How to Determine the Chord for a Key on the Piano
Piano improvisation is when a musician plays along with a band without the guidance of written music. Typically, the pianist will only know the key of a song, and it will be up to him to determine the proper chords to play. This type of improvisation requires some knowledge of music theory. An understanding of the notes in a particular key and the way chords progress in a song can help you determine the chords you can play on a piano in any given key.
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Instructions
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Look at the key signature of the song you need to play chords for. The key signature will tell you which notes are sharp or flat in the song. Knowing this will give you an idea of the chords that will fit in the song. If the song doesn't have sharps or flats, you will be playing in the key of C. This means the chords you select should not have sharp or flat notes in them. Knowing the key signature helps you narrow your chord choices a great deal.
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Find the first chord in the key of the song you're playing. Think about the notes in the key of C. The notes are C-D-E-F-G-A-B. Chord progressions can vary a great deal, but for the sake of finding the chords in a song, you want to start with the most common combinations. This is usually the first chord (built on the first note of the scale), the fifth chord (built on the fifth note) and the fourth chord (built on the fourth note). This means a chord progression of C major, G major and F major. Trying these chord changes first will help you further narrow your choices.
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Try adding notes to the basic chords to see if you can add variety to the song you're playing. If you're playing a C major chord, try adding another note from the C major scale to create a more advanced chord. You could add the seventh note of the C major scale to turn the C into a C7 chord. Depending on the song, the C7 may or may not provide the right sound, but the notes in the chord will go with the song.
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Practice building chords in major and minor keys. You can make an almost uncountable number of chords and chord combinations, so learning how to build chords in every key isn't something you can accomplish overnight. Keeping a chord dictionary, arranged by key, is a good idea. You can purchase one from a music store or find one online for no charge. The more you play, the easier it will become for you to recognize which chords belong in the major and minor keys.
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