Chord Recognition Flashcards- 72 Major/Minor Cards

In creating his Chord Recognition Flash Cards, Dino Ascari has provided an invaluable aid to budding pianists. When, in my retirement, I decided finally to get serious about learning to play the piano, I set out to look for learning aids focusing on music theory, especially chords and chord progressions. So I was delighted to discover this set of flash cards which have a number of advantages, especially compared to something like the "Keyboard Chord Chart" by Alfred Publishing. While they each have their advantages, the flash cards are much better for training sight reading. The next section describes the flash cards and compares them to the Alfred Keyboard Chord Chart. Description The flash cards are printed on stardard 3" x 5" cards, so they'll fit nicely into any 3" x 5" card holder. They're printed on sturdy paper which is likely to withstand quite a bit of handling. On the front of the cards is the chord printed on the grand staff (both treble and bass clefs). In contrast, the Alfred Keyboard Chord Chart (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0739007432/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) presents the chords on the bass clef only, which gives you no practice recognizing chords on the treble clef. Presumably Alfred did this to save space, but it's not particularly helpful. The chords on the flash cards take up most of the card, making them easy to read from the keyboard or other music stand, unlike the Keyboard Chord Chart where the print is much smaller and harder to read on a music stand. The only other text on the front of the card is the card number (making it easy to re-order the cards once they've been shuffled), and a small text box containing the publishing information. The back of each card displays the chord name, the position, the numerical inversion symbol (for example, 6 over 3), and the chord symbol notation (for example, Em or Bm/F#), far more information than provided by the Keyboard Chord Chart. Finally, each chord is represented in three different positions (root, first inversion, and second inversion) with each position on its own card. This system helps you learn to recognize the printed chord in all three positions. In contrast, the Keyboard Chord Chart presents each chord in the root position only. All this is not to say the Keyboard Chord Chart is not useful. To the contrary, I believe you should use both the chart and the flash cards. The chart presents the basic triad as well as the minor, diminished, augmented, major 7th, dominant 7th, minor 7th, diminished 7th, and Add 6, while the flash cards focus on the basic triad for the major and minor chords in all keys, but also includes the basic three positions. I have suggested to the publisher adding an extended set of flash cards presenting these additional chords, which would be the ideal solution for learning to recognize all chords in all positions. How to use the cards (instructions are included in the package) 1. Learn the chords for the major keys first. Once you have learned the major chords move on to the minor chords. 2. The author, Mr. Ascari, is a piano teacher, so I think it's reasonable to take his instructions into consideration. He recommends shuffling the cards so that no two of the same chords (inversions) are next to each other. This process prevents your becoming too hooked on practicing the same sequence, rather than actually reading the chords. 3. Once you have mastered a set of cards, turn them over and practice playing the chords by name rather than notation. This is, I think, a particularly clever use of the cards. 4. Once you have mastered all the chords and inversions, shuffle the whole deck and repeat the steps, playing by both notation and name. In sum, Mr. Ascari has created an invaluable aid to learning to read music and understanding how music works, especially in terms of chords and their inversions. If I had to choose, I'd recommend purchasing and mastering the flash cards first, as they're more user-friendly, present more information about each chord, and display the chords in the three basic positions. Once you have mastered these chords and their inversions, you can move on to the Keyboard Chord Chart, which is more of a reference, is harder to read, and presents the chords in only one position and on only the bass clef. The flash cards are highly recommended.

This is the magic tool for improving my sight reading! I did improve the card presentation by copying six cards in two rows on a sheet of paper and adding a page-width 5 octave keyboard drawing in between the two rows. Makes it easy to study while working out on an elliptical! Try it!

I am learning chords, or rather memorizing them so they become second nature. This certainly does this. There is no better way than repetition. It can be used independently or while practicing on the instrument. It helps recognize chords on sheet music and not just the instrument. These include all major and minor chords, including the first and second inversions. What a great find. I use it regularly until I have memorized it all. The notes are large, which also helps with visual memory and the name is on the back of each card. Much better than charts.

I am a novice piano player and I found these cards perfect for learning my chords. Very sturdy cards and just the right size.

The cards came in a little strange packaging, which dented some of the sides. The pages were not all the same size either like they had been cut at different times. All in all, functional and great for practicing chord recognition!

Atleast you should know the chord major minor, This item help you to quickly identify chord for all inversion , it help alot for people who need to improve sight reading chords

These flash cards are a good way to begin your study of chord identification. You will learn to recognize triads in root position, first inversion (6/3) and second inversion (6/4) in both treble and bass clefs. My only complaint is that all the chords are represented in what amounts to the key of C Major, with sharps and flats used to indicate the accidentals. This is not ideal, because in actual sight reading, you will most likely be in another key signature and will need to recognize the chords in that context. But for entry level chord recognition, they're fine. Once these are mastered, I recommend using a software application such as Tenuto which will help you to learn to recognize chords of all types in all keys, and then find them at the keyboard, which is the ultimate goal.

A good teaching tool