How do I read piano chords in this format: Em7, Dm7, F#m7?
Well you’ll need to learn a little music theory to understand chords. It’s not too complicated, it just takes a little bit of practice and playing around with chords and scales. For any chord, imagine a basic major scale starting with the note that the chord is called. For example, a C scale (the easiest to play on piano) goes C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C with no sharps or flats. The most basic type of chord is called a major triad. If you just see a chord like “C” or “E,” it’s a major triad. For this you just play the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the scale. So a C chord would be C-E-G. Then there’s a minor scale. It starts like a major scale, but the 3rd, 6th, and 7th notes of the scale are flat. So a C minor scale would be C-D-E♭-F-G-A♭-B♭-C, and a C minor triad (written Cm) would be C-E♭-G. The rest of the chords are variations on the major and minor triads. A 7th chord means you play the triad (1st, 3rd, and 5th), plus the 7th note in the scale. A C7 chord would be C-E-G-B, and a Cm7 would be C-E
