Nathaniel School of Music

5 Useful Exercises to Practise a Chord With an Extra Note on Piano

Adding a copy of one triad note, usually the octave of the lowest note, turns a three-note chord into a four-note shape that you can use for 6/8 arpeggios, salsa montunos, one-hand melody-and-chord playing, a left-hand banjo roll and blues grooves.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 35 min

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Key points

A triad has three notes. In this lesson Jason Zac adds one more, but not a new note like a seventh or ninth. The extra note is a copy of an existing note, usually the octave of the lowest one. That small change gives you five practical exercises across different genres, using both hands. It suits a student who already knows basic major and minor triads and wants to use them in real music.

Exercise 1: 6/8 arpeggios (right and left hand)

The progression is G major (G B D), E minor (E G B), A minor (A C E) and D major (D F# A), all from the key of G major. Add the octave of the lowest note to each chord, for example G B D G.

In the left hand, keep chords close: G, then the lower E, the higher A, then the lower D. In the right hand, practise with smooth inversions:

  1. Start with G in root position (G B D G), then E minor in first inversion (G B E G), climb to A minor, and play D major in second inversion (A D F# A).
  2. Start with G in first inversion (B D G B), then E minor in second inversion (B E G B), A minor in first inversion (C E A C) and D major in root position.
  3. Start with G in second inversion (D G B D), then E minor in root position, A minor in second inversion (E A C E), and finish with D major, which is a little awkward.

Played back to back, the three versions climb and end an octave above where you started. With inversions, use all five fingers, including the ring finger.

Exercise 2: salsa montuno (right hand)

Use the Andalusian cadence in A minor: A minor, G major, F major, E major. The octave gives salsa its bite.

Think of the chord as outside (the two octave notes struck together) and inside (the third and fifth). Play the rhythm O I O I O I O O I against a count of 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Rock your wrist in and out for a pumping feel. Keep a steady pulse in the left hand, or simply hold the root. A second version uses the same hit points but alternates the inside notes, which Jason Zac calls toggling thirds. Later, transpose the cadence to D minor, C minor or G minor.

Exercise 3: melody and chord in one hand

A simple crotchet melody in F major (A G Bb A, G F A G, F E G F, D E F G) sits over F major, C major, D minor and Bb major. The melody must be the top note of each chord shape.

Exercise 4: left-hand banjo roll with a floating top note

Arpeggiate E major as E B G# B, then add the octave E on top to lengthen the cycle, like a banjo roll. Next, float the thumb's top note: the major 7th (D#), major 6th (C#), flat 7th (D, a spicier dominant sound), the 9th (F#) or, if you can stretch, the 10th (G#). This creates a counter-melody while the chord stays E major.

Exercise 5: blues left hand

In C, play C E G with the octave C in a rhythmic pattern; the octave is the note a bass player leans on after the root. Then add the flat 3 (Eb) with a slight wrist movement, the 6th (A) and the flat 7th (Bb). These patterns push all five left-hand fingers to work.

How to practise

Learn each pattern slowly, one hand at a time, then add the other hand. Focus on anticipating chord changes and keeping every finger ready.

Questions about this lesson

What extra note do you add to a triad in these exercises?

You add a copy of one of the existing notes, most often the octave of the lowest note, such as G B D G for G major. No new notes like sevenths or ninths are added to the basic shape.

How do you play a 6/8 arpeggio with a four-note chord?

Play the notes in the order Low, Middle, High, Low-octave, High, Middle, giving six notes per bar. The lesson uses G major, E minor, A minor and D major.

What is the out-in pattern in a salsa montuno?

Outside means striking the two octave notes together, and inside means playing the third and fifth between them. The pattern O I O I O I O O I runs over the A minor, G major, F major, E major progression.

How can you play melody and chords with just one hand?

Put the melody on top with the pinky and ring finger, and arpeggiate the remaining triad notes downwards with the other three fingers. If the stretch is too wide, use a simpler three-note shape.

Practise it

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