Session 12: Minor Chords & Smooth Changes

Overview

Phase: 3 — Integration
Duration: 1 hour
Prerequisites: Completed Sessions 1-11. Can play A natural minor scale with both hands. Can play Am chord. Understands major vs. minor sound. Has played “House of the Rising Sun.”

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

Build and play the Dm chord (D-F-A) and Em chord (E-G-B)
Understand chord inversions (root position, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion)
Apply voice leading to create smoother chord transitions
Play the “Someone Like You” chord pattern with both hands
Switch between 6 chords (C, F, G, Am, Dm, Em) with increasing fluency

Materials Needed

Casio CT-X9000IN keyboard (Grand Piano tone — Tone 000, metronome ready)
This lesson plan open beside you

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

A Minor Scale

Play the A natural minor scale with each hand at 55 BPM:

RH: A(1) B(2) C(3) D(1) E(2) F(3) G(4) A(5) — then back down

LH: A(5) B(4) C(3) D(2) E(1) F(3) G(2) A(1) — then back down

C Major Scale

RH and LH separately at 66 BPM, one time each.

Chord Review: C, F, G, Am

X:1 T:Chord Review - C, F, G, Am M:4/4 L:1/4 K:C V:1 clef=bass name="LH" "C"[C,E,G,]4 | "Am"[A,CE]4 | "F"[F,A,C]4 | "G"[G,B,D]4 |]

Play twice. Focus on smooth transitions.

Theory (10 minutes)

Two New Minor Chords: Dm and Em

You already know one minor chord (Am). Now you learn two more. Together with your three major chords (C, F, G), you will have six chords — enough to play thousands of songs.

Dm (D minor) chord: Built from the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the D minor scale:

D (root) — the white key between the 2-black-key group
F (third) — the white key to the left of the 3-black-key group
A (fifth) — the white key between the 2nd and 3rd keys of the 3-black-key group

Em (E minor) chord: Built from the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the E minor scale:

E (root) — the white key to the right of the 2-black-key group
G (third) — the white key between the 1st and 2nd keys of the 3-black-key group
B (fifth) — the white key to the right of the 3-black-key group

Your Complete Chord Vocabulary

Chord	Notes	Type	Sound
C	C-E-G	Major	Bright, “home”
F	F-A-C	Major	Warm, open
G	G-B-D	Major	Tense, wants to resolve
Am	A-C-E	Minor	Emotional, serious
Dm	D-F-A	Minor	Melancholy, deep
Em	E-G-B	Minor	Gentle, wistful

With these six chords, you can play most pop songs, folk songs, hymns, and Bollywood melodies in the key of C.

Chord Inversions

Until now, you have played every chord in root position — the root note is on the bottom. But chords can be rearranged:

Take the C major chord (C-E-G):

Root position: C-E-G (C on the bottom)
1st inversion: E-G-C (E on the bottom — you move C to the top)
2nd inversion: G-C-E (G on the bottom — you move E to the top)

All three are still the “C chord” — same three notes, just in different order. They sound slightly different:

Root position: full, grounded
1st inversion: lighter, more flowing
2nd inversion: open, spacious

Why inversions matter: When you change from one chord to another, inversions let you keep your hand in nearly the same position instead of jumping around the keyboard. This is called voice leading — moving each finger the shortest possible distance to the next chord.

Technique (15 minutes)

Dm and Em Chord Practice

LH Dm Chord:

X:1 T:LH Dm Chord M:4/4 L:1/4 K:Dm V:1 clef=bass name="LH" [D,F,A,]4 |]

Finger 5 on D, finger 3 on F, finger 1 on A. Press all three. Hold 4 beats.

RH Dm Chord:

X:1 T:RH Dm Chord M:4/4 L:1/4 K:Dm [DFA]4 |]

Finger 1 on D, finger 3 on F, finger 5 on A. Hold 4 beats.

Play each hand 5 times.

LH Em Chord:

X:1 T:LH Em Chord M:4/4 L:1/4 K:Em V:1 clef=bass name="LH" [E,G,B,]4 |]

Finger 5 on E, finger 3 on G, finger 1 on B. Hold 4 beats.

RH Em Chord:

X:1 T:RH Em Chord M:4/4 L:1/4 K:Em [EGB]4 |]

Finger 1 on E, finger 3 on G, finger 5 on B. Hold 4 beats.

Play each hand 5 times.

Six-Chord Change Drill

Practice switching between all six chords with your LH. Play each chord as a whole note (4 beats) at 60 BPM:

Repeat 3 times. Some transitions are easy (C to Am — just move finger 5 down from C to A, finger 3 down from E to C, finger 1 down from G to E). Others are harder (Dm to G — larger jump). Practice the hard transitions in isolation.

Inversions in Practice: C and Am

C major inversions (RH):

X:1 T:C Major Inversions (RH) M:4/4 L:1/4 K:C "Root"[CEG]4 | "1st inv"[EGc]4 | "2nd inv"[Gce]4 |]

Play all three. Listen to how the “colour” shifts even though the notes are the same.

Am inversions (RH):

X:1 T:Am Inversions (RH) M:4/4 L:1/4 K:Am "Root"[Ace]4 | "1st inv"[cea]4 | "2nd inv"[eac']4 |]

Voice Leading: The Smooth Path

Now here is the magic. Compare these two chord changes:

Without voice leading (root position to root position):

X:1 T:Without Voice Leading M:4/4 L:1/4 K:C V:1 clef=bass name="LH" "C"[C,E,G,]4 | "Am"[A,CE]4 |]

Your hand jumps down — every finger moves.

With voice leading (C root position to Am 1st inversion):

X:1 T:With Voice Leading M:4/4 L:1/4 K:C V:1 clef=bass name="LH" "C"[C,E,G,]4 | "Am 1st inv"[C,E,A,]4 |]

Only ONE finger moves — finger 1 shifts from G down to A. Fingers 5 and 3 stay exactly where they are on C and E.

This is voice leading: finding the inversion of the next chord that requires the least hand movement. Your playing sounds smoother because there are no gaps between chords.

Practice this voice-led change:

X:1 T:Voice-Led Chord Changes M:4/4 L:1/4 K:C V:1 clef=bass name="LH" "C root"[C,E,G,]4 | "Am 1st inv"[C,E,A,]4 | "F 2nd inv"[C,F,A,]4 | "G root"[G,B,D]4 |]

Repeat 5 times at 60 BPM. Notice how the first three chords flow into each other, while the G chord requires a bigger jump. Voice leading minimizes movement wherever possible.

Repertoire (20 minutes)

“Someone Like You” (Adele) — Chord Pattern

This song is famous for its flowing piano accompaniment that uses arpeggiated chord patterns. The original is in the key of A, but we will play it in the key of C to use chords you already know.

Tempo: 66 BPM (slow, emotional) Time Signature: 4/4 Key: C major (simplified from original key)

The Chord Pattern: The signature Adele piano sound comes from playing arpeggiated chords — similar to what you learned in “House of the Rising Sun,” but now in 4/4 time.

Left Hand (Arpeggio Pattern):

Each measure uses this pattern: play the root note with finger 5, then the arpeggio with fingers 3 and 1 alternating. This creates a flowing wave.

Left Hand Arpeggio Pattern per Measure (4/4 time):

Beat 1: root (finger 5) — quarter note

Beat 2: third (finger 3) — eighth note, fifth (finger 1) — eighth note

Beat 3: third (finger 3) — quarter note

Beat 4: fifth (finger 1) — eighth note, third (finger 3) — eighth note

Applied to each chord:

Simplified LH alternative (if the arpeggio pattern is too difficult):

Play each chord as a half note, twice per measure:

Measure 1: C chord (half) — C chord (half)

Measure 2: G chord (half) — G chord (half)

...and so on.

Right Hand (Melody):

Place RH with finger 1 on Middle C. You will need to reach up to A and B.

Learning approach:

Step 1: LH arpeggio pattern alone (7 minutes)

First, learn the arpeggio pattern on the C chord only:

X:1 T:LH Arpeggio Practice - C Chord M:4/4 L:1/4 K:C V:1 clef=bass name="LH" C, E,/2G,/2 E, G,/2E,/2 |]

Practice this one measure 10 times until it feels natural. The pattern is: low-mid-high-mid-high-mid. Your hand stays in one position — fingers 5, 3, and 1 just take turns.

Then apply the same pattern to G, Am, and F chords. Practice each 5 times.

Then play the full 8-measure progression (C-G-Am-F-C-G-Am-F).

Step 2: RH melody alone (3 minutes) Play through the melody. It is mostly E notes with some movement to D, C, and G. Simple but expressive.

Step 3: Both hands — 2 measures at a time (5 minutes)

Measures 1-2 (C chord, G chord with melody), 3 times.
Measures 3-4 (Am chord, F chord with melody), 3 times.
Measures 5-8, 3 times.
Full 8 measures.

Dynamics:

Play the LH arpeggio at a soft volume (p). It is the “carpet” that the melody walks on.
Play the RH melody at a medium volume (mf). The melody should be clearly heard above the arpeggios.
Measures 5-6: Slightly more energy as the melody rises to G.
Measure 8: Let the final C ring gently. Diminuendo.

Review & Homework (10 minutes)

Summary

Today you expanded your chord vocabulary significantly:

Dm (D-F-A) and Em (E-G-B) — two new minor chords, giving you 6 total
Chord inversions — the same chord in different note orders (root, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion)
Voice leading — finding the inversion that requires the least hand movement
“Someone Like You” — an arpeggio-based arrangement that sounds sophisticated and flowing

Ear Training Exercise: Major or Minor Chord?

Expand your Session 11 ear training with more chords:

Play each chord and say its type aloud:
- C major (bright) → “major”
- Am (darker) → “minor”
- Dm (melancholy) → “minor”
- Em (gentle, wistful) → “minor”
- F major (warm) → “major”
- G major (bright, tense) → “major”
Now close your eyes. Randomly play one of the six chords. Without looking, say: “major” or “minor.”
Repeat 10 times. Aim for 8 out of 10 correct.

You do not need to identify WHICH chord it is yet — just whether it is major or minor. That distinction alone is a powerful musical skill.

Self-Check Questions

What three notes make up the Dm chord? (Answer: D, F, A)
What three notes make up the Em chord? (Answer: E, G, B)
In a 1st inversion chord, which note is on the bottom? (Answer: The third — for example, in C major 1st inversion, E is on the bottom: E-G-C)

Practice Homework (Before Next Session)

A minor scale — RH and LH, 3 times each at 55 BPM. (2 minutes daily)
Dm and Em chords — Each hand, 5 repetitions. Then: Am → Dm → Em → Am, whole notes, 5 times. (3 minutes daily)
Six-chord drill — The full sequence (C-Am-Dm-G-Em-F-C) with LH, 3 times at 60 BPM. (2 minutes daily)
Inversions practice — C and Am inversions (root, 1st, 2nd) with RH, 3 times each. (2 minutes daily)
“Someone Like You” — LH arpeggio pattern alone 3 times, then both hands 3 times at 66 BPM. (5 minutes daily)
“House of the Rising Sun” — Once through, both hands. Keep it polished. (2 minutes daily)

Total daily practice: approximately 16 minutes.

Common Mistakes to Watch For

Dm and Em confused: Dm is D-F-A. Em is E-G-B. Both use three white keys with a gap between each note. If they sound wrong, check each note against the black-key groups.
Inversions: wrong octave: When you play C major 1st inversion (E-G-C), the C goes ABOVE the G — it is the C one octave higher than the root position C. If you play E-G-C where the C is below the G, you have the wrong arrangement.
Voice leading half-applied: If you use inversions for some chord changes but root position for others, the benefit of voice leading is reduced. Aim to use the smoothest path for every transition. The voice-led sequence in the Technique section is your starting guide.
Arpeggio pattern rushing: The “Someone Like You” arpeggio has a flowing, wave-like rhythm. If you play the eighth notes too fast and the quarter notes too slow, the wave breaks. Use the metronome and keep every beat perfectly spaced.

CT-X9000IN Tips

Sustain for Arpeggios

If your CT-X9000IN has a sustain pedal connected (or if you plan to get one for Session 14), arpeggios sound dramatically better with sustain. The notes blend into each other instead of cutting off. We will formally learn the sustain pedal in Session 14, but if you already have a pedal, try pressing it while playing the “Someone Like You” arpeggio pattern. Hold the pedal down for each measure, lifting briefly between measures. The difference in sound is remarkable.

Recording Practice: Self-Review

This week, record yourself playing “Someone Like You” (just the LH arpeggio pattern is fine if both hands are not ready yet). Play it back and ask:

Are the arpeggios even in rhythm?
Is each note the same volume, or are some notes louder?
Does it sound like a flowing wave, or does it sound choppy?

Recording and listening back is the fastest way to improve. Your ears hear things in playback that they miss while you are playing.