Free Printable Music Theory Poster and Games: Teaching Chord Qualities

Seeing Chord Shapes 

A picture is worth a thousand words... at least if you are a visual learner like me!  This poster for teaching chord qualities in my music studio makes the differences between chords stand out a bit more.  

We've been playing several games this past month to review the half step patterns in chords.  At first glance when students see 3 skipping notes on the piano, it may look like the notes are the same distance apart, but counting the half steps between the keys helps them determine the chord quality. 

• Major (4+3), 
• Minor (3+4), 
• Diminished (3+3) 
• Augmented (4+4).

Hearing Chord Qualities

Chords have a distinct sound or mood. 

• Major sounds Happy
• Minor sounds Sad or Spooky
• Diminished sounds Creepy because of the "devil's interval" or tritone
• Augmented sounds Tense or Suspenseful

Ear Training Activity: Snowman Interval

Listen to the root chord played by your teacher (or on teoria) and strike a pose for the chord you heard.

• Major=Stand Up Happily
• Minor-Crouch Down with a Sad Face
• Diminished - Melt to the Ground
• Augmented - Stand on Your Tippy Toes with a Crazy Face

More Online Chord ID Practice

For more practice hearing and identifying chords choose from the following activities on teoria.com

Build Triads on the Staff 

Hear Chord Quality

Build Triads on the Keyboard

Identify Chords by Sound or Sight (on the staff)

Free Resources for Teaching 7th Chord Inversions

V7 chords can be a bit tricky for students because they are often introduced in many different ways.  Most method books start with an easier first inversion of  V7 chords that omits a few chord tones for easier playing. 

This 7th chord poster makes it easier to spot the roots and intervals to identify 7th chords and their inversions.

Quick Tips for Identifying V7 Chords

Look for the interval of the 2nd.  My teacher always called these the "bumps" because one note is bumped to the side. The top "bump"  is the letter name or root of the chord.

To identify the inversion, imagine the notes are running a race to the top of the staff. 

• In first inversion the "root bump" is in 1st place. 
• For 2nd inversion the "bump" falls to 2nd place.
• For 3rd inversion the "bump" is in 3rd place.

V7 chords are often followed by a I chord in music. The interval of a 2nd in the V7 chord provides the tension and I chord feels like you are returning home to peace.

V7-Root Position 7th Chord

7th chords can also be identified by the intervals of the "bump notes."

7th chords in root position are easy to spot because they look like a tall snowman with four snowballs instead of the three you see stacked up in a triad.  The root is on the bottom and with the highest note a 7th above it.

V6/5-1st Inversion 7th Chord

 The root jumps up to the top of the chord in first inversion.

The resulting intervals are a 3rd, 5th and 6th.  

The abbreviated chord symbol is V6/5

V4/3-2nd Inversion 7th Chord

Intervals above the lowest note include a 3rd, 4th and 6th. 

The abbreviated chord symbol is V4/3

V2-3rd Inversion 7th Chord

Intervals above the lowest note include a 2nd, 4th and 6th

The abbreviated chord symbol is V2

Additional Resources for Learning About 7th chords

Music Theory.net Inversion Images

7th Chord Inversion Video Tutorial

Teoria.com Inversion ID game

Related Posts: 

Free Chord Match Game

Teaching Piano Triads and 7th Chords with Games

Easy Free Printable Christmas Sheet Music from Piano Maestro

This month I'm challenging my piano students to learn a song to accompany their peers with at our December group lesson.  Accompanying takes piano playing to the next level because students must play with continuity (no starting and stopping).

Piano Maestro Christmas Songs for Accompanying

The Piano Maestro app is an excellent tool to promote accompanist skills.

• It gives automatic feedback for note accuracy as incorrectly played notes turn red.
• It gives feedback about rhythmic accuracy.
• The scrolling music forces you to continually look ahead in the music.
• Some music focuses on the harmony instead of melody so you can't just lean on your ear to pick out the music. This also promotes audiation for students.
• The practice mode allows students to practice in smaller phrases and isolate left or right hand parts for more focused practice sessions.
• The instrumental backing tracks make music more enjoyable to play.

While the scrolling music feature is great for continuity, faster pieces may be easier to learn at first with printable music.  Click this link to access free printable Christmas sheet music that you can also play on the Piano Maestro App. The tips below help you play with more expression instead of robotic feel.

Piano Practice Tips

• Greensleeves (What Child is This) Elementary Harmony Only 
• Can you sing the melody as you play the harmony?
• Greensleeves (What Child is This) Intermediate Hands Together
• Color the melody notes red and harmony notes yellow.  Notice the melody switches between the left and right hand frequently.
• Play the melody as you ghost play (only touch the key surface) of the harmony notes. Watch this sample video of "ghost playing."
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• Play hands together with balanced singing melody louder than the soft harmony.
• Jingle Bells
• Play as written or choose I, IV or V chords for each measure in the left hand to change the harmony to blocked, marching or broken chords.
• We Three Kings
• Add slurs to mark each musical sentence.
• Float off at the end of each phrase (measures 8,12, 19, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44 and 51).
• Shape the melody with small crescendos as the melody rises and decrescendos as it falls.
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas
• Measures 15 and 16 have a different rhythm than the traditional song.  Can you fix it to match the words "[We] wish you a Merry Christmas and a.."?
• Joy to the World
• Use scale fingering to create a legato melody line. 
• Write finger 3 below the first "E" in measures 4,11, 13 and 19. 

More links to free Christmas Piano Music can be found on my Christmas Piano Resource Roundup Post.

Steps for Playing from a Lead Sheet- Christmas Piano Music

Playing music from a lead sheet opens up a new world of possibilities so that you can make familiar tunes have their own special flare.

Free Christmas Lead Sheets

These free Christmas lead sheets from Michael Kravchuk allow pianists to practice chords or prep to accompany a Christmas sing a long. Starting with the key of C is definitely easier for a beginner pianist, but playing in other keys can sometimes make it easier to sing along. Here are a few familiar favorites I like to star with but there are over 30 to choose from on MichaelKravchuk.com with options to select from multiple keys for each song.

Piano Festival Music Samples Intermediate R3

 

Choose at least 6 pieces to listen to. Write the name of the piece, then click the link to hear it and answer the following questions on your Festival Samples Listening Assignment Sheet:

Free Piano Resources for Halloween Composing and Improvisation

 Every year I love to revisit student favorite Halloween Piano Resources.  I was delighted today to discover and add several new spooky composing and improvisation resources to the list that I am eager to try out with my students.

Halloween Piano Composing Printables

Teach Piano Today just posted this Mummy Music Free Printable that is a  perfect quick win for beginning students.  It centers around middle C hands separate.  I love how students can gain confidence composing by just having to create a short motif to "fill in the blanks." Its the perfect activity for hesitant composers because of the guided process.

Halloween Piano Improvisation Tutorial Videos

I love these leveled tutorial videos for creating spooky music  at rebeccaspianokeys.com for more experienced elementary, intermediate or advanced students. They are perfect for piano lab or at home exploration because Rebecca gives specific step by step tips and instructions for success with musical samples throughout.

Level 1 introduces interval qualities including minor and tritones to be used in a hands separate "conversation" style spooky improv.

Level 2 includes more hands together playing including minor alberti bass style chords.

Level 3 describes the process of adding more expressive details including dynamics, tempo changes, pitch, etc.

Although Forrest Kinney's Create First Improvisation was not created specifically for Halloween, these improvisation video can be used to create music with a spooky Halloween flavor.

Create First Secret Dance Solo

Related Posts: 

Halloween Group Lesson Plans

Halloween Piano Challenge: Don't Scare Me Surprise Me!

Online Note Naming and Interval Piano Practice Games

Two important skills for reading new music quickly include identifying notes and intervals with speed and accuracy. This month's group lesson focus and piano studio challenge is for student's to level up their note naming and/or interval id skills by earning a new 60 second challenge badge.

In addition to practicing with TonicTutor.com or racing to say and play the note naming sheets in their folders, students can try some of these online games to sharpen their skills.

Games to Practice Note ID and Intervals

Music Theory.net Piano Key Names

Classics for Kids Note Names 

Teoria.com  Interval ID (Choose, Major and Perfect, Ascending, No Accidentals)

Teoria.com  Grand Staff Note ID

Teoria.com   Note ID w/ Ledger Lines

Pedaplus.com  Note ID 

Pedaplus.com  Note ID on Keyboard

Pedaplus.com  Interval ID

TonicTutor.com Note ID (Piano Keys, Seeds, Lasers, Note Bird, Note Snap and Stars)

TonicTutor.com Interval ID (Jungle Journey, Mini Monster, Interval Memory, Lollipops, Baseball)

Challenge Badge Levels

Prep

• Letter names of white keys on the piano (ABCDEFG)

Level 1

• Letter names of notes on the staff from Bass F to Treble G (Bronze)

Level 2 

• Letter names of notes on the staff from Bass C to Treble C (Silver)

Level 3

• Letter names of notes on the staff from Bass G to Treble F (Gold)

Level 4 

• Letter names of notes on the staff from 2 ledger lines above and below the staff (Master)
• Identify distance only of white keys 2nds-octaves on keyboard and staff

Level 5

• Letter names of notes on the staff from 4 ledger lines above and below the staff (Doctorate)
• Identify distance and quality of white key intervals 2nds-octaves on the staff

Helpful Videos:

Piano Safari Staff Notes with Skips Alphabet

Colourful Keys Landmark Notes

Piano Anne Ledger Line Notes 

Piano Anne Video: What are Major and Perfect Intervals?

 Related Posts:

2023 Games for NoteNaming Practice