In contrast to a unison or an interval, a chord is any group of 3 or more notes that are played at the same time. Broken chords, also known as arpeggios, are chords which are played one note at a time, but add up to 3 or more notes.
A unison is a single note, whereas an interval consists of 2 notes of different pitches:
Intervals occur in 5 classes:
·
Major
intervals
·
Minor
intervals
·
Diminished
intervals
·
Augmented
intervals
·
Perfect
intervals
When inverted (turned upside down):
Chords occur in different qualities. Three note chords are known as triads. There are four types of triads:
· Major
· Minor
· Augmented
· Diminished
Major chords (triads) consist of a stack of 2 intervals: a major 3rd on the bottom, and a minor 3rd on top.
Minor chords (triads) consist of a stack of 2 intervals: a minor 3rd on the bottom, and a major 3rd on top.
Augmented chords (triads) consist of a stack of 2 intervals, both of which are major 3rds.
Diminished chords (triads) consist of a stack of 2 intervals, both of which are major 3rds.
Chords can be turned upside down: they are known as inversions.
Chords containing more than 3 notes are termed "extended chords", because they extend beyond the mere triad. There are many extended chords.
· 6th chords
· Minor 6th chords
· 7th chords
· Major 7th chords
· 9th chords
· Major 9th chords (the "major" refers to the major 7th in the 9th chord)
· 11th chords
· 13th chords
Chords can also be altered through the use of sharps and flats. For example, a 7th chord might be altered by lowering the 5th 1/2 step. It would be notated as a C7-5 chord. Another example would be a flat 9th chord, notated as C-9.
Chords can also be used on top of a note which is not part of the chord. These are known as "slash chords" because they are notated like this: C/B, F7/G etc.
In addition to standard music notation, there is a "shorthand" kind of notation known as chord symbols. They typically are found above a melody line (tune of the song) and instruct the musician as to what chord to use at any given time.
The I,
IV, and V Chords
There are thousands and thousands of different chords - everything
from basic major chords to minor 7ths to 13ths to suspensions to poly-chords.
There are 3 chords that you absolutely, positively have to
know. If you don't know these three, there's hardly a song in the whole world
that you could play. But by knowing just 3 chords, you can play hundreds, if
not thousands of songs!
They are the I,
IV, and V chords.
In every key there are 3 chords which are known as
"primary chords - chords that occur way more than other chords. They are
groups of notes built on the 1st note of the scale, the 4th note of that scale,
and the 5th note of that scale. Those are 3-note chords called
"triads".
For example, in the C scale (C up to C and octave higher) the I chord is built on the first note of the C scale.
The chord is C, E, and G - known as the "C major
chord".
If I build a chord on the "IV" - every other
scale note up from F, the chord is F, A, and C - known as the "F major
chord".
If I build a chord on the "V" -- every other
scale note up from G, the chord is G, B, and D - known as the "G major
chord".
Those 3 chords contain all the notes in the C scale.
So in any melody - tune - in the key of C (as long as it
just uses the 8 notes of the scale) can be harmonized just by playing one of
those 3 chords.
In any given key, there are primary chords that occur more
than other chords.
In any given key, there are 3 primary chords of that key - the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord. They are the
most likely chords to occur in any given key.
In the Key of C, and the first chord is the C chord the
next chord would be either the F chord or the G chord.
There are not always just 3 chords in a song, but there are
literally hundreds of songs that are made of just 3 chords.
Remember that the primary chords
are the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord based
on the scale of that particular key.
Key of C: C, F, G
Key of G: G, C, D
Key of D: D, G, A
Key of A: A, D, E
Key of E: E, A, B
Key of B: B, E, F#
Key of F: F, Bb, C
Key of Bb: Bb, Eb, F
Key of Eb: Eb,
Ab, Bb
Key of Ab: Ab,
Db, Eb
Key of Db: Db, Gb,
Ab
Key of Gb:
Gb, Cb, Db
You must know the 3 chords in whatever key you want to play
in! That means you can learn 3 chords in just a few minutes, and be able to
play thousands of tunes, because most folk songs, hymns, country songs, and
many rock songs just use the 3 basic chords. That's why people who know little
about music can pick up a guitar, learn 3 chords, and strum along while singing
everything from "On Top Of Old Smoky" to "Amazing Grace" to
"My Country 'Tis Of Thee" to "Auld
Lang Syne" to "Silent Night.”
The 48
Basic Piano Chords Times 3
There are only 12 major chords, 12 minor chords, 12
augmented chords, and 12 diminished chords. That makes 48. Then each one can be
turned upside down (inverted) 3 times. Three times 48 is 144.
Once
a person learns the 12 major chords, all there is to finding minor and
augmented chords is to move just one note from the major chord. And all there
is to finding diminished chords is to move 2 notes
from the major chord.
The only difference between major and minor chords is that the 3rd of the chord is lowered 1/2 step - that's all. Every major chord is made up of the root, 3rd, and 5th of a major scale, so all you do is lower the 3rd 1/2 step.
All the Major and Minor Piano Chords
Inverted
Every 3 note chord (called a
"triad") can be played in 3 different positions - inversions:
Root position = The
name of the chord is the bottom note.
1st inversion = The
name of the chord is the top note.
2nd inversion = The name of the chord is the middle note.
Diminished Piano Triads
The formula is really simple: Diminished Triad = Root, lowered 3rd,
lowered 5th.
Augmented Piano Triads
The
formula is really simple: An Augmented
Triad = Root, 3rd, raised 5th.
All the 7th Piano
Chords
7th piano chords are one
of the most valuable chord types you'll ever learn.
7th
chords are very important chords because they move from one tonal base to
another tonal base. When we move from the C chord to the F chord, we often use
C7 between the two as a "connector". Actually, there are two types of
7th chords - a 7th, which we're considering now, and a major 7th, which we will
consider later.
To
form a 7th chord, you just find the 7th note of the scale and lower it 1/2
step. (Later we'll take up the "Major 7th" chord, which uses the
scale 7th.). But with a plain 7th chord, we lower the 7th 1/2 step. So here is
the formula for a 7th chord:
A 7th Piano Chord = Root, 3rd, 5th, and a flat7th.
Just add the lowered 7th note of the scale - not
the 7th - the lowered 7th - to the major triad.
7th chords want to move up a perfect 4th. They
don't need to, but that is
their tendency. So if you encounter a G7 chord, the next likely chord is a C
chord because it's a 4th higher than G. If you encountered an Eb7 chord, the
most likely chord to follow it is Ab because Ab is a 4th above Eb.
All the Major 7th Chords
The symbol for Major 7th chords
is "maj7".
Previously
we covered 7th chords. Now we're going to learn major 7th chords - only 1/2
step different, but a huge difference in the sound and how they are used. 7th
chords are extremely common - used in all kinds of music. Major 7th chords are
less common, and are generally used as "color chords" and to create a
certain sound, or a certain mood.
To form a major 7th chord, simply add the 7th degree of the scale to the major triad. For example, you know that the C major triad is C - E - G. You also know that the C scale has 8 notes, the 7th of which is B. So by adding B to the C major triad, we create a Cmaj7 chord.
A Major 7th Chord = Root, 3rd, 5th,
and a 7th.
Just add the 7th note of the scale to the
major triad.
Minor 7th Chords
Minor 7th chords are some of the most-used chords there are.
They are also the mellowest chords. Entire songs have been composed using
nothing but minor 7th chords, and even more songs composed with a combination
of minor 7ths and major 7th chords combined.
Minor 7th chords are made of a minor 3rd with a major third
over it and a minor 3rd over that. In other words, every other interval is
minor, and every other interval is major.
For example, on Cm7 it is a minor 3rd from C to Eb. Then it is a major 3rd from Eb to G. Then it is a minor 3rd from G to Bb.
The 3 Diminished 7th
Piano Chords
Diminished 7th chords are unique. They have some unusual qualities that make them interesting and useable. For example, they are the only type of chord that is simply a stack of minor 3rds. If you count from one chord note to the next, you will find that they are all equidistant.
There are really only 3 diminished 7th Piano Chords.
Any note in this diminished 7th chord can function as the
root. Therefore this chord could be named Cdim7, Ebdim7, D#dim7, F#dim7,
Gbdim7, Adim7, or Bbbdim7.
Any note in this diminished 7th chord can function as the
root. Therefore this chord could be named C#dim7, Dbdim7, Edim7, Gdim7, A#dim7,
or Bbdim7.
Any note in this diminished 7th chord can function as the
root. Therefore this chord could be named Ddim7, Fdim7, G#dim7, Abdim7, Bdim7,
or Cbdim7.
In chord progressions, the diminished 7th chords can be used
as "modulation agents", "transposition agents", and
"transition agents". They can transform themselves into 7th chords by
just moving any one note. They can also be changed into 6th chords and major
7th chords with a minimum of movement. Each of the 3 diminished 7th chords
contains two of the mysterious tri-tones used in chord progressions.