How to know what piano chord I'm playing???

Learn about intervals and there relationships. Google for scale chords and you'll find plenty of resources that will tell you about chords and their relationship to scales. Learn the major, natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor scales and the chords derived from, them in all keys, and then you'll know the chords for about 99% of tunes ever written. After that learn some chord progressions (again Google is your friend here) and try to work out what chords and progressions are used in your favourite tunes. As you practise and develop your ear you'll be able to work out what to play and what you're playing easily.
 
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Yes ^^^^. There are resources all over the web, and there are great resources right here at FP (from Bandcoach and others) that can help you get the basics.

But the basic-basics (no extensions or substitutions, altered chords, or funky bass notes that actually change the chord itself) are major and minor triads (and their inversions). If you are playing a three-note chord starting on "C," then add in "E" and "G," you are playing a C Major chord. If you flat (lower) the third (middle note) from "E" to "Eb" (e-flat), then you are playing a C minor chord. This is true regardless of whether or not you move the position around and start with a different note out of each of the three (you can spell C Major C-E-G, E-G-C, or G-C-E, for example). The same chord with a different first note/order is called an _inversion_. In _Western_ musical culture (not necessarily everywhere else in the world), we often say that major sounds "happy," and minor sounds "sad."

The "root" note, in this case "C," is _usually_ the note that the bass player will play (or start his pattern on for that chord). _Usually_. So if you are trying to figure out a song, or are trying to compose one by figuring out what you're hearing in your head by putting your fingers to the keys, the bass note is a good place to start with naming/defining your chords. If you hear a "C" in the bass, the chord is (usually) some kind of C chord. Of course, it could be major, minor, augmented, diminished, a 7th (dominant), major 7th, 9th, etc., etc. chord, but at least you have a place to start from there.

Any of that make sense?

BC recommends an online source for tuning your ears and practicing intervals, chord tones, etc. (I forget the name right now)... Another way is to get ahold of the Jamey Aebersold ear-training materials (CD's, tapes; I think there's a bunch of stuff posted on YouTube now). Listening to these exercises is like doing a workout for your ears, rather than your biceps; it's a good way to start recognizing chord tones and their building blocks (intervals, scales, and modes).

GJ
 
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