How to Read Broken Chords on Sheet Music

The chord forms the backbone of most Western music. Pop songs and jazz standards alike rely on the chord for harmonic and melodic structure. Triads, or chords with 3 notes, are easy to play--simply press 3 separate keys on the piano at once. You can also play the notes separately, producing a broken chord.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Look for a series of notes that form a triad. Broken chords usually appear in the left-hand accompaniment of classical and pop music.

2. Find the lowest note of the series. This forms the root of your broken chord and tells you which inversion the chord's in.

3. Locate the next highest note in the series. This note may not come directly after the lowest, but it forms the second tone of the broken chord.

4. Search for the highest note of the 3. Again, the notes in the series may not be in ascending order, so the highest one can fall anywhere.

5. Strike the 3 notes simultaneously in ascending order. Depending on which note is the lowest, this plays the chord in root position or second or third inversion.

6. Play the notes as they're written in the music to sound the broken chord. You can also experiment with different inversions and rhythms of the same chord to change the accompaniment's sound.

Tips & Warnings

• Use broken chords to create simple melodic ideas during improvisation.
• Any chord can be broken up, even if it's not a triad. Examples of other chords are the seventh, augmented and diminished chords.