Playing Piano in the Key of F Major
Playing Piano in the Key of F Major
Good morning. This is Duane, and today I’d like to take a look at the key of F major. What we need to know about the key of F. I think I’ll start a series about playing in various keys. We’ve done a lot of work in the key of C, because it’s easy for people to understand there, because they’re all white keys, right? So it’s easy to explain the key of C, because it’s all white keys, based on the scale of C.
So let’s take the scale of F. And then I want to do some of the relative minors as well. Not all of them, because there’s not that many keys that people like to play in, but I know that F is a very popular key, so let’s take a look at that.
When you play in the key of F, no matter what you’re playing … or you know … doesn’t matter the style, you’re basing your playing on scale of F, which goes like this. Why does it do that? Because every scale, every major scale has to have a whole step, whole step, and then a half step, then a whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. That’s the formula for a major scale, okay?
So the F scale is F G A Bb C D E F. And by the way, if you’re playing the scale, use your fourth finger on Bb, ’cause it’s a long finger, and then pull your thumb under to C. So use just four fingers when you play the scale, the F scale. First, second, third, fourth, thumb under, the same descending, okay?
So, the F scale is the basis for the key of F. So when I say I’m playing in the key of F, no matter what it is, I’m basing my playing on the scale of F. Now, in every given key, there’s three primary chords that are used more than any other others. They’re the I chord, the chord built on the first degree of the scale, the IV chord, the chord built on the fourth degree of the scale, and the V chord, the chord built on the fifth degree of the scale.
So if we build a chord on F, take every other note up from the root, every other scale note, that is, right up from the root, you see those are all members of the F chord, aren’t they? Okay. That’s the I chord. Then the IV chord is the fourth note of the F scale, if we build every other note up from the fourth degree of the scale, we have Bb D and F, right? That’s the IV chord.
And then the V chord is the the C chord. C E and G. So we have three primary chords, F, Bb, and C. So if you don’t do anything else, get really familiar with those three chords. If you’re a relative beginner, make sure you master those three chords if you like to play in the key of F, because those are the ones you’ll use.
No matter what style you play, as I said, you’ll need those three chords, okay? Because that’s what harmonizes most songs, the I, IV, and V chord. However, there are some secondary chords that you need to know about, and I’d like to look into those as well, okay?
Secondary chords use the notes of the scale, but they’re not as much used as the primary chords. That’s why they’re called secondary chords, obviously. So after I, IV, and V, the three most used chords of the scale, the next most used chord is the II chord, the chord built on the second degree of the scale. So if I build a chord on G, is it G, B, and D? What mistake did I just make? I didn’t use the notes of the F scale, did I? The F scale goes like this. It has the Bb in it. So when I build a chord on G, it has to be G, Bb, and D. So the II chord is G minor, okay?
The next chord that’s used a lot is the VI chord, one, two, three, four, five, six. So if I build a chord on D, it’s simply D, F, and A, okay? That’s the fifth most used chord in any key. And then the sixth most used chord in any key is the III chord, one, two, three. So if I build a chord on A, the third note of the F scale, I have A, C, and E, okay?
So between those six chords, that handles most all the chord you’re going to have in the key of F. Now, if you’re reading sheet music, and you see an accidental, you know know an accidental is a sharp or flat that doesn’t occur in the key signature, but it occurs during the course of the music, if you see an accidental, then you know you’re not dealing with one of the primary chords or the secondary chords, you’re dealing with an outsider chord.
For example, if you run into a B natural on the G chord, then you’re playing the G chord, not the G minor chord, okay? So let accidentals alert you to the fact that something’s being used that’s not indigenous, not native, not organic to the the key to you’re playing in, okay?
So just a quick review. The three primary chords in the key of F are F, Bb, and C. And most songs can be played just with those three chords, okay? Most songs you could play, simple songs you play in the key of F can be played with just those three chords.
If it takes more than those three chords, the next most likely chords are the II chord, G minor, the VI chord, D minor, and the III chord, A minor, okay? Now between all those, you have plenty of ammunition to play lots and lots of stuff. I was putting in a few color tones, but I use the same chords. I didn’t change the chords. I was playing the F chord, but I used a major 7th in it, plus some techniques, such as a straddle or a breakup of some sort.
Then I went to the D minor chord. Notice that my root is D, I kept my notes the same up here, so it just makes a D minor 7 9 chord. Sounds complex, I know, if you’re a beginner, but it gets real easy once you understand the basics of it. The next chord I played was G minor, and C, and then back to F. So if you know those six chords, you can do a lot in the key of F.
Here is the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xciF4jF74n8
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