How To Play “Auld Lang Syne” In Any Key Using Just the Primary Chords

Good morning. This is Duane. This is New Years Eve as I’m recording this, New Years Eve 2015. Tomorrow is New Years Day 2016. In any case, I’d like to talk about playing Auld Lang Syne, the New Years song, using just three chords. The three chords we’re using, of course, are the primary chords in any key. I’ll just pick it out, say, in the key of C. We could go on of course. Notice I just used three chords: the one chord, the four chord, and the five chord, in the key of C. I call it the one chord because it’s built on the first degree of the C scale, which goes like that. The four chord, one two three four, is built on the fourth degree of the C scale. The five chord is built on the fifth degree of the C scale. Again, it’s just one, four, and five, all it takes to play Auld Lang Syne in the key of C.

Then you just pick out the melody by ear. Let’s do it in a different key, though. Let’s do it in the key of F. The key of F is based on the scale of F, which has one flat. Let’s see what the primary chord is in the key of F. The one chord is F, of course, because it’s the first degree of the scale. The four chord, one two three four, is B flat because it’s the fourth degree of the F scale. The five chord is the C chord because it’s the fifth degree of the F scale. I’ll pick out Auld Lang Syne in the key of F, the one chord, four chord, one chord, five chord, four chord, five chord, one chord.

Now, let’s do it in one more key, then I want to talk about what else you can do. Let’s do the key of G, for example. That’s the key of G. It’s got one sharp in it. The one chord would be based on the first degree of the scale, G. The four chord would be built on the fourth degree of the scale, C. The five chord would be built on the fifth degree of the scale, which is D. Our primary chords in the key of G are one, four, and five, G, C, and D. Let’s pick out the melody. One chord, five chord, one, four, one, five, four, five, one.

Now what else could we do? We don’t have to limit ourselves to one, four, and five. If you’re starting out to playing, then that’s a great way to start. Just pick out the one, four, and five chords and match the melody to it. You can do anything you want, actually. I could put the chords in the melody as well. I dont have to play it just like that. I could play the whole chord in the right hand under the melody. Let me do it a little lower. That’s a four chord under the melody, one chord, five chord, four chord, five, one. I can put it in both hands. In the left hand I could chord it. I could go … In other words, the low note, then chords following up to give it a little rhythm. Or I could arpeggio it. That means stretch the chords out like that.

Let’s do it in the key of C maybe. See what I’m doing is I’m breaking up the C chord. Now I’m breaking up the F chord, C chord, G chord, F chord, G chord, and back to the C chord, just by breaking up the notes of the chord. I’m using my sustain pedal, the pedal on the right, to hook the notes together so that it sounds like a unified chord. Then of course I can put the chords in the right hand along with that. Then it sounds fuller, doesn’t it? I’m not limited to those chords. I could choose other chords just based on does the melody fit in the chord I want to use. For example, I’m tired of the C chord so I ask myself what other chord does that C note fit in. It fits in F. It fits in the A minor chord. I’ll choose A minor. Listen. See that’s A minor.

Now the next melody note, D, not only fits in the G chord; it fits in the D minor chord. Fits in a lot of chords. I’ll just play different chords now as I harmonize that. A minor, D minor, G, C, C seventh, F, F sharp diminished, C, A minor, D minor, E seventh, A minor, F, G, and C. You could do that until the cows come home. Let me do it in the key of F. D minor, G minor, C seventh. That’s a F seventh suspension. That’s a B flat major chord. What I did there is I just took the B flat major chord and broke it up the keyboard. Going to B diminished, back to F, D minor, E minor, A seventh with a flat ninth, D minor, B flat, C, and then home to F. Or I could use a substitute chord like D flat, E flat, and end on F.

I just wanted to show you that you can start out with just three chords, just the primary chords of any key, but you don’t have to stay there. As you get more advanced, you can add more and more variety both in the way you break up chords and the number of chords that you choose to use. It doesn’t happen overnight but it does happen. If you’re enjoying this kind of thing, just keep on keeping on. Happy New Year to you, and we’ll see you in the new year.

Hi, this is Duane again. I’d like to tell you about a little book that I wrote a few years back. It’s called Piano Chords and Chord Progressions: The Secret Back Door to Exciting Piano Playing. It’s a terrific resource about chords. If you want to know more about chords, you ought to latch onto this book. It’s just barely over 10 bucks, 11 bucks I think it is. It covers all the chords and chord progression that I talk about in my videos. It’s not a substitute for videos, of course, or DVDs, but it’s a great summary. It’s a so inexpensive that it’s well worth your while to get.

Here’s the table of contents. You can just look down here and see all the things it covers. Starts out with major, minor, diminished, augmented, sixth, seventh, and on to 13th chords and suspensions and alterations, and then gets on to chord progressions and so on. It’s a very thorough book. It’s got a lot of illustrations. I’ll just toggle through a little bit. There’s the back cover. It’s worth your while to get. Hope you take advantage of that. Thank you. Bye bye for now. You can go to http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Chords-Progressions-Backdoor-Exciting/dp/0912732687/

Click on this link to watch this video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS99TQv5v0I&feature=youtu.be

***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!”

Here’s a great little book on chords and chord progressions on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Chords-Chord-Progressions-Exciting-ebook/dp/B0076OUGDE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404158669&sr=1-1&keywords=piano+chords+duane+shinn

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