Piano Guidance
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto Pexels Logo Photo: Ketut Subiyanto

Can you play a chord without the root note?

You can certainly IMPLY a chord without including its root.

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There does exist what we call "rootless" voicings in harmony. These are chords in which the root is implied by the upper harmonies. Typically, the 3rd and the 7th are the primary indicators of chord quality, and the 5th is secondary. Rootless voicings are most commonly used in settings where an instrument such as piano or guitar is providing harmonic support in an ensemble/group setting, and an instrument (usually bass) has already stated the root of the chord. In composition, rootless voicings are utilized to keep the tonal center ambiguous and allow for the possibility of shifting the root of the chord underneath the harmony to create interest. Here are some examples of rootless voicings:

If you were to play the rootless voicings in the above picture without their root, the placement and use of the chord tones would imply the root. Why does this work?

Implied Roots

As I said earlier, the 3rd and 7th give the strongest indicator of the chord quality, and the 5th & 9th are the usual secondary indicators. With that in mind, chord quality can be determined without a root when the following tones exist within the chord:

Major => Maj. 3rd & Maj. 7th

Minor => Min. 3rd & Min. 7th

Minor Major => Min. 3rd & Maj. 7th

Dominant => Maj. 3rd & Min. 7th

Diminished 7 => Min. 3rd, Min. 5th, Dim. (bb) 7

Half Diminished => Min. 3rd, Min. 5th, Min. 7th

Augmented Major => Maj. 3rd, Sharp 5th, Maj. 7th

Augmented Dominant => Maj. 3rd, Sharp 5th, Min. 7th

Experiment with playing these chords & intervals without the root first, and then with the root -- you will become more familiar with the idea of not relying upon the root itself to express the tonal center of the chord. Good luck!

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What are the notes for Fur Elise?

A – E – A – A – E – A – C – B – A – G# – A – E – A – A – E – A+E – A. This sequence of notes corresponds to the whole song Für Elise played with the left hand on the piano. As for the right hand, try to repeat this sequence of notes in a loop in order to master it.

You want to learn Für Elise piano notes? You have come to the right place! Für Elise is one of the most famous piano pieces of all time. Composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven in 1810, it only became internationally known in 1867, when it was published posthumously. In 1865, the musicologist Ludwig Nohl found by chance the score of the work, which had been forgotten until then. The paper was in poor condition and only the last two letters of the first name in the title were identifiable: “SE”. The musicologist arbitrarily gave the name Elise to this composition. Today, it is believed that it is more likely to be “Thérèse”. Für Elise is today one of the most frequently played classical piano pieces. It is quite easy to play and is especially popular with beginners, who find in this song everything they need to practice effectively. In this article, we will learn how to play the notes of Für Elise on the piano. We will discover which notes to play with the right hand and which with the left hand. We have also illustrated our article with tutorial videos that will allow you to see the notes descend on a virtual piano. Finally, you can download the piano sheet music of Für Elise for free in PDF format to print it out and practice. At the end of this article, the goal is for you to know how to play this famous song perfectly on the piano.

Let’s start!

Bonus: you can also learn to play this song at your own pace on our piano learning application La Touche Musicale.

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