Julie Swihart

Major Chords

Let’s look at how to play a C major chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any major chord.

What Are Major Chords?

Major chords are built with the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale (learn how to build a major scale here).

They’re the most common type of piano chords. I wrote an earlier post covering major chords in more detail if you’d like the full explanation.

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.).

Get the Printable

How to Play a C Major Chord

So let’s look at how to play a C major chord on the piano.

To play a C major chord, we’d play the first, third and fifth notes of the C major scale, C – E – G.

So we’d play:

C – E – G

You can use this pattern to build any major chord on the piano!

Just play the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types you can learn are:

Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major ninth

Conclusion

Piano chords are such a great way to learn the piano, because they give you lots of room for creativity. Once you understand the patterns on the piano, it begins taking on new life and becomes much more enjoyable to play.

Having a good grasp of major chords will lay a wonderful foundation for your piano playing!