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Music theory

Fast tracks your learning by teaching you about the building blocks of music.

Aspiring Pianists

Gain confidence and improve quickly with this easy-to-use poster.

Perfect for Beginners

Products are aimed at musicians of all levels.

Music Producers

Start making your own music and add complexity to your compositions.

Chords and scales

Commit chords and scales to memory to become a more fluent player.

Accessible for all

Illustrated chord and scale diagrams means no sight reading required.

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Learn the piano and produce your own music

The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster helps producers and pianists of all levels to make better music. It will teach you how to move between chord sets and create unique chord progressions for your own music. From playing your first song, to writing your next album - this poster encourages creators of all abilities to unlock their musical potential.

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Ready to start playing?

Okay. So your Really Useful Chord Progression Poster just arrived in the post. You can’t wait to get started. You hang your poster up on the wall and then...what next? 

Whatever your musical goal is, we’ve got you covered.

The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster helps piano players to commit chords to muscle memory. It will teach you the correct hand positions and fingering for each, so that you learn the best way to play them. With this poster, there’s no need for apps – which means you can stay in the zone as you play.

Choose a chord set and play all 7 chords in sequence. Once you can do that with ease, start playing the chords in a random order. This will help you to come up with your own unique progressions. You can then find the matching scale and use the 7 notes in the scale to write a melody over the top of your chord progression. Try to do this for a different chord set every day to improve your playing skills and consistently create great music!

Head to our Learning Portal to find videos and guides that will support you on your creative journey.

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Strike a chord

A chord is a collection of two or more notes that are played together at the same time. You can choose any notes you like to create a chord. But it’s worth learning the most common chord types, as they appear in many popular pieces of music.

Major, minor, augmented and diminished. Those 4 chord types have created the world’s most beautiful songs. Once you understand how they’re formed, you can play and improvise with the best of them.

Just as a drumbeat provides rhythm, chords give structure to a song. They’re also a great way to create emotion. Chords are built using combinations of intervals - which means the distance between one note and another. By using different interval patterns, you can create distinct moods. This is how chords and chord sequences add suspense, sorrow or joy to a piece.

When you become familiar with each chord type, you can pick the perfect chords for any arrangement.

The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster contains visual diagrams of all 24 major and minor chord sets. The chords are displayed in a large, easy-to-read format, with their notes written underneath them. This means you can instantly access all the notes you need, rather than having to figure out how to build each chord manually. Use this poster every time you practise, and you’ll soon be playing chords with ease.

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Scale your learning

A scale is a collection of notes, played in a particular order. Scales can start on any note and each has its own distinct sound.

Scales provide useful sets of notes, which sound good when played together. When you know which notes are in each scale, then it’s easier to riff and create new music.

Mastering your scales is a bit like learning how to touch-type. By practising them frequently you’ll improve your coordination and fluency. Once you’ve nailed your scales, you’ll be able to play with confidence. The more you practise them, the quicker you’ll commit them to memory!

The Really Useful Piano Poster teaches you about 4 of the most common scales: major, natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor. The poster is fully illustrated, which means that there’s no sight-reading necessary. It includes a step-by-step guide on how to play each scale, with clearly indicated fingering for both the left and right hand.

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Practice makes progress

A chord progression is made up of multiple chords played in succession. Much like individual chords, chord progressions create a sense of atmosphere. They work alongside the melody of a song to give it structure.

Each major and minor scale has its own set of 7 triad chords. All of these chords work well when played together because they’re made up of notes from the same scale. By memorising these chord sets you’ll become a more intuitive player and songwriter. Over time, they’ll help you to pick up music by ear and create more interesting compositions.

The Really Useful Piano Poster covers the major and natural minor chord sets for each key signature. The chord sets are laid out in an accessible, visual format - so you don’t have to take the time to work them out yourself. Just refer back to your poster and you’ll be able to jam chord progressions in any key.

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Music theory made easy(ish)

Music theory is the study of the rules and concepts that underpin every piece of music. It covers a huge range of topics, including scales, modes, musical terminology, harmonies, notation and much more.

You don’t have to study music theory in order to make and play music - but it definitely helps. If you can get to grips with the fundamentals, then you’ll be able to understand the instinctive choices you make when you play. The more you learn, the more informed your decisions will be. Think of music theory as a tool that can improve your performance and speed up the song writing process.

By learning the theory behind chord progressions you’ll get a better understanding of how songs are created. This will help you to pick up music by ear and improve your own song-writing ability. With each purchase you’ll also immediately receive a free digital version of The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster.So you can get practising straight away!

Good to know

Free 2-day shipping to the UK

Worldwide shipping is charged at £15

Free digital download with this product

This product ships in a postal tube

Each tube weighs approximately 405g / 0.9lb

Each poster measures 594 x 841mm / 23.4 x 33.1in

We offset our carbon footprint via Ecologi

We use 100% recyclable paper and packaging

What makes this poster so useful?

  • Illustrated chord sets mean no sight-reading required 
  • Learn all the chords you need to start composing
  • The perfect size to hang up on your wall
  • Covers chord inversions and common progressions
  • Free shipping to the UK
  • Receive a free digital download of The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster immediately after purchase
  • Scale your learning by doing 
  • Improve your improvisation
  • Compose with confidence 
  • Commit chords to memory
  • Fine tune your musical ear
  • Make more informed choices in your productions
  • Start writing songs with ease
  • Learn music theory at your own pace

10 Useful Videos for piano players and producers

Check out these videos to make the most out of your poster and get to grips with music theory.

30 second overview - The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster
90 second overview - The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster
How to practise using The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster
3 ways to make a song using The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster
How to jam with someone else using The Really Useful Chord Progression Poster
An introduction to intervals
An introduction to chords
An introduction to scales
An introduction to chord progressions
An introduction to modes

Frequently Asked Questions

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Reviews from happy creators

I've found the wall chart really useful (pun intended 😂). I keep mine next to my piano and  having all of the scales and chords to hand is invaluable for my learning. I also love the pdf version of this product, which I use when I’m creating on my MIDI keyboard. It’s great having all of the reference materials I need in one place!

I’ve found these posters to be so useful - and I’m a big fan of the way they’re presented. I have been playing the piano for a couple of years now and because I’m getting on in years I needed shortcuts to help me to learn quickly. These brilliant resources have really helped me in this regard. They’re colourful, logically designed and easy to understand - thank you so much for making them!

These cards have become a consistent part of my production workflow. They got me thinking more about scales and keys. As a producer who doesn’t have ‘formal’ training in key playing, they’ve helped me to feel a lot more empowered. I get ideas punched in a lot quicker when referencing these cards. They are easy to read and it’s actually nice not to have to use a screen - it’s just you, the keyboard and the cards! I’ve been kicking off my process by either choosing a scale to work in directly in my DAW, or pitching a sample to the scale I like and then finding what that scale is within my DAW. Once I know the scale, I use the cards when adding additional layers to the base idea. Works a treat!

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