Fifth Chords
Let’s look at how to play a B5 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other fifth chord.
What are Fifth Chords?
Fifth chords are technically not chords, since the definition of a “chord” is “three or more notes sounded together”. But we’ll call them chords anyway since they’re treated like chords at the piano.
To play a fifth chord, play the first and fifth notes of the matching major scale.
You can learn how to build a major scale here.
Another way to think of playing a fifth chord is to play the lowest and highest notes of the matching major chord, leaving out the middle note (the third).
Chord Types Printable
Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 34-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note (C, D, E, etc.) and type (major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc.).
How to Play a B5 Chord
So to play a B5 chord, we’ll play the first and fifth notes of the B major scale:
B – F♯
We can use this pattern to build any other fifth chord, by playing the first and fifth notes of the matching major scale.
Other Chord Types
Some other chord types you can learn are:
Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth
Conclusion
Now you know how to play a B5 chord on the piano, and you can use that knowledge to build any other fifth chord!
Fifth chords can make nice substitutes for major or minor chords since they create more of an open-ended sound, giving you more options at the piano.
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