Chords possess different qualities, giving them their distinctive sounds. There are five major chords often employed by composers of music.
Major chords consist of three notes – root, major third and perfect fifth – which can then be extended with additional notes to form chords of any size and complexity.
Example of this would be C major with an added sixth (written Cadd6) or major ninth, known as maj9.
Major Triads
Major triads are often the starting point of music theory studies for newcomers. Their simple structures and easy playing style offer plenty of room for experimentation within any piece of music.
Seventh chords represent an intermediate step, consisting of a major triad with a seventh interval above its root; most commonly used types include major seventh, minor seventh, and dominant seventh chords.
extended chords feature additional thirds above the seventh, such as those used in jazz music. This type of extended chord often written as a major triad with an additional sixth (C6add6 or Cmaj6) is popularly known. A major ninth can also be chosen (maj9) and a thirteenth is Cmaj13 or Cadd13. Furthermore, suspended chords exist whereby fifth is replaced with second (eg Csus2 or Gsus2).
Major Sevenths
As their name implies, seventh chords are composed of three-note triads with an added note forming an interval of a major seventh above their root note. These sevenths can be added to various triads to form various varieties of seventh chords.
Most textbooks refer to chords by their triad type and seventh type; for example, Cm7 chords consist of major triads with minor seventh overtones atop them, creating tension that’s useful in modulations techniques.
Other types of seventh chords, including minor 11, major 9, half-diminished 7, and half-diminished 7, add color and flavor to chords by moving downward chromatically or adding a diminished fifth. Another popular jazz choice is a major ninth chord composed of a major triad with an additional dominant seventh above it.
Major Seventh Chords
There are various seventh chords out there, but one of the most frequently seen ones is known as a major seventh. To create this type of chord, simply add a major seventh note (in this instance B) to any major triad root note – for instance C as its root chord would become Cmaj7 chord.
A dominant seventh chord is another popular seventh chord formation method, created by taking a major triad and adding an inverted flattened seventh note to its root; for example, to form Cmaj7 chord simply add a B to its root of C major triad.
Alternated seventh chords are less commonly heard as they require significant adjustments for them to sound good, unlike their more familiar counterparts. These chords consist of adding (b9), (#9) or (#11). However, this chord requires additional work in order for it sound proper.
Minor Triads
Minor triads feature flattened thirds and lower fifths than in major chords, so their sound differs significantly from their major cousin. Written as either “m3 m7”, or (in certain chord symbols) Cm, CM, or C.
Chord extensions add notes from the scale above a triad’s root, third, and fifth notes, such as seventh chords (9th, 13th or higher) that extend past these. You can lower or raise these chords to alter its character or make it sound fuller.
Experimenting with chords that you would not usually use can add depth and variation to your music, creating new sounds through extended and inverted chords.
Minor Seventh Chords
Seventh chords have become a standard component of modern music, appearing across genres from Renaissance and Baroque periods alike. Their presence adds depth, emotion and complexity to basic triads that form them.
Sevenths are composed of major triads with a minor seventh added above their root chord. Their characteristics remain constant across keys and they can easily be memorized.
To convert a major seventh chord into its minor version, just lower both its third and seventh notes by half step – A major 7 becomes A minor 7. This technique can also be applied to other chords for creating minor versions of them.
Musicians refer to a major chord as the combination of three or more notes which, when played simultaneously, form a triad. At its core lies a root note followed by major third and perfect fifth to form its most basic form.
Additions can be added to a major chord to extend its range and create extensions such as the ninth or thirteenth notes – which are often written CM9, C11 or C13 respectively.
Triads
Triads are simple three-note chords used as building blocks of harmony, making them easily implemented into any piece of music. Understanding them serves as the cornerstone for many other chord types; thus expanding music theory knowledge.
Musical triads consist of three notes arranged as one block on a music sheet: root note at the bottom, third above, and fifth on top – these three notes collectively are called tertian chords.
Altering the order of these notes allows you to create various triads. For instance, replacing a third with second makes for a diminished triad and fourth makes an augmented triad.
Each triad has its own sound that can influence the emotional atmosphere of a piece of music. Major triads tend to be relaxing and joyful while minor ones can evoke sadness or anxiety. Trios therefore form an integral component of harmonic progressions.
Chords are composed of scale degrees, so the types of triads you can construct depend on your key signature. For instance, in C major key you are limited to building major triads on only the first, fourth and fifth scale degrees; these diatonic triads.
Change the intervals between root and third to alter its quality; for instance, by having a major triad with a perfect fifth it will create a major chord, while diminished with perfect fifth will produce minor and dominant chords respectively. Knowing your triads’ qualities can change the emotions evoked from music so it is crucial that they are fully comprehended.
Dominant Chords
Dominant chords provide movement in tonal music by inviting movement towards resolution or progression elsewhere. This trait can be explained by their use of tritone intervals – distance between notes one step apart such as G and F that are one tritone apart – making these dominants of a major scale dominants that also serve to drive progression back toward its tonic chord. Those built between scale degrees 22 and 44 have weaker tendencies to resolve back towards it and therefore they are known as subdominant chords.
For example, in a major scale a dominant chord can be created from a root, third and fifth note combination (such as G7). To create a dominant seventh chord by adding in an extended seventh note to an existing major triad and making an extended seventh chord (annular seventh chord). Or you could substitute something like ninth or thirteenth as substitute notes and still achieve dominance such as G9 or G13 respectively.
The dominant seventh chord can be extended into ninth, eleventh and thirteenth chords by further developing its base form of triads, chord progressions and cadences. Before exploring these expanded chords it is essential that one masters basic triads, chord progressions and cadences before delving deeper.
Once you have mastered these, experiment with different chord voicings available to you. Try alternating between major triad and dominant seventh, or playing a dominant seventh with either minor 7ths or diminished 7ths; knowing how to create and utilize chord voicings will enable you to build more engaging compositions.
The dominant seventh chord can also help establish modulations. When switching keys, songwriters will often use a dominant seventh chord on beat four of their first full measure as an effective means of shifting into their desired key.
Chords are collections of notes that form an overall feeling, where changing one note can alter its entire effect. Major chords consist of the first, third, and fifth notes in any scale.
Major triads can be extended to incorporate the seventh, ninth, and thirteenth notes of a scale for use as dominant chords – this is known as C9 C11 and C13 chords.
1. The root note
Root notes of chords can be easily identified using chord diagrams; their initial letter represents their foundation note, or where all subsequent notes of the chord will build from. Usually, the root note also serves as the lowest note on guitar. You can find it by looking at its chart; however, its note might not always correspond with its real position on guitar strings.
Listening is also an effective way of locating the root note of a chord. Listen to each pitch of a chord to identify its root note.
Root notes of chords do not always need to be the lowest sounding note; chord inversions allow you to switch up their positions so that another note serves as the lowest note; for instance, in first inversion of G major chord you could change it so D is its bass note while maintaining its characteristic sound of G major.
2. The major third
The Major Third is our initial interval in the scale and also forms our initial chord. A major chord can be created when three harmonizing notes combine to form a triad; this consists of the root note, Major Third, and Perfect Fifth notes; with perfect fifth being seven half steps higher than Root Note while Major Third stands four half steps below it.
The major third has a soothing, pleasant sound that conjures feelings of happiness, optimism and hope. For instance, in Classical piece ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ its opening chords begin on C and move upward to E evoking this signature uplifted feeling.
One of the great aspects of music education is learning the rules as soon as they’ve become second nature; that is why when John Legend’s All of Me switches from minor chords to major ones in its chorus, the emotion is all the greater.
3. The perfect fifth
The perfect fifth is an interval that, along with unison and octave, constitutes the most consonant group of pitches within a diatonic scale. It usually appears above the root of major chords (or triads) – one reason they sound so pleasing; you can observe its effect by looking at any chord containing C, E and G – something rock musicians refer to as power chords.
Finding a perfect fifth above any note requires counting two steps forward in the cycle of thirds; so for G, that would be 1) B, 2) D. To find one below any note you use this same technique but count backwards: for instance a five below F would be 1) D, 2) B.
4. The major triad
A major triad is comprised of the root note, major third and perfect fifth notes in any key. It is the most ubiquitous chord found within a major scale and easy to spot regardless of musical genre or style.
Other chords can also be constructed from major triads, though their characteristics depend on which scale degree is used as the starting point. For instance, C major triads can also be constructed using either its second or sixth interval for suspended chords (Csus2 and Csus4).
Triads are among the core building blocks of harmony, making an appearance in all music at some point or another. Each musician must learn about them, their various types and voicings as well as how to use them properly if playing pop or rock songs. A great way to practice major triads is creating basslines.
Chords are multi-note musical arrangements played at once. They’re easy to play, with beautiful tones that produce bright sounds.
Major chords are constructed by combining three notes into a triad: root note, major third and perfect fifth. They can be found across all major scale degrees.
Major Triads
A basic major chord consists of the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes from any major scale. This chord forms the backbone of most acoustic music and may be among the first you learn to play.
Triads can be combined in different ways to form different chords. For instance, C major can be played with its 4th note playing as its 5th, or with its 7th note replacing its 3rd for augmented or diminished triads respectively.
Each triad has a distinctive quality that corresponds with its scale degree. For instance, major chords built on the second scale degree will have the quality “i,” while minor ones “mi.” This way, their identities remain constant across keys for easy recognition and rememberance. These qualities are also indicated with Roman numerals in written music notation and can help learner how to read chord symbols more efficiently.
Minor Triads
As you gain experience playing major chords, it’s also crucial that you master minor triads – they form the backbone of many musical compositions and have their own distinct sound.
A triad is an interval made up of three notes in any scale. Major triads consist of those built upon do, re, and sol (1, 4, and 5) which form major chords; these major triads are shown with capital letters representing their root notes as shown above; those built upon mi and sol have lowercase “mi” after their capital letter root while diminished or augmented triads are represented with superscript circles or plus signs ().
Triads can be used to express expressiveness and emotion through music. Minor chords often sound sadder and deeper than their major counterparts, while major triads tend to produce happier or upbeat sounds; you can hear this difference in songs such as “California Girls” by The Beach Boys.
Suspended Triads
Sus Chords (also referred to as sus2 chords or major 2nd chords) feature a third that can either be dropped or raised, often creating tension that must be resolved and sounding more open than other chords due to no major or minor third.
These chords can add the necessary extra layers and variety in any piece. Alternating back and forth between suspended chords and major or minor chords can be quite fulfilling; an example would be The Who’s “Pinball Wizard”, while in Message in a Bottle by The Police they used numerous suspended chords as part of their riff.
Any chord that contains a major third can be transformed into a suspended triad by substituting either a perfect fourth or major second with it, for instance C major could become Csus4 (with third dropped out). This technique adds great variety and interest to a riff that primarily utilizes power chords.
Extended Triads
Chord extensions can add depth and dimension to any chord progression. By including additional notes that don’t belong in the traditional major scale, chord extensions add thickness by thickening a chord by thickening its thickness. Chord extensions can take many forms; as simple as replacing the fifth note with sixth (Cm6/9) or more complex steps like adding an octave above third for an Add9 chord extension.
Extended chords are built from three-note triads with wider intervals between them, giving rise to dissonant sounds when played live.
Most chord extensions are designated with odd numbers – like 9s, 11s and 13s – as a reminder that chords are simply stacks of thirds (1 3 5 7 9 11 13). For example, a Cm13 chord can be seen as a Cm6 with an additional seventh note and flattened ninth tone added on top.