And almost endless combination possibilities. For example, in the form of chords.
How great would it be if you could play any chord – and also know which chords go really well together. So well that each of your songs – whether interpreted or self-composed – sounds mega good. That would be dreamy, right?
Stop dreaming. What you wish for becomes reality today. Because in this article you will learn how chords work and which chords and chord progressions always go together.
Don’t worry: Even if you are an absolute piano beginner – here you will learn everything from scratch. And if that’s not enough for you, check out piano.university. Here, a different kind of piano course awaits you. The Masterclass Intuition. In this course you will learn to play any of your favorite songs freely and without sheet music. And of course, always with the right chords.
But now first to the topic “Which chords go together?”
By the way: It’s worth persevering. A special surprise awaits you at the end of this article.
Well then, off into the world of chords.
Which chords go together?
The question of all questions. And the answer is so simple.
All diatonic triads go together.
Now you’re probably asking yourself: What are diatonic triads? There’s really no shame in that. How are you supposed to know? You can get a first overview of the topic in my
You don’t necessarily have to read the article on harmony theory. I’d be happy to show you here and now what diatonic triads are. Directly on the piano. Ideally, you’ll join in. How? Simply sit in front of your keyboard instrument and follow me. Ready? Then let’s get started!
Exercise to join in: Play the C major scale
Let’s play the C major scale upwards once. We play
C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C
If the key names don’t mean anything to you, here is an illustration of the scale on the keyboard:
The C major scale consists of seven different notes. The eighth note corresponds to the first note again. Only one octave higher.
You can now build a chord on top of each of these scale tones. You do this by placing two thirds above each of the scale tones.
A third is an interval that spans three or four semitones. An example: C and E form a third.
If you now play the C major scale upwards with your self-built chords, then these are diatonic triads.
The stars of the diatonic triads make you a piano genius
Attention. Now there is some music theory. But everything is very relaxed. You will now get to know the stars among the diatonic triads. The tonic. The subdominant. And the dominant.
These chords always go together and appear in almost every song in their key. But how do you determine them?
It’s super easy. Let’s stay in the key of C major for this.
Which Chords Go Together: Tonic, Subdominant and Dominant
The tonic always starts on the root of its key. We build two thirds on top of that. We already have the tonic.
In C major, the tonic therefore consists of the notes C – E – G
The subdominant always has its root on the fourth note of its key. Here, too, we build two thirds on top again.
In the case of C major, the subdominant therefore consists of the notes F – A – C
The dominant lies directly above the subdominant. It always has its root on the fifth note of its scale.
The dominant of C major therefore consists of the notes G – H – D
Do you know what the best thing is? Dominant, subdominant and tonic always go together within a key. So they make it possible for you to simply make music off the cuff. And to let your intuition run free.
If you can’t get enough of that, be sure to check out piano.university. There you will find my course on intuitive piano playing. What you learn there will greatly advance your piano playing. Plus: We go into depth on the topic of chords. You will learn how major chords and minor chords are structured. How to play your favorite songs by ear. And how to make music according to your taste. Plus: The course is equally suitable for beginners and advanced players.
Play Piano by Intuition
How to perfect your piano playing with inversions
Diatonic chords go together. You know that now. Now you get another valuable piece of information. With this tip you make your songs even more varied and sonorous.
Bring variation into your songs through inversions.
The inversion is an elegant way to bring variety into your songs. And it’s super easy.
For an inversion, you simply put the lowest note of your chord on top.
In the case of C major, the C simply moves over the E and the G. You then play
E – G – C
That would be the first inversion. But there is also the second inversion. For this you put the lowest note on top again and play:
G – C – E
If you connect the tonic, dominant and subdominant and their inversions with each other, you can already compose really nicely. No joke. It’s best to stop reading briefly at this point and take a few minutes to let off steam with the diatonic triads of the C major scale and their inversions. You will notice: it all sounds fantastic
Well, did you survive the break well? Then I would now like to tell you a few – attention pun – bars about the minor chords.
Major Chord vs. Minor Chord
If you are already a pro when it comes to major scales with their subdominants, dominants and inversions, then you should also get to know the minor scales.
Let’s take a look at the A minor scale. This one – just like C major – gets by without any black keys.
A – H – C – D – E – F – G – A
You can find the diatonic minor triads as in major. They each have their root on a note of the respective minor scale. Two thirds are built on top of that.
The principle is exactly the same as with the major chords. Here, too, you can connect the diatonic triads with each other. And use the dominant and subdominant for your compositions. The inversions also work according to the same principle as with the major scales.
Tip: Use minor chords in songs with which you want to spread a particularly sad or melancholic mood. Minor chords are full of tonal pain. Take advantage of that.
What you can do now - and could still learn
In this article, you have learned which chords always go together. They are the diatonic triads. And you know how to form them. By visualizing the respective scale and then building two thirds over the individual roots. Wonderfully simple. And yet super ingenious.
With this knowledge you can now compose your own songs. Even as an absolute newbie on the piano.
Important: Ideally, always stay in the respective key. If you combine chords from C major with the chords from D flat major, it doesn’t sound nice at all. Which does not mean that all your songs may only be in one key. Feel free to change through the keys and check what sounds good together. Feel free to try it out here.
Reading Tip
If you want to learn more about chords, harmonies and maybe even the circle of fifths, then I recommend my book “Mastering Keys Without Sheet Music”.
Master Keys Without Sheet Music
With the new turbo training, you'll be proficient in every musical key within a few weeks.
(no sheet music knowledge required)
Your gift for even more good sounding chords
You are currently on the best way to become a gifted musician. Or at least a convincing hobby pianist. Why stop now? You already have the basics for good-sounding chord progressions. Let’s go into more detail.
How? With a workshop that shows you how to play a chord progression. That teaches you the basics of intuitive piano playing. And enables you to perform simple melodies on the piano off the cuff. Sounds good? Then register now for the free workshop for aspiring Intuinauts and Intuinauts! What is that? You will of course also find out in the workshop.
See you soon in the workshop. I’m looking forward to seeing you.
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Play Piano by Intuition
Master Keys Without Sheet Music
With the new turbo training, you'll be proficient in every key signature within just a few weeks.
(no knowledge of sheet music required)
