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CHORDS
Intervals
To understand chords, we must first take a close look at
intervals.
- Interval
- The space between two notes.
A chord has to have a minimum of 3 notes, called a chord
triad. A chord triad consists of 2 intervals. The smallest
interval in western music is the half-step. On a piano keyboard,
this would be playing 2 notes without any other notes in between
them. B - C, C - C#, E - F, Gb - G, are all examples of half-step
intervals.
The next largest interval is the whole step. A whole step
consists of 2 half steps. B - C#, C - D, E - F#, Gb - Ab are
all examples of whole step intervals.
The next largest interval is the minor third. A minor third
consists of 1 1/2 steps. The interval which is larger than
the minor third is the major third, which consists of 2 whole
steps (or 4 half steps).
The following chart shows the intervals starting from G.
| Interval
| Name
|
| G - Ab
| half-step
|
| G - A
| whole-step
|
| G - Bb
| minor third
|
| G - B
| major third
|
* There are more intervals than the ones listed, but for
purposes of learning chords, only the half-step, whole-step,
minor third and major third intervals will be covered.
There are only 4 types of chord triads; major, minor, augmented
and diminished. These chords are defined by their intervals.
The following is a chart of the various G chord triads, with
the notes of the chord and interval names listed:
| G Chord
| Notes of Chord
| Order of Intervals
|
| G Major
| G B D
| Maj-3rd Min-3rd
|
| G Minor
| G Bb D
| Min-3rd Maj-3rd
|
| G Augmented
| G B D#
| Maj-3rd Maj-3rd
|
| G Diminished
| G Bb Db
| Min-3rd Min-3rd
|
Knowing the intervals which make up chords, will allow a
person to find chords without any additional aids.
Seventh Chords
If we extend the chord triad by giving it a fourth note,
we get 7th chords. The following chart lists the most common
7th chords for G along with the appropriate intervals:
| G 7th Chord
| Notes of Chord
| Order of Intervals
|
| G Major 7
| G B D F#
| Maj-3rd Min-3rd Maj-3rd
|
| G Dominant 7
| G B D F
| Maj-3rd Min-3rd Min-3rd
|
| G Minor 7
| G Bb D F
| Min-3rd Maj-3rd Min-3rd
|
| G Half-Diminished 7
| G Bb Db F
| Min-3rd Min- 3rd Maj-3rd
|
| G Diminished 7
| G Bb Db E
| Min-3rd Min-3rd Min-3rd
|
You may want to go further and chart out the intervals for
5, 6 and 7 note chords as well. I will not go any farther
than charting 4 note chords.
Applying chords to music
To apply chords to music, first find out the key
of the song. Then by harmonizing the corresponding scale,
or simply using the number system,
one can find all of the chords which work for a given key.
An example would be if a song is in the key of A major, it
scale would be:
Any chord which contains notes derived from this scale will
work in this key. So, A major 9 (A C# E G# B) works since
all it's notes are derived from the A major scale. Db major
(Db F Ab) won't work within the key because this chord contains
an F natural instead of an F sharp. But try it anyhow, it
may work in the song even though it doesn't fit the key. Don't
be afraid to place chords in a song which aren't derived from
it's key(s). In other words, don't limit yourself to the key
of a song/progression. Keys are to be thought of as guidelines.
Chord naming conventions
Let's use chords derived from the C major scale as examples:
C D E F G A B
Chords are derived from numbering the scale degrees of the
corresponding root. (C=1, D=2, E=3, etc.). When the notes
of the scale go into another octave, the numbers continue.
C D E F G A B C D E F G A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
A chord triad will contain the 1, 3 and 5. A Seventh chord
will be numbered, 1, 3, 5, 7. Here is list of the basic chord
names and their corresponding numbers:
| Number of notes
| Name
|
| 1 3 5
| Triad
|
| 1 3 5 7
| Seventh
|
| 1 3 5 7 9
| Ninth
|
| 1 3 5 7 9 11
| Eleventh
|
| 1 3 5 7 9 11 13
| Thirteenth
|
Notice the pattern. The notes of all chords (except suspended
chords, 6th chords and some altered chords) are derived from
choosing a tonic, and building the rest of the notes from
the corresponding scale by skipping every other note of the
scale.
Naming Chord Triads
Earlier, I demonstrated how to find the name of chord triads
using intervals. The chart below illustrates how a chord name
can be found by examining the numbers of the major scale in
which it is derived from.
| C Chord Triad
| Notes of Chord
| Numbers of Chord
|
| C Major
| C E G
| 1 3 5
|
| C Minor
| C Eb G
| 1 b3 5
|
| C Augmented
| C E G#
| 1 3 #5
|
| C Diminished
| C Eb Gb
| 1 b3 b5
|
- Suspended Chords
- A chord which has its third either raised to the 4th or
lowered to the 2nd scale degree.
C F G = C sus 4 (sus 4 chords are usually written without
the "4", i.e., "C sus"
C D G = C sus 2
There has been some confusion about suspended chords. I once
saw a chord labeled as a Minor sus 4. This is an erroneous
name because by definition, a suspended chord has no third,
but a minor chord has to have a flatted third. The intended
chord was a Minor add 11 chord.
The following is a list of most, if not all, of the possible
C chords and their corresponding names.
| Notes of Chord
| Chord Name
|
| C E G
| C Major
|
| C Eb G
| C Minor
|
| C E G#
| C Augmented
|
| C Eb Gb
| C Diminished
|
| C Eb Gb Bb
| C Half-diminished
|
| C Eb Gb A
| C Diminished 7
|
| C F G
| C Suspended 4
|
| C D G
| C Suspended 2
|
| C F G Bb
| C Suspended 7
|
| C F G Bb D
| C Suspended 9
|
| C F G Bb D F
| C Suspended 11
|
| C F G Bb D F A
| C Suspended 13
|
| C E G B
| C Major 7
|
| C E G Bb
| C Dominant 7
|
| C Eb G Bb
| C Minor 7
|
| C E G A
| C Major 6
|
| C Eb G A
| C Minor 6
|
| C E G A D
| C 6/9
|
| C Eb G A D
| C Min 6/9
|
| C Eb G B
| C Minor/Major 7
|
| C E G# B
| C Maj 7 Sharp 5
|
| C E G# Bb
| C Dom 7 Sharp 5
|
| C E Gb B
| C Maj 7 Flat 5
|
| C E Gb Bb
| C Dom 7 Flat 5
|
| C Eb G# Bb
| C Min 7 Sharp 5
|
| C E G Bb D#
| C Dom 7 Sharp 9
|
| C E G Bb Db
| C Dom 7 Flat 9
|
| C E G B D
| C Maj 9
|
| C E G Bb D
| C Dom 9
|
| C Eb G Bb D
| C Minor 9
|
| C Eb G B D
| C Min/Maj 9
|
| C E G# B D
| C Maj 9 Sharp 5
|
| C E G# Bb D
| C Dom 9 Sharp 5
|
| C Eb G Bb Db
| C Min 7 Flat 9
|
| C E Gb B D
| C Maj 9 Flat 5
|
| C E Gb Bb D
| C Dom 9 Flat 5
|
| C Eb Gb Bb D
| C Min 9 Flat 5
|
| C E G B D#
| C Maj 7 Sharp 9
|
| C E G B Db
| C Maj 7 Flat 9
|
| C E G Bb Db
| C Dom 9 Flat 9
|
| C E G# B D#
| C Maj 7 Sharp 5 Sharp 9
|
| C E G# Bb D#
| C Dom 7 Sharp 5 Sharp 9
|
| C E G# B Db
| C Maj 7 Sharp 5 Flat 9
|
| C E G# Bb Db
| C Dom 7 Sharp 5 Flat 9
|
| C E Gb B D#
| C Maj 7 Flat 5 Sharp 9
|
| C E Gb Bb D#
| C Dom 7 Flat 5 Sharp 9
|
| C Eb G B D F
| C Min/Maj 11
|
| C Eb G Bb D F
| C Min 11
|
| C Eb Gb Bb D F
| C Min 11 flat 5
|
| C E G B D F
| C Maj 11
|
| C E G# B D F
| C Maj 11 Sharp 5
|
| C E G B D# F
| C Maj 11 Sharp 9
|
| C E G# B D# F
| C Maj 11 Sharp 5 Sharp 9
|
| C E Gb B D F
| C Maj 11 Flat 5
|
| C E G B Db F
| C Maj 11 Flat 9
|
| C E Gb B Db F
| C Maj 11 Flat 5 Flat 9
|
| C E G Bb D F
| C Dom 11
|
| C E G# Bb D F
| C Dom 11 Sharp 5
|
| C E G Bb D# F
| C Dom 11 Sharp 9
|
| C E G# Bb D# F
| C Dom 11 Sharp 5 Sharp 9
|
| C E Gb Bb D F
| C Dom 11 Flat 5
|
| C E G Bb Db F
| C Dom 11 Flat 9
|
| C E Gb Bb Db F
| C Dom 11 Flat 5 Flat 9
|
| C E G Bb D F A
| C Dom 13
|
| C E G B D F A
| C Maj 13
|
| C Eb Gb Bb D F A
| C Min 13 flat 5
|
| C E G Bb Db F A
| C 13 Flat 9
|
| C E G Bb D# F A
| C 13 Sharp 9
|
| C E G Bb D# F A
| C 13 Sharp 9
|
* "Dom" is an abbreviation for Dominant. All 7th chord names
without the "Dominant" or "Major" qualifier (C 7th) are implied
to be Dominant seven chords. "Half-diminished" is also called
"Minor 7 flat 5" and is listed twice. "Augmented" is an alternative
name for any chord with a sharp 5. Ex; C Dom 7 Sharp 5 = C Augmented
7
The names of the chords are cumulative. In other words, if
a chord is called a ninth, it must contain all of the triad
numbers below nine. An eleventh chord must contain 1 3 5 7
9 11 in order to be called a true "eleventh" chord. If a chord
does not hold to the pattern, say the alleged eleventh is
missing the 9, containing 1 3 5 7 11, then it is said to be
a "seven add eleven". For instance, C E G B F is a C major
7 add eleven, while C E G B D F is a legitimate C major eleven
chord. Here are some more examples:
| Notes of Chord
| Chord name
|
| D F# A E
| D major add 9
|
| Eb G Bb Db A C
| Eb Dom 7 add 11 add 13
|
| G B D A C
| G major add 9 add 11
|
Inversions
The best way to define an inversion is to illustrate a few:
The C major triad has three inversions:
- C E G - root inversion
- E G C - 1st inversion
- G C E - 2nd inversion
C Major 7 has four inversions
- C E G B - root inversion
- E G B C - 1st inversion
- G B C E - 2nd inversion
- B C E G - 3rd inversion
C G B E is not an inversion. All the notes of the chord must
be present and no note can be skipped, only the sequence of
the notes can be altered in a chord inversion.
Voicings
A chord voicing is different from a chord inversion in that
a note can be skipped or repeated in a chord voicing. Again,
the best way to teach about chord voicings is to illustrate
them:
C G B E is a chord voicing of C major 7.
C B E G is a chord voicing of C major 7
G C E G is a chord voicing of C major 7.
C G C B E is a chord voicing of C major 7.
B G E C E is a chord voicing of C major 7.
As chords get bigger (elevenths and thirteenths), most musicians
will tend to drop one note of the chord. Usually, (this is
not a rule) the eleventh is the first note to go in a thirteenth
chord, thus technically making the chord a 9 add 13 (assuming
no other note is dropped).
One thing to keep in mind about voicings and inversions is
that with bigger chords, voicings/inversions become increasingly
important as to how the chord sounds. For instance, for the
G major 7 chord, voiced G B D F#, this chord can sound "jazzy",
while voiced B D F# G is too disonant because of the F# and
G being placed right next to each other. The latter voicing
is a rarely used one for this chord.
Alternate names for chords
In the notes above, I talked about some alternate names for
chords (Half-diminished/Minor 7 b5 is one example). But some
chords have alternate names which can be chosen based upon
how the chord is being used within the context of the song/progression.
Some examples are:
| Notes of Chord
| Chord Name
| Chord Name
|
| A C E G
| A minor 7
| C major 6 (3rd inversion)
|
| B D F A
| B half-diminished
| D minor 6 (3rd inversion)
|
| G C D
| G suspended 4
| C suspended 2 (1st inversion)
|
Augmented chords have 3 possible names, usually chosen based
upon which inversion is being used:
| Notes of Augmented Chord
| Chord Name
|
| C E G#
| C Augmented
|
| E G# C
| E Augmented
|
| G# C E
| G# Augmented
|
So, which name should be used in which situations? Whichever
is easiest. The way a chord is being used will help you in
deciding upon its name. For instance, if the G sus 4/C sus
2 chord is used (the notes are G C D) before or after a G
major chord, I'm more likely to call this a G sus 4 because
I associate it with the preceding G chord. This is especially
