How to play C, F and G chords on the piano with your left hand

After this lesson you can play the C, F and G chords in your left hand and read them on the bass staff.

A chord is several notes played at the same time. Chords are what give music its harmony: the fuller sound underneath a tune. With just three chords, C, F and G, you can accompany a great many simple songs. This lesson shows you how those three chords are built, how to play them with your left hand and how to read them on the bass staff.

What is a triad?

The most common kind of chord is a triad: three notes stacked in 3rds. You learned in the last lesson that a 3rd skips one letter. A triad does that twice:

Start on any note. This is the bottom of the chord, and it gives the chord its name.
Skip one letter to add the middle note (a 3rd above).
Skip one more letter to add the top note (another 3rd above that).

So a triad built on C is C, E, G: C, skip D, E, skip F, G. On the keyboard you play every other white key. On the staff the three notes sit neatly stacked, all on lines or all in spaces, like a little snowman.

The three chords

C chord: C E G
F chord: F A C
G chord: G B D

Each one is built the same way, just starting on a different note. In the left hand, play each chord with fingers 5, 3 and 1: the little finger on the bottom note, the middle finger on the middle note and the thumb on the top.

The C chord in the left hand: C, E and G below middle C, with fingers 5, 3 and 1

For the F and G chords, the left hand moves down rather than up. Starting from the C chord, the F chord sits lower, on the F, A and C just below. The G chord sits on the G, B and D in between. This keeps all three chords close together, so the hand only has to move a short way.

The F chord in the left hand: F, A and C, a little lower than the C chord

The G chord in the left hand: G, B and D, between the F chord and the C chord

Low notes on the bass staff

These chords go lower than the bass notes you have read so far, so you need a few new positions. Count down from bass F, or use the bottom of the staff as a landmark:

The bottom line of the bass staff is G.
The first space is A.
The second line is B.
The space below the staff is F.
The first ledger line below the staff is E.

Low notes on the bass staff: E on a ledger line, F below the staff, then G, A and B at the bottom of the staff

Reading chords on the staff

When notes are stacked vertically on the staff, they are played together. A triad looks like three note heads piled up on one stem, all on lines or all in spaces.

The C, F, G and C chords as half notes on the bass staff: each stack of three notes is pressed at once

The C chord sits in the middle of the staff, in the spaces (C, E, G). The F chord sits lower, also in spaces (F below the staff, then A and C). The G chord sits on lines (G, B and D). Spotting the shape tells you which chord it is before you name a single note.

Playing a chord cleanly

A chord should sound as one, not as three notes slightly apart. Set all three fingers on their keys first, then press them down together with a single movement from the arm. Keep the fingers firm but not stiff, and listen for all three notes. A weak little finger often makes the bottom note disappear.

To change chords, lift the hand slightly, move to the new position and set the fingers before the beat arrives. Practise the change without sound first, just moving between shapes.

Aura Lee

The Academy piece for this unit is Aura Lee, an American song from 1861 whose tune was later used for Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender". The left hand plays one chord per bar, holding each as a whole note: C, F, G, C, then the same again. The right hand plays the melody above.

How to practise

Build each triad aloud: "C, skip D, E, skip F, G". Then F A C and G B D.
Play each chord one note at a time with the left hand, fingers 5, 3, 1, then all three together.
Practise changing: C to F, F to G, G to C. Do it silently first, then with sound.
Play C, F, G, C as half notes, then as whole notes, counting aloud.
Play the left-hand chords of Aura Lee, then add the melody slowly.

Common mistakes

Losing the bottom note. The little finger is weak; give it a little extra weight.
Using the wrong fingers. 5, 3, 1 from bottom to top in the left hand, for all three chords.
Moving too late. Prepare each chord change during the last beat of the previous bar.
Misreading the low notes. Check against bass F if a note below the staff is unclear.

Try it in Pianuvo

Triads are the second lesson of Unit 4: Intervals, first chords, legato and staccato. You watch and play blocked C, F and G chords, find each chord's notes, change chords in time and then play Aura Lee with chords under the melody. The Academy checks each chord as you play it, whether you play on screen, on a MIDI keyboard or on a real piano with the microphone, and the quiz asks you to name chords on the staff, on the keyboard and by ear.