Take Five Chords: Quick Piano Tutorial
Would you like to learn how to play the Take Five chords?
Well, you’ve come to the right place!
In today’s easy to follow Take Five video lesson you’re going to learn the intro chords to Take Five. But that’s not all…
You’re also going to learn how to count and play in a 5 / 4 time signature. This is a really fun groove to play too!
Take Five is one of the most famous jazz songs ever. Well worth your time! So, what are you waiting for?
Take Five Chords: Piano Tutorial
Take 3 minutes and watch as I break down the chords and rhythm pattern in the Take 5 jazz intro.
Make sure that once you’ve finished watching this video tutorial that you scroll down. Below I’ve listed important tips to help you fast track your learning process.
5 Powerful Takeaways For You To Master This Lesson!
Inversions Are Your Gateway To Success
By now you’ve most likely noticed that these introductory chords are both 1st inversions.
You’re simply taking the root of the chord and moving it to the top.
Ex. 1: – Ebm chord (Eb Gb Bb).
- Move your root to the top to make your first inversion Ebm chord.
- By doing this the 3rd becomes the bass note and your 5th and root are on top.
Written out it looks like this – (Gb Bb Eb).
Ex. 2: – Db chord (Db F Ab).
- Move that root to the top to construct your first inversion Db chord.
- When you do this, the 3rd of the chord should be the bass note with the 5th and root on top.
Written out it looks like this – (F Ab Db).
Pretty simple right? Let’s keep learning.
By the way, if you’re new to piano chords or jazz piano chords overall, and want a shortcut we’ve got a course for you. Check out this beginner piano chords course here.
Explore These Timing Techniques To Speed Up Your Learning
The rhythm of this intro phrase is in a 5 / 4 time signature.
Unlike the usual 4 / 4 time you’ll find in many rock, jazz, blues, or country tunes the 5 beat time signature provides a whole new groove for you to explore.
Important tip! I am constantly telling my students to practice counting out loud the beats of each measure.
This is especially helpful when trying to learn a new time signature or tackling any new piano tutorial.
Let’s walk through the timing of these Take Five chords together…
First count out the beats – (1, &, 2, &, 3, 4, 5)
Now, place the correct notes and chords on the appropriate beat. Written out fully it will look like this.
1 – Eb
& – Gb|Bb|Eb
2 – __
& – Eb
3 – Gb|Bb|Eb
4 – Bb
5 – F|Ab|Db
You can always refer back to the video tutorial for a clear demonstration or look at any Take Five piano sheet. You have the beats counted out for you with the chord progression playing in sync.
Hearing how I play and count it will help you learn!
Here’s Another Great Piano Tutorial Practice Shortcut
Don’t make things hard on yourself by playing at full speed right away. Slow down the metronome to a tempo that feels comfortable but slightly challenging.
Once you master it at a slow tempo you can begin to gradually speed up the tempo till you get it at full speed.
This is a universal rhythm tip that you’ll be able to use when trying to learn new riffs and tunes. In fact, any time you ever learn something new from a piano tutorial, I recommend you play it slow first.
Playing slow first will actually save you time. This is because you’ll get the muscle memory of the motions more quickly when you can study them slowly and with less pressure.
How To Get Better At Playing In 5 / 4
Once you’re feeling great with these Take five chords you should practice this 5 / 4 comping rhythm on different chord progressions.
If you need some suggested chord progressions you can check out this 2 5 1 lesson . Or learn tons of jazz blues chord progressions inside this program here.
Again start out slow on new tunes, chord progressions, and any piano accompaniment tutorials you watch.
Ever Heard Of Deliberate Practice?
This is another vital tip!
Most players end up forgetting things at the piano because they don’t consistently review things after they’ve learned them…
You need to create a review routine. The best way to review is spaced repetition.
Think of spaced repetition as short, regular, and daily practice sessions.
You’ll be amazed at how much faster you retain things you’ve recently learned with this type of practice routine.
You can learn a lot more about spaced repetition practice techniques and tips with this lesson on piano practice.
Where You’ll Go From Here
I’m a committed jazz piano teacher. So, my passion is to help you become the best jazz piano player you can be!
This lesson teaches you a very useful comping technique but that is just a piece of all that this site can offer you…
From here you’ll love learning these blues piano chords.
You get the chance to explore some useful blues piano moves and tricks with Blues Hall of Famer Bruce Katz!
But wait!
In today’s lesson we explored a Dave Brubeck tune. If you enjoy learning music and playing techniques from the jazz masters then you’ll want to check out The Jazz Masters Method DVD.
We break down tons of playing techniques from famous jazz musicians.
It’s filled with over 2 hours of video training for you to grow your jazz piano improvisation skills. You can explore the Jazz Masters Method right here.
No matter what you do, make sure you check back to the site consistently. We are posting useful and exciting lessons for you to learn regularly.
Until next time enjoy your practice. If you have any questions or comments about this Take Five chords tutorial, Dave Brubeck Take Five chords, or the video above, please feel free to leave your comments in the comment section below. Thank you!
