Three Chord Songs

Learning to play the piano by ear is easy when you use these three chord songs. These are often the most famous songs. The ones we sang in our youth or encountered on TV.

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Since this video lesson is quite a long one I suggest you click on "play" and then "pause" until the whole file is downloaded. Then you won't experience pauses during the time the video is played.

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In the previous lesson I have thought you about the three basic chords that turn the whole chord progression process in music. Click here to learn about these three chords if you haven't learned them yet.

Before I give you the list I'd like to add one detail on the dominant chord. In the previous lesson we said that the dominant chord (fifth degree) is called so because of its tendency to bring us back to the tonic (first degree).

After when we checked a few examples we realized that G major could lead sometimes to F too. So how can we be certain?

Well that's what G7 is for. In order to increase the need of the dominant chord to go to the tonic an extra note has been added. The F note. So if we created the G chord by playing G,B and D now we add the F note and this is what we get.

The F note is called the seventh note. You can find it if you count one tone under the root note. We're gonna discuss this issue later in detail when we speak about the blues chords. However I'd like you to know that the seventh note (F) increases the attraction toward the Tonic.

Here's a free piano chord chart of all twelve dominant seven chords.

And here's a free piano chord chart of the I-V7-I that demonstrates the process between these two chords on the piano.

Bottom line, when a G chords is played before a C chord it's better play G7 to increase the tension. If not a G chord might be good enough. It depends on what you're singing basically. Listen to the sound and judge if your ear allows it or not.

I gave as an example the C major scale but you can play those three chord songs on all the other keys. Here's a list of the I, IV and V degree of all 12 different keys.

"I couldn't imagine I would be making music right away!
These songs are great for taking your first steps."

Hey, don't hesitate to try and fail sometimes. Try and press the different chords until you make it. It might take sometime but you're going to improve your musical ear enormously until playing three chord songs becomes piece of cake.

I, IV, and V in C major.
I've created this picture here of the I,IV and V chords in C major in the right inversions so that you won't have to bother to much about finding it.However if you want to play these three chord songs in an other scale you can print the file below.

And here it is. A free printable chart of the I-IV-V7 Chord progressions in all major scales. which will make it much easier for you to practice all these three chord songs.

Remember
Almost every song start with the Tonic(I) (The root chord) and the last chord of each and every song is the Tonic(I). The chord before the last chord (tonic) is always the dominant seven (V7). The duty of the subdominant(IV) is to suspend the tension before reaching the dominant (V) which has to solve to the tonic(I).

Once you're done with playing a few of these three chord songs you're welcome to go further in your piano chord lessons. Click here to study about piano chord substitutions.

Here's a list of the three chord songs

115 Dream (Bob Dylan)

Abide with Me
All Shook Up (Elvis Presley)
Aloha Oe
Amazing Grace
America
Around Her Hair (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon)
Frankie and Johnny

Battle Hymn of the Republic
Beautiful Brown Eyes
Beautiful Dreamer
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Blowing in the Wind
Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis Presley)
Brahm's Lullaby
Bye Bye Love (Everly Brothers)

Caisson's Song
Camptown Races
Canadian Errant Un
Catch a Falling Star
Cielito Linda
Cindy
Comin' Through the Rye
Crawdad Song

Desparado
Do! Do! Liegst Im Herzen
Don't It Make You Want to Go Home
Dinah (In the Kitchen)
Dry Bones
Everybody Loves a Lover

For He's A Jolly Good Fellow
For the Beauty of the Earth

Get on Board
Grandfather's Clock

Hand in my Pocket (Alanis Morisette)
Hand Me Down My Walking Cane
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Wanderer
Hello My Baby
Home on the Range
Home Sweet Home

If I Had a Hammer
I'm On My Way
In the Sweet Bye and Bye
Irene Goodnight
I've Got Sixpence
I Wish I Were Single Again

Jacob's Ladder
Jimmie Crack Corn
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
Johnny Be Good (Chuck Berry)
Juanita
Jump Down, Spin Around
Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Kum Ba Yah My Lord

La Bamba
Lemon Tree
Li'l Liza Jane
Listen to the Mocking Bird
Little Brown Church in the Vale
Little Brown Jug
Lonesome Valley
Long Tail Sally (Beatles

Mama Don't Allow
Mandy
Marianne (All Day)
Matilda
Me and Bobby McGee
Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore
Midnight Special

Moonlight Bay
M.T.A.
Muffin Man
Music in the Air
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
My Heart Cries for You

Nearer My God to Thee
Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen

Oh! Dear! What Can the Matter Be
Oh! Mary Don't You Weep
Oh Susannah
Oh! Them Golden Slippers
Oh When The Saints Go Marching In

Old Black Joe
Old Chisholm Trail
Old Cotton Fields Back Home
Old Dan Tucker
Old Folks at Home
Old Gray Mare
Old Kentuky Home
Old MacDonald
Old Oaken Bucket
Old Paint
Old Rugged Cross
Old Time Religion
One More River
On Top of Old Smoky

Pack Up Your Sorrows
Put Your Arms Around Me Honey

Red River Valley
Reuben and Rachel
Ring, Ring, the Banjo
Rock of Ages

Saints Go Marching
Sentimental Journey
She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain
Sidewalks of New York
Sleep, Baby, Sleep
Snowbird (I, V, II)
So Long, It's Been Good to Know You
St. James Infirmary (Begin on I minor, Use IV minor and V7)
Supercalifragillisticexpialidocious
Swanee River

The Marines Hymn
There's a Hole in the Bucket
There Is a Tavern In the Town
This Land Is Your Land
This Train
Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport
Tijuana Jail
Trail to Pretoria
Turkey in the Straw
Tutti Frutti (Little Richard)
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Twist and Shout - Beatles

Vive L'Amour (Vive la compagnie)

Wabash Cannonball
Walk of Life (Dire Straits)
Waltzing Matilda
Wearin' O' the Green
We'll Sing In the Sunshine
When You and I Were Young Maggie
Wide River
Wild Thing
Willie and the Hand Jive (Johnny Otis)
Wings of a Dove (Ferlin Husky)
Workin' on the Railroad
Worried Man Blues

Yankee Doodle
Yellow Bird
You Are My Sunshine