Major Chords

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

What Are Major Chords?

We can build major chords using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

You can learn the pattern for building a major scale here.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

Get the Printable

How to Play an F Major Chord on the Piano

To play an F major chord, we’ll play the first, third and fifth notes of the F major scale: F – A – C

F – A – C

We can use this pattern to build any other major chord! All we need to do is play the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

One way to play creatively with major chords is to use inversions. Inversions are when we rearrange the notes of a chord so the root, the note the chord is named after, is not at the bottom. You can learn all about inversions and how to play them here.

Other Chord Types

Some 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

Now you know how to play an F major chord on the piano, and you can use this knowledge to build any other major chord!

Using chords to learn and play the piano is a lot of fun, since chords give us lots of options at the piano for playing creatively!