Crazy Chord Challenge Videos

Being able to quickly identify and play chords is a fundamental skill that is used over and over in piano playing. 

I shared this Crazy Chord Challenge a few years ago. It is one of the options for the Keyboard Skills Challenge. This updated post includes some video samples. Students can choose the pace they want to play as long as they complete each challenge in less than a minute.

To prep them for the challenge, I demonstrate while chanting the chord categories as I play. "Va-ni-lla (C), "Or-e-o" (Db), "Ham-bur-ger" (D), etc.).  Being able to see the color patterns on the keyboard and feel them under their fingers quickly really boosts the ease of playing chords from written notation later on.

Challenge 1 

Can you play all of the Major chords Broken style Hands Separate (Left than Right) Moving Chromatically Up the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 2

Can you play all of the Major chords, Broken style, Hands Together, Moving Chromatically Up the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 3

Can you play all of the Major chords Block Style, Hands Separate (Left than Right), Moving Chromatically Up the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 4

Can you play all of the Major chords Block Style, Hands Together (Left than Right), Moving Chromatically Up the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 5

Can you play all of the Major chords Block Style, Hands Separate (Left than Right), Moving Chromatically Down the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 6

Can you play all of the Major chords Block Style Hands Together (Left than Right), Moving Chromatically Down the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 7

Can you play one of the above challenges but using Minor Chords instead?

Hint: move your 3rd finger one note to the left (flat)

Challenge 8

Can you play one of the above challenges with Eyes Closed?

For a more difficult challenge, students who have already mastered root chords could play inversions or I-IV-I-V-I chord progressions with a longer time limit!

Related Posts:

Try Every Key Challenge

Keyboard Skills Challenge

Dagda's Harp Improvisation

 The Story of Dagda's Harp

As you improvise "Dagda's harp" music, consider how to use some of the following musical elements to help you create a certain mood.

• Fast or slow tempo?
• Major or minor key?
• Sudden dynamic drop-offs or gradual crescendoes?
• Acccidentals or grace notes to surprise?
• High or low keyboard range?
• Use of repetitive motifs that mimic sleepy, sad or laughing emotions?
• A sound effect intro or outro?
• Legato, staccato or accented articulations?
• Thin (Broken) or  Thick (Blocked) Textures?

How can you create a "The Laughing Tune"?

The Crying Tune? 

The Sleeping Tune?

Related Posts

Composing and Improvising Free Resources for March

Practice Tips Schubert Waltz in B minor D145 No6

Tips for Schubert Waltz in B minor by Janna Williamson

Warm Up with Chords and Inversions in B minor 

• Label the V7-I chords in the music, Keys of B Minor, D Major, B Major

Target Shooting Left hand stride. Practice eyes closed or silent jumps.

St Patrick's Day Piano and Mixolydian

Irish Composing

The free printable CR Irish Jig Composing by Chrissy Ricker provides the structure of a simple rhythm pattern in 3/4 time that elementary students can choose melody notes to create their own jig.

Intermediate Students could use this same resource but add left-hand 5ths for harmony, create a contrasting B section, or convert their piece in  3/4 time into 6/8 by halving the value of each note and doubling the measure length.

But why are there no sharps when it appears to be based around the key of G?

The Mixolydian Mode

Watch this Mixolydian in Irish Music to learn about why Irish music uses this unique pattern of notes.

G Mixolydian Scale

Related Posts

Composing and Improvisation Activities for the Month of March

Monthly Piano Challenges

Select a monthly challenge below to access the online games and activities that accompany each topic. 

September: Note Naming Challenge

Keyboard Skills Challenge

This month at piano, the focus is on mastering keyboard skills, and there are TEN options for students to choose from to complete the keyboard skills challenge. Be sure to choose one that is challenging for you!

Keyboard skills, including learning to play scales, arpeggios, and chord progressions with speed and accuracy, are much like the "warm-ups" that athletes use in practice to prepare for a big game. 

Elementary Piano Festival Music Playlists

 

ELEMENTARY LEVEL 1 & 2 PIANO PIECES

Similar in Level to Piano Adventures  Primer/1 or Piano Pronto Prelude/1 or Hal Leonard 1 & 2

Click the image to view the Elem 1 &2  piece choices/booklist  that includes links to the books containing each piece.

Music Terms Rap and Games

This month our piano studio focus is theory, terms and signs. I love finding fun ways to teach music terms to piano students!

I have used many engaging activities like Quizlet matching games, music theory art, Musical Headbandz and Split Second, and Piano Cranium. 

Music Dictionary Rap

But this month I'm starting out one of my group lessons  with this Music Dictionary Rap from Piano Adventures Gold Star.

Music Flashcard Game Variation

Typically my students start out lessons with a quick game like music term memory match. Instead of playing this typical memory style with cards face down, to introduce relatively new terms and signs I first play a face up version. I like how this variation combines both skill and an element of chance so that any player can win. If the teacher is playing with the student, I even the playing field a bit by saying the teacher doesn't get to "steal on sixes" because they have an unfair advantage of already knowing all the answers. 

Divide the cards into 2 piles, one pile for the term or symbol and one pile for the matching answer.

Shuffle the cards and place them face up. 

Students then roll a die to determine how many cards they get to collect by guessing the sets of cards that are a match. 

If they roll an odd number (1,3, or 5) they guess just one match. 

If they roll an even number (2 or 4) they guess two matches. 

If they roll a 6 they get to steal a match from the opponent of their choice. 

The winner is the player with the most card matches at the end.

Related Posts

Split Second Music Theory Game

Musical Cranium