Mysterious Piano Chords: Move the Fifth in an Odd-Time Arpeggio
To create mysterious piano chords, keep the root and third of a major or minor triad and move the fifth to nearby notes, such as G to F#, G# or A over C and E, then play it as an arpeggio with crescendos, decrescendos and an optional 5/4 feel.
Key points
- Keep the root and third of a major or minor triad and move only the fifth.
- Over C and E, try F#, G#, A and F in place of G for different colours.
- Play the chord as an arpeggio with crescendos and decrescendos for atmosphere.
- Minor chords sound creepier; in F minor, moving C to B (Cb) gives F diminished.
- Playing the pattern in 5/4 adds extra mystery and an unsettled feel.
What this lesson teaches
In this lesson Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shows a simple way to turn plain major and minor chords into what he calls mystery chords. These sounds suggest spy films, detective stories and anything that needs a touch of intrigue. You do not need to learn any new chord shapes. You simply take a triad you already know and change one note: the fifth.
The idea suits beginners who know basic triads and want a creative, atmospheric sound for intros, film-style pieces or their own compositions.
Step 1: Start with a plain triad
Take any major or minor chord. In the video the starting point is C major: C E G. The note to focus on is the fifth of the chord, which here is G.
Step 2: Move the fifth around its neighbourhood
Keep the root and third (C and E) where they are, and let the top note wander to notes near G. Options shown include:
- C E G – the original chord, your home base
- C E F# – the fifth lowered by a semitone
- C E G# – the fifth raised by a semitone
- C E A – the fifth raised by a tone
- C E F – not a very colourful sound, but you may still like it
Each of these gives the chord a different shade, from tense to strange to dreamy. There is no single correct order; let your ear decide.
Step 3: Turn it into an arpeggio phrase with dynamics
Rather than striking the chord as a block, play the notes one after another as an arpeggio pattern. Then shape the phrase with plenty of dynamics: let the volume build up with a crescendo, then fade with a decrescendo. The rise and fall of volume is a big part of the mysterious effect.
Begin on the normal fifth, then slowly start wandering away from it, come back to the fifth, and wander off again. Whenever you feel ready, change to another chord and repeat the idea there.
Step 4: Try it on a minor chord
Major chords give a unique, unusual colour. Minor chords can sound a little creepy. Take F minor: F Ab C. If you move the fifth, C, down to B (heard as Cb here), you get F Ab Cb, which is an F diminished chord. In this style, though, you are not thinking about chord names; you can move freely anywhere around the fifth and see what sounds you discover.
Step 5: Add an odd time signature
To really bring out the mystery, couple the arpeggio pattern with an odd time signature such as 5/4, which is less common for most musicians. Count steadily 1 2 3 4 5, 1 2 3 4 5, and fit your arpeggio into each group of five. The uneven pulse makes the phrase feel unsettled and cinematic.
How to practise
- Play C E G as an arpeggio until it feels smooth.
- Swap the G for F#, G#, A and F one at a time and listen to each colour.
- Link them into a phrase that leaves the fifth, returns to it and leaves again.
- Add a crescendo and decrescendo across the phrase.
- Move to another chord, including a minor one like F minor, and repeat.
- Finally, count in 5/4 and fit the pattern into that groove.
Be imaginative and feel your way through the performance. The aim is to wander into no man's land and come back home, and to use whatever sounds you like in your own compositions.
Questions about this lesson
How do you make a piano chord sound mysterious?
Take a major or minor triad, keep the root and third, and move the fifth to nearby notes. For C major, try C E F#, C E G# or C E A, and play them as an arpeggio with rising and falling volume.
Does this work with minor chords?
Yes, and minor chords tend to sound a little creepy with this trick. For example, in F minor (F Ab C), moving the C down to B gives an F diminished sound.
What time signature works best for mystery chords?
An odd time signature like 5/4 adds to the mystery because it is uncommon and feels uneven. Count 1 2 3 4 5 and fit your arpeggio into each group.
Do I need to learn new chords for this?
No. You use the same major and minor chords you already know and only change the fifth, so there is nothing to relearn.
Practise it
- Rhythm TeacherBuild accent patterns, divide beats and explore odd metres and polyrhythms.
- PitaraPlay the piano on your computer keys or a MIDI keyboard and see every note on the staff with its chord name.
- Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
Related lessons
- Make Chord Practice Fun With the Circle of Fifths (Part 1)To practise major chords around the Circle of Fifths, play all 12 triads moving clockwise (the plagal direction) and anticlockwise (the authentic direction), keeping the common note and sliding the other two notes, then turn it into a rhythm workout by shrinking the arpeggio cycle from 8 beats down to 3 while the metronome stays at the same tempo.
- The Daily Piano Chord Exercise: Climbing Inversions With Many Rhythm PatternsThis daily piano drill moves three-note chord shapes up and down the keyboard in C major, then plays them as block chords, broken chords, arpeggios and a broken-arpeggio combo, across different speeds, time signatures, syncopated hand patterns and finally in the left hand.
- 3 Easy Ways to Make Your Piano Arpeggios Sound ProTo make piano arpeggios sound professional, shape the volume with dynamics guided by your breathing and the singer, use the sustain pedal while lifting it just before each chord change, and accent the notes that fall on the snare drum beats, usually beats 2 and 4.
- Arpeggios With Impact: Accent Beats to Groove in Any Time SignatureTo give a piano arpeggio impact, keep your normal arpeggio pattern but play the lowest and highest notes together as a dyad on the beats you want to stress, such as beat 1, beats 1 and 3, or the tresillo, and the same idea works in 3/4, triplets, 5/8 and 7/8 by grouping notes in sets of 2, 3 and 4.