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How To Play Auld Lang Syne On The Piano Using Just 3 Chords

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Playing “Auld Lang Syne” On The Piano Using 3 Chords – Then Many More

 

Good morning, this is Duane. Happy New Year to you. You’ve heard me say many times, I’m sure that there are three primary chords that are the most used chords in any given key. You can play just thousands of songs literally with those three chords, if you master those three chords. Today, we’re going to play Auld Lang Syne on the piano, and we’re going to learn it just using three chords. Then I’m going to show you some other possibilities.

Basically, we’re just going to play it with three chords. If you’re a beginner, then you can get through Auld Lang Syne with just three chords. It’s usually played in the key of F, not always but usually. That means it’s based on the scale of F which goes like that. If I take the one chord in the key of F, that’s the F chord. If I take the four chord, that’s B-flat. If I take the five chord, that’s a C chord. My three primary chords, my three homeboy chords are F, B-flat and C in the key of F. Those are used way more than any chords in the key of F. I’m going to play through Auld Lang Syne just using those three chords. F, C, F, B-flat, F. C, B-flat, B-flat C, F. F, C, F, B-flat, F, C, B-flat, C and home to F. We just use those three chords, and that’s all there is. If you’re accompanying somebody singing, like a crowd on New Year’s Eve, you wouldn’t even have to play the melody because you could just start them. You can start them like that, and then just play the chords. You can accompany a group or a person just playing the chords itself. Of course, you could use rhythm if you want to : All kinds of things you could do.

Don’t feel limited though to just those three chords. If you’re more advanced, please don’t limit yourself to just those primary chords because you could use tons of other chords. Let me just show you a couple. I’ll just call them out as I use them. I’m playing the F chord. Instead of staying on F, I’m going to move to the D-minor chord. Why? Because F is in the D-minor chord as well as it is in F. I ask myself in what other chord will that note fit? One answer is D-minor. Besides that, it fits in the next note too. F, D-minor : Now, I’m   going to go to G-minor, and then C, F, F-seventh, B-flat. I’m going to creep up from B-flat to B-diminished-seventh, D, B, A-flat and F in any sequence. It doesn’t matter which one is on the bottom or top. Then F, D-minor, G-minor : I can play E-flat-seventh or A-seventh, D-minor, B-flat, C, F. Between the verse and the chorus I could do play a plagal cadence. You know what that is, it’s an amen cadence. Notice, I move from the F chord to the B-flat chord by just moving my inside notes. It’s called an inside plagal cadence by the way because my little finger on both ends stay on the F.

Then I can turn it around if I want, as I often do. Let me just take the end of that. Now, that’s C-seventh, but I’m putting a 6th in it, actually a 13th. 13 and 6 are the same thing. Then I flat it. Then that’s the F-six-nine chord. It’s the F chord with a nine and a six in it. I could go to D-minor-seventh, G-minor-seventh, C-seventh. Instead of going straight to F-seventh, I could use C-minor-seventh over F, and then resolve to F-seventh and then B-flat. I’m using a B-flat-major-seventh. Then go to that B-diminished chord again. F, D-minor : Now I can throw a curve. I can go to E-minor-seventh, B-flat-seventh, D-minor, B-flat, C. Then instead of going home to F, I might go to D-flat, E-flat, F. Why?

Because the note F is in the D-flat chord as well as it’s in the F chord. It’s also in the ninth and the E-flat chord. Then I go home to F that way. There’s some ideas for playing Auld Lang Syne both ways, very simply and then a little more complex. Happy New Year to you, and we’ll see you tomorrow with another little piano tip like this. Thanks. Bye-bye for now.

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne.

Chorus: For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne,

We’ll tak a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne!

***For lots more good stuff on piano playing come on over to my website at https://www.playpiano.com and sign up for our free piano tips – “Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions!” ___________________________________________________________

 

 

Posted in Chords & chord progressions, Piano songs Tagged permalink

About Duane

Duane Shinn (that would be me) has good news for you if you want to play the piano. He (me) has little fat hands & stubby little fingers - not at all suited for playing the piano - more suited to making mud pies or some such. I am also fairly uncoordinated with just average musical ability - certainly not a great piano player. But I've learned a ton about music over the years and people tell me I'm pretty decent at explaining how music works & how to progress more rapidly on the piano. Over the years I have developed about 150 techniques for conquering the piano. Most professional pianists can do these techniques, but very few can explain them in a way people can understand. I specialize in making complex techniques simple. I invite you to watch a few of my free videos and see some of these for yourself before making any decision about taking any of my courses.

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