JAM ON KEYBOARDS TODAY!

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USING JAM CARDS

Root Key on C

C Major Chord

1. JAM the card behind the keys of your piano / keyboard.

2. Line up a

ROOT

key with any note for the desired chord or scale.

3. The blue keys will show you what other keys to play.

For corresponding keyboard curriculum please visit: http://www.littlekidsrock.org/thehang/keyboard-index/

CHORDS:

Major chords sound happy. Play these three color stripes anywhere on the piano
ROOT gives the chord its
and the "pattern" you are playing is a major chord. The ROOT
name. When the ROOT
ROOT is on "C", you are playing "C major"

#1a
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ROOT

Major

JAM CARD

FINGER

FINGER

11

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THUMB
FINGER

CHORDS:

Minor chords sound sad. This minor chord "pattern" is the same as the major
ROOT gives the chord its name.
chord "pattern" except for the middle note. The ROOT

ROOT
NOTE

FINGER

FINGER

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THUMB
FINGER

#1b

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ROOT

Minor

JAM CARD

CHORDS:

Major in 3 Ways

All major chords have three "patterns" and each major chord can be played three
ROOT still
ways. Knowing the three "patterns" makes changing chords easier. The ROOT
gives the chord its name, no matter where it appears in the "pattern".

THUMB

1
SHAPE 1

FINGER

FINGER

FINGER

FINGER

FINGER

SHAPE 2

FINGER

SHAPE 3

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FINGER

5
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THUMB

THUMB

ROOT

ROOT

JAM CARD

CHORDS:
ROOT

JAM CARD

Minor in 3 Ways

All minor chords have three "patterns" and each minor chord can be played three
ROOT still
ways. Knowing the three "patterns" makes changing chords easier. The ROOT
gives the chord its name, no matter where it appears in the "pattern".

SHAPE 3

FINGER

SHAPE 2

FINGER

SHAPE 1

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ROOT

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FINGER

1
FINGER

FINGER

1
FINGER

THUMB

THUMB

THUMB

#2b

CHANGING

CHORDS

JAM CARD

Changing chords is easier when you know and use the three different chord patterns from Jam
Card #2. If you put the first ROOT stripe (the one on the left) on "C" and you move
between the top pattern and the bottom pattern, you will be playing "C" major to "F major.

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THUMB

ROOT
NOTE

ROOT

FINGER

ROOT
FINGER

FINGER

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FINGER

CHANGING

Play the top chord pattern first, then the bottom one. Notice how your finger
stays on the color stripe with the picture of an anchor for both chords. This
makes changing chords easier. The ROOT
ROOT gives each chord its name.

THUMB

CHORDS

THUMB

FINGER

FINGER

FINGER

JAM CARD

#3b
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ROOT
FINGER

ROOT
NOTE

5
ROOT

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THUMB

SCALES:

This is a scale.You play it one color stripe at a time. This scale has a happy
sound.You can use this scale to make up little patterns or melodies. MusiROOT gives the scale its name.
cians call this "soloing" or "improvising." The ROOT

ROOT

FINGER

Major Pentatonic

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ROOT

JAM CARD

SCALES:

This is a scale.You play it one color stripe at a time. This scale has a sad
sound.You can use this scale to make up little patterns or melodies. MusiROOT gives the scale its name.
cians call this "soloing" or "improvising." The ROOT

ROOT

FINGER

Minor Pentatonic

#4b
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ROOT

JAM CARD

SCALES:

ROOT

FINGER

This is a scale.You play it one color stripe at a time. This scale has a happy sound. Most of the
songs we sing use the notes of this scale. This scale is like the Major Pentatonic scale on Jam
ROOT gives the scale its name.
Card #3 but it has two more color stripes or notes. The ROOT

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ROOT

Major

JAM CARD

SCALES:
NOTE

ROOT

BLUE

FINGER

This is a scale.You play it one color stripe at a time. This scale has a sad or bluesy sound.
This scale is like the Minor Pentatonic scale on Jam Card #3 but it has one extra color
stripe called the "blue note" The ROOT
ROOT gives the scale its name.

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ROOT

Blues

JAM CARD

THE SCALE CHORDS

JAM CARD

#6a

ROOT

MINOR

ROOT

MAJOR

ROOT

MAJOR

ROOT

MINOR

ROOT

MINOR

1
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ROOT

MAJOR

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SIX CHORDS

THAT ROCK
Root Key on C

JAM CARD

#6b

C Major Chord

The
other sideJAM
of thisCARDS
Jam Card has 6 chords that sound great together in
USING
any order. Here are pictures of what those 6 chords look like if you put the
1. JAM the
card behind
the keys(the
of yourone
piano on
/ keyboard.
ROOT
first
ROOT
stripe
the far left) on C.
2. Line up a

ROOT

key with any note for the desired chord or scale.

Emi

Dmi

3. The blue keys will show you what other keys to play.

D
3

For corresponding keyboard curriculum please visit: http://www.littlekidsrock.org/thehang/keyboard-index/

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Ami

PROGRESSION:

1, 4, 5

These three chords are all major and have been the three
most often used chords in Pop Music for decades.

JAM CARD

#7a
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ROOT

1
3

1
5

THE 1 CHORD

5
5

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THE 4 CHORD

ROOT

THE 5 CHORD

ROOT

THUMB

SHORTCUT:

1, 4, 5

These are three chords using shortcuts to make changing chords easier. The anchor shows
which note stays the same when changing between chords; when switching from 1 to 4 the
bottom note stays the same, but when switching from 1 to 5 the top note stays the same.

JAM CARD

#7b
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3
2

THE 4 CHORD

THE 1 CHORD

THE 5 CHORD

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ROOT

ROOT

ROOT

THUMB