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Broken Chord Piano Technique: “What It is and How to Use It”

by Manuel Marino | Music, Piano

Photo by jez`

Ah, broken chords. The sound they produce, the cascading pattern of chordal notes, is simply gorgeous. There’s something undeniably captivating about it. And the best part is that this technique is one of the easiest to learn. All you need to do is have a chord under your fingers and be able to “break it up.”

So, what do I mean by “break it up”? You’ve probably heard of solid chords. This is when all the tones of the chord are played simultaneously. For example, if I play a C Major triad by pressing down all three keys at once, that’s a solid chord. However, if I play the individual notes of this chord one at a time, I get a broken chord.

Broken chords are frequently used in New Age piano music. There’s something incredibly appealing about playing the notes of a chord in a broken pattern. Perhaps it’s because it gives the piano a fuller sound, or maybe it’s simply because it sounds beautiful.

Now, let’s explore how we can create broken chords.

In the lesson “Reflections in Water,” we encounter four open position chords. These chords are perfect for “breaking up” because they are …

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