What is a triad? An interval? A unison? A chord? An extended chord?
A chord is made up of three or more notes played together or as an arpeggio (playing the notes of a chord in a specific pattern). The C Major chord has the notes C, E, and G, but can contain the same notes played as an inversion - upside down. For example, a C major chord could contain three occurrences of the notes C, G, and E: C, E, G is root position, E, G, C is first inversion, and G, C, E is second inverion. In general, the notes of the chord come from the notes of its scale.
An interval is the difference between two notes and is one of the building blocks of music. An interval is most often thought of (and measured) in steps and half steps. For example, the distance (interval) between the notes D and E is one step, whereas the interval between D and D# is one half step. Intervals have names such as a melodic minor second (one half step — one piano key next to another) or a melodic major second (one whole step — two piano keys separated by the one key between them). Other names include minor sixth, major seventh and perfect fifth. Two notes in unison have an interval of zero (they are the same note) whereas an octave is separate by twelve keys on the piano.
A triad is simply three notes played together (though not always readily identified as a chord). Triads are based on a particular scale and are named as minor or major (as well as augmented or diminished). As an example, here are the triads based on a C scale: C,E,G – D,F,A – E,G,B – F,A,C – G,B,D – A,C,E – and B,D,E.
The word unison means that each player is playing the exact same melody or series of notes. In a choir for example, everyone would sing the same part. In almost every case, unison also means that all the players or singers are following the same rules in regard to style and dynamics. It’s important to remember that although (singing or playing) an octave sounds very much like a unison, it is not. Using unison in a piece of music often gives the music strength (volume) and emphasis. It also is a great way to define a particular passage or phrase.
An extended chord contains notes of a chord that are extended (added) beyond an octave. Examples of extended chords are ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords. In the case of the ninth chord, the ninth note of the chord’s scale is added to the chord. For example, a C ninth chord contains the note D. Examples of extended chords are ninth, eleventh, thirteenth chords. Using a C chord as an example, the C 9th chord contains the notes C, E, G, Bb and D. Beyond this, it also means that certain notes of extended chords need not be played for the chord to continue to “function” as intended.
A suspended (or suspended fourth chord), contains the fourth note of the chord’s scale. For example, the fourth note of the C scale is F. So a C major suspended chord contains the notes C, E, F, and G. Suspended chords are normally used temporarily and sparingly but add a dimension of suspense to music.

Chord symbols (for example, Cmaj7 or G6) are a type of notation used frequently in jazz and other areas of modern music to notate chord progressions and changes. This type of notation differs from that of classical music in that chord symbols don’t show the function of a chord the way the Roman numeral notation does. Chord symbols, for modern music with lots of changes, are much easier to read. They function as a sort of shorthand for change-heavy music and are written with four chord parts in mind: the root, the quality, the extension, and the alterations.

The first part in chord symbols, the root, tells the musician which note is the root of the chord. In an E6 chord, for instance, the E serves as the root. Chord symbols also allow for inverted chords, or chords with a root other than the bass note. These chord symbols express that by showing the bass note with a diagonal slash under the original symbol.

Quality, the second part in chord symbols, denotes whether the chord is major, minor, diminished, or augmented. In a Cmaj7, the maj tells us that the C chord is major. The abbreviations for this area in chord symbols are maj, min, dim, and aug, respectively.

The extension in chord symbols, written after the quality, shows the musician if the chord differs from a triad (a third chord), such as an eleventh or seventh. This part of chord symbols is not always shown; if there is no indication of an extension, the musician is to assume that the chord is a triad.

The last part in chord symbols, the alteration, is usually but not always expressed. Think of this part as the “notes” section in chord symbols; it gives the musician any specific (and sometimes irregular) instructions for playing the chord and is always written in parentheses after the extension (or the quality, if no extension exists). For instance, (no fifth) would tell the musician that the chord is to be played with the fifth tone left out. Sus – short for “suspension”, would mean to play the 4th scale note instead of the 3rd. A minus sign would mean to lower (flat) a chord tone, such as C-9 which would mean to flat the 9th of the chord. Conversely, a plus sign would mean to raise (sharp) a particular chord tone.

Reading music using chord symbols allows a person to use written music as a map, rather than a note-for-note approach. By just reading the melody note and the chord symbols, musicians can improvise to their hearts content and create their own sounds on the keyboard.

The best of all worlds, however, is to be able to read music as it is written in a sheet music score, but also be able to read the chord symbols. Then the musician is free to choose which is best – the written part, or an improvised part. The sky is the limit for musicians who can do both. For a course on playing piano using chord symbols, take a look at “How To PLAY More Notes Without READING More Notes”

How to Read Piano Notes

How to Read Piano Notes

Reading piano notes may seem daunting at first, but it really isn’t if you ground yourself in the basics. The first step is learning the names of the notes. The great thing is that you only have seven to memorize.
All music is the result of combinations of these seven. These notes, named after letters in the alphabet, are A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Specific keys on the piano, associated with these notes, comprise your piano playing toolkit.

These seven notes sit on lines and spaces, called a music staff. Piano music consists of two staffs or staves: the Treble Clef and the Bass Clef. The notes from the upper portion of the piano keyboard sit on the Treble Clef. The notes from the lower portion of the keyboard sit on the Bass Clef.

Usually, the right hand plays the notes in the Treble Clef, while the left hand plays notes in the Bass Clef. The key to reading piano notes is in knowing what key relates to what note on the sheet music.

The note A on a piano is a white key. The A on the music staff corresponds to where the A note is on the keyboard. The notes on a keyboard repeat themselves:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A

Each of these notes is a key on the piano. It’s that simple, all along the keyboard.

The first A sits on one point of the music staff. As you play along the keyboard, the second A you play sits further up the music staff. As your fingers run up to the upper portions of the keyboard, the higher the notes sit on the Treble Clef. The further down you play on the piano keyboard, the further down the notes sit on the music staff, running into the Bass Clef.

You can group notes together on a music staff vertically. These vertical grouping are chords. A chord is a group of three or more notes played simultaneously. If you play the C, E and G keys at the same time on the keyboard, you play a chord known as a triad. On a piece of sheet music, you will see these three notes as such:

G
E
C …piled on top of one another so-to-speak.

If the composer wants these notes played separately, he would write them out horizontally on the music staff as such:

C E G …moves along the music staff.

Of course, these letters do not appear on the music staff; instead oval notes replace the letters.
When you first begin to read piano sheet music, locate the reference point note of each staff. This allows you to determine the rest of the notes on the staff.

The Treble Clef has the G note as its reference point. This note is on the second line from the bottom of the five line Treble Clef staff. The Bass Clef has the F notes as its reference point. This note is on the second line from the top of the five line Bass Clef staff. Every other note on either staff is easily located from these points.

Reading piano notes will be easier when you study the fundamentals. Learn the Treble and Bass Clefs and where the seven notes sit on them, and your reading skills will improve.