Do you know why the guitar is the most popular instrument in the world? It's because it's easy for a complete beginner to pick it up and actually create something most of us can call music right away.

Do you think a beginning piano student can do this? Not really. That's why learning how to play chord piano is becoming so popular. Most students don't want to wait years before they can create music. They want to be creative like their guitarist counterparts - and why not?

Learning how to play chord piano is actually easier then playing chords on a guitar. It's because you don't have to hurt your fingers on the strings. No finger calluses here. Not at all. In fact, the piano may be the easiest of all instruments to play. Just press on a key and you've sounded a note. Press on three or more keys and you have created a chord.

Now, when most beginners think of playing piano chords, their minds immediately turn to triads. While triads are OK and are frequently played in most music, it's not the best chord structure to start out with. This is because we do not live in the 19th century anymore! Most piano students want to learn something that sounds a little closer to the century we're living in and this is where the open position chord structure comes in.

This modern sounding 6-note chord covers more than 2 octaves of the piano making it the best starting place for the beginner to create modern sounds. It is a seventh chord too! Used frequently in Jazz and New Age music, this chord type is easily modifiable into larger chord extensions as well.

Don't let guitarists have all the fun. Learn chord piano and you'll soon be the envy of guitar players everywhere!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!