Create a Beautiful Piano Chord Progression in Any Key

In this video, I'm going to show you how to create a beautiful-sounding chord progression in just a few minutes. The lesson is supposed to be fun and a little bit of a time-waster, but it will also teach you really valuable skills about chords and scales :)

For this lesson, you need a key signature. I'm choosing the key of G.

Then write out ALL the diatonic chords of the key of G. That just means all the chords that naturally occur in the G scale. We have a full lesson on diatonic chords here:

In the key of G, those chords are G major, A minor, B minor, C major, D major, and E minor.

I'm NOT using the 7th note of the scale (F# diminished) because it sounds crunchy and we want this to be beautiful :)

So what do you do next? Here are the timecodes:

- The key of G and the chords we'll use - 0:17
- Choosing the first 2 chords - 0:59
- Adding in an extra chord - 3:09
- The "not so secret" secret to making it sound good - 4:23

As I said before, try this out at home. Pick a key you are NOT super comfortable with. This exercise will help you learn the scales and chords while having fun and creating beautiful music.

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ABOUT LISA:
Lisa Witt has been teaching piano for +20 years and in that time has helped hundreds of thousands of students learn to play the songs they love. Lisa received classical piano training through the Royal Conservatory of Music, but she has since embraced popular music and playing by ear in order to accompany herself and others. She is a songwriter and recording artist. Lisa’s contagious enthusiasm will have you excited to practice and return to the keys for your next lesson. Her teaching style focuses on you, making lessons encouraging and fun.

[PianoteOfficial]

Ready to level up your playing? Get personal coaching tips and structured lessons: enjoy your free 7-day trial to Pianote!

[onebadhombre]

I’m telling you if everyone had a piano teacher like her very few people would quit! Those teachers who just have their students playing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” out of a book are doing a great disservice. This is teacher is something special! 🎹 ❤️

[the.polymath]

This channel makes me feel like my piano dreams are actually possible. This video makes me want to go play this same game with myself and I’m not even good at piano at all yet...feels like I’d learn more playing this game than through my teacher.

[vbblogs]

I had a very extreme piano upbringing. My teacher was so strict that I have been traumatised. I have tried to go back to it, but I am so frustrated that I got SO FAR, but can't play anything and I'm frightened and ashamed. Pride is fighting me about going back to the very beginning after taking so many exams, but I need a softly softly approach, baby steps and friendly teaching where you can't go wrong and won't be punished for making mistakes is what I need. So hello my new teacher! Hopefully I can regain everything that I lost! When I was young, all I wanted to do was to mess around on the piano and make my own songs, but being classically trained, I wasn't allowed to play any other styles of music but classical. The only chords I knew about was within the classical pieces. I would have LOVED it if I hadn't been so suffocated.

[eddiequiroz]

I'm a beginner and am thankful for your videos. I love your passion it's contagious.

[relaxingnaturesounds]

After following your channel for a long time, I am a hundred percent sure this is one of the best piano teaching channel. I love how you motivate your audience, including me, as well as the energy and joyful that you transfer, keep doing your great works, Cheers

[tripmcfly]

I have actually learned a lot from you...thank you so much

[kvngphresh]

Both the chord progression, the melody, AND the instructor are BEAUTIFUL!!

[ruthgraves]

Lisa, your teaching method is an excellent fit for me. You systematically build in such a way that I am learning a lot. I have played the piano before but without thinking. I realize I have to think, know how to move from chord to chord. Also, the encouraging way you take the pressure off by saying things like the sky is the limit with this or that. There are other things you say that help me feel at ease and not pressured. Thank you. You´re the best.

[MnMcancook]

That was awesome!! Really amazing how quickly you can start throwing music together once the basics are covered. Thanks so much!!

[purelyconstructive]

Awesome! What a lovely way to easily improvise. Thank you for sharing this. For those that want to save on sticky notes, one could also use dice. If you roll a 1 then you use a I chord of your chosen key, if you roll a 2 then you use the ii chord, and so on. This also automatically leaves out the "crunchy" diminished vii chord because a dice only goes up to 6, leaving a number for each of the diatonic chords of the key. ❤🕊😆

[despereau]

Well in my opinion all these people expressing love and admiration for Lisa Witt are very predisposed to do so. First attracted to the simply beautiful
music produced by these tinkly keys and chords and such as you don't find elsewhere in your orchestra. So here's Lisa looking beautiful and right at you and with just a
moment or two of her facial expressions displays a range wider than the keyboard with discordance, harmony, restraint and freedom, all within a theme of respectful care for her viewers.
Then she flings her arms in crescendos and tosses her head in rhythms portraying the joy she finds here. Her voice, let's just say melodious and all in perfect keeping.
Well of course these piano liking people will watch and like her videos and not find her boring. She exemplifies the piano (at its best). Now, if she was trying to youtube the cello or oboe she and the viewers, well there would be no viewers except morose ones enjoying her suffer along with snarky commentary. No, it's best we all keep watching and listening, thankful for this happy coincidence of such a person and her desire to share. If my clumsy fingers and plodding brain finally quit trying to improve I will still come here for this magic.

[areyouokay]

I've been watching your channel for some time now and you are just amazing! I love the way you teach.
Just a request, could you please make more videos about how to accompany yourself (piano) while singing?

[rishabhraj_]

You are really amazing. I have learnt alot from you. I feels very blessed that I found your channel on YouTube and Instagram.
Love from India 🇮🇳

[ripleyhrgiger]

The improve piece immediately made me begin imagining beautiful moments with someone close to my heart. STanding next to the ocean after a thunderstorm, the misty air gently caresses our faces as we stare upwards towards the dawning of the night sky. We look on, holding each other as the sky fades to purple and then finally black... just the moon and stars light our faces.

[kombinator]

I love how you create magic by playing the piano

[juice]

Inspired more than a little bit. I’m 34 and today I learned my major, minor, seventh, augmented, and diminished chords and how to make major and minor progression using the circle of fifths...now seeing this!! I’m gonna be up all night and I can’t wait! I feel like the piano just unlocked!!!

[georgeowino]

Wow, u got no idea how you are helping me so much. God bless you. Love you from Kenya

[quilton]

Please never stop making videos! You are amazing. All my lessons fall into place watching you!!!

[marissamatsuzaki]

Wow! I’m inspired. I learned piano chords many years ago and I think I plateaued and felt stuck for a very long time. Sometimes when I was critiqued when playing with a band I doubted my skills and ability to improvise and I doubted my technique. I’m very encouraged seeing videos like this and just want to enjoy playing again.