Whether Chords Could be Played with Single or Two Fingers?

by Shashidhar
(Bangalore - India)

I am learning the keyboard now. However, I remember my teacher saying that it is a good practice to play chords with all 3 fingers, even though the left/ACMP option is on. My question is is this necessary? If left/ACMP is on, could we use either single finger/2 fingers to play the chords? Is this a violation of chord rules?
Thanks!
Shashidhar

Maria's Answer:

When you play a piano keyboard with accompaniment function, the point is to be able to easily play only a melody, and maybe a bass note, and the keyboard will then “fill in” whatever else is missing from the harmony. This can be a lot of fun and is a quick and easy way to play, but learning to play chords the “real” way is actually not very difficult either, and probably way more satisfying!

Your teacher is right saying that it is good practice to learn how to play chords for real. An extra advantage if you learn about chords is that you are not forced to use only one type of keyboard either, but can play any keyboard or piano you want.

As for being any rules on how to play the keyboard with the automatic accompaniment function, I'd say “No rules! Just have fun with it!”. That's the point!

If you would like to begin learning about chord playing, you can check out these pages to help to get you started:

• Chord Piano
  
• Free printable piano chords chart
  
• Learn Piano chords

Happy practicing!
Maria