Free Piano Teaching Game: Chord Match

I love to start piano lessons with short games to introduce or review theory concepts.  I find there are a lot of free piano games for beginners but not as many options that review intermediate level concepts. 

Since I could not find a game covering the concept of  identifying 7th chords and different chord qualities, I designed this memory game on canva.com and created free printable flashcards.  

This quick game helps intermediate piano students to learn about triads and 7th chords with visual reminders of the intervals used to build various chord qualities

A few tips can help students quickly identify various chord qualities

Is it a Triad or Seventh Chord?

Count the notes. Triads have 3 notes like triangles have 3 sides.

Seventh chords add an extra note to the top of the triad, 7 scale steps higher than the root. Full seventh chords include 4 notes although you'll find often one note is omitted in music. 

Chord Qualities and Frog Jumps

The quality of triads and 7th chords is determined by the pattern of major and minor 3rds.  

To determine chord qualities imagine you are a frog jumping by half steps up the keys.  

How many jumps does it take to get from one note to the next? 

Three (minor 3rd)?

or

Four (Major 3rd)?

For example a Major Triads=4 +3

And a Dominant 7th Chord is 4+3+3.

Chord Memory Match

For the Free Printable Chord Match Memory Game, students identify matches by comparing the "Chord Man Recipe" to the Frog Jumps on the keyboard.  I love how this gives them a lot of practice measuring those major and minor 3rds while they are also introduced to new chord qualities.      

Game Variation: Chord Flashcards or Don't Eat Pete

To create chord flashcards, just print the first and 2nd page back to back. Look at the keyboard chord diagrams and practice naming the chord quality as fast as you can.

For a more exciting variation, lay cards down in a 9 square arrangement and let the student play "Don't Eat Pete" as they identify chords and eat small candies or goldfish placed on the top of each card.  This is a studio favorite!

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