Chord (music)
In music, a chord is a group of two or more notes played simultaneously, typically consisting of a root note, a third, and a fifth.[a] Chords are the building blocks of harmony and form the harmonic foundation of a piece of music. They can be major, minor, diminished, augmented, or extended, depending on the intervals between the notes and their arrangement. Chords provide the harmonic support and coloration that accompany melodies and contribute to the overall sound and mood of a musical composition. For many practical and theoretical purposes, arpeggios and other types of broken chords (in which the chord tones are not sounded simultaneously) may also be considered as chords in the right musical context.
In
A series of chords is called a
Common ways of notating or representing chords
Definition
The English word chord derives from Middle English cord, a back-formation of accord[4] in the original sense of agreement and later, harmonious sound.[5] A sequence of chords is known as a chord progression or harmonic progression. These are frequently used in Western music.[6] A chord progression "aims for a definite goal" of establishing (or contradicting) a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord.[2] The study of harmony involves chords and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them.[7]
Ottó Károlyi[9] writes that, "Two or more notes sounded simultaneously are known as a chord," though, since instances of any given note in different octaves may be taken as the same note, it is more precise for the purposes of analysis to speak of distinct pitch classes. Furthermore, as three notes are needed to define any common chord, three is often taken as the minimum number of notes that form a definite chord.[10] Hence, Andrew Surmani, for example, states, "When three or more notes are sounded together, the combination is called a chord."[11] George T. Jones agrees: "Two tones sounding together are usually termed an interval, while three or more tones are called a chord."[12] According to Monath, "a chord is a combination of three or more tones sounded simultaneously", and the distances between the tones are called intervals.[13] However, sonorities of two pitches, or even single-note melodies, are commonly heard as implying chords.[14] A simple example of two notes being interpreted as a chord is when the root and third are played but the fifth is omitted. In the key of C major, if the music stops on the two notes G and B, most listeners hear this as a G major chord.
Since a chord may be understood as such even when all its notes are not simultaneously audible, there has been some academic discussion regarding the point at which a group of notes may be called a chord.
History
In the medieval era, early Christian hymns featured organum (which used the simultaneous perfect intervals of a fourth, a fifth, and an octave[15]), with chord progressions and harmony - an incidental result of the emphasis on melodic lines during the medieval and then Renaissance (15th to 17th centuries).[16][17]
The
The
Chords are also used for timbre effects. In organ registers, certain chords are activated by a single key so that playing a melody results in parallel voice leading. These voices, losing independence, are fused into one with a new timbre. The same effect is also used in synthesizers and orchestral arrangements; for instance, in
Notation
Chords can be represented in various ways. The most common notation systems are:[3]
- Plain staff notation, used in classical music
- harmonic analysis to denote the scale step on which the chord is built.[2]
- improvisechords with the right hand while playing the bass with their left.
- quality.
- Various vampon it.
Roman numerals
While
, ...), the triads (three-note chords) that have these degrees as their roots are often identified by Roman numerals (e.g., I, IV, V, which in the key of C major would be the triads C major, F major, G major).In some conventions (as in this and related articles) upper-case
Roman numerals can also be used in stringed instrument notation to indicate the position or string to play. In some string music, the string on which it is suggested that the performer play the note is indicated with a Roman numeral (e.g., on a four-string orchestral string instrument, I indicates the highest-pitched, thinnest string and IV indicates the lowest-pitched, thickest bass string). In some orchestral parts, chamber music and solo works for string instruments, the composer tells the performer which string to use with the Roman numeral. Alternately, the composer starts the note name with the string to use—e.g., "sul G" means "play on the G string".
Figured bass notation
Triads | |||
---|---|---|---|
Inversion
|
Intervals above bass |
Symbol | Example |
Root position | 5 3 |
None | |
1st inversion | 6 3 |
6 | |
2nd inversion | 6 4 |
6 4 | |
Seventh chords | |||
Inversion | Intervals above bass |
Symbol | Example |
Root position | 7 | ||
1st inversion | 6 5 | ||
2nd inversion | 4 3 | ||
3rd inversion | 4 2 or 2 |
Figured bass or thoroughbass is a kind of
For example, in the figured bass below, the bass note is a C, and the numbers 4 and 6 indicate that notes a fourth and a sixth above (F and A) should be played, giving the second inversion of the F major triad.
If no numbers are written beneath a bass note, the figure is assumed to be 5
3, which calls for a third and a fifth above the bass note (i.e., a root position triad).
In the 2010s, some classical musicians who specialize in music from the Baroque era can still perform chords using figured bass notation; in many cases, however, the chord-playing performers read a fully notated accompaniment that has been prepared for the piece by the music publisher. Such a part, with fully written-out chords, is called a "realization" of the figured bass part.
Chord letters
Chord letters are used by
Notation in popular music
In most
- A (big) letter indicating the root note (e.g., C).
- A symbol or abbreviation indicating the chord quality(e.g., minor, aug or o ). If no chord quality is specified, the chord is assumed to be a major triad by default.
- Number(s) indicating the stacked intervals above the root note (e.g., 7 or 13).
- Additional musical symbols or abbreviations for special alterations (e.g., ♭5, ♯5 or add13).
- An added slash "/" and an upper case letter indicates that a bass note other than the root should be played. These are called slash chords. For instance, C/F indicates that a C major triad should be played with an added F in the bass. In some genres of modern jazz, two chords with a slash between them may indicate an advanced chord type called a polychord, which is the playing of two chords simultaneously. The correct notation of this should be F/C, which sometimes get mixed up with slash chords.
Chord qualities are related with the qualities of the component intervals that define the chord. The main chord qualities are:
- Major and minor (a chord is "Major" by default and altered with added info: "C" = C major, "Cm" = c minor).
- augmented, diminished, and half-diminished,
- dominant seventh.
Symbols
The symbols used for notating chords are:
- m, min, or − indicates a minor chord. The "m" must be lowercase to distinguish it from the "M" for major.
- M, Ma, Maj, Δ, or (no symbol) indicates a major chord. In a jazz context, this typically indicates that the player should use any suitable chord of a major quality, for example a 6/9 chord. In a lot of jazz styles, an unembellished major triad is rarely if ever played, but in a lead sheet the choice of which major quality chord to use is left to the performer.
- + or aug indicates an augmented chord(A or a is not used).
- o or dim indicates a diminished chord, either a diminished triad or a diminished seventh chord (d is not used).
- ø indicates a fake books, the abbreviation m7(♭5) is used as an equivalent symbol.
- 2 is mostly used as an extra note in a chord (e.g., add2, sus2).
- 3 is the minor or major quality of the chord and is rarely written as a number.
- 4 is mostly used as an extra note in a chord (e.g., add4, sus4).
- 5 is the (perfect) fifth of the chord and is only written as a number when altered (e.g., F7(♭5)). In guitar music, like rock, a "5" indicates a power chord, which consists of only the root and fifth, possibly with the root doubled an octave higher.
- 6 indicates a sixth chord. There are no rules if the 6 replaces the 5th or not.
- 7 indicates a dominant seventh chord. However, if Maj7, M7 or Δ7 is indicated, this is a major 7th chord (e.g., GM7 or FΔ7). Very rarely, also dom is used for dominant 7th.
- 9 indicates a ninth chord, which in jazz usually includes the dominant seventh as well, if it is a dominant chord.
- 11 indicates an eleventh chord, which in jazz usually includes the dominant seventh and ninth as well, if it is a dominant chord.
- 13 indicates a thirteenth chord, which in jazz usually includes the dominant seventh, ninth and eleventh as well.
- 6/9 indicates a triad with the addition of the sixth and ninth.
- sus4 (or simply 4) indicates a sus chordwith the third omitted and the fourth used instead. Other notes may be added to a sus4 chord, indicated with the word "add" and the scale degree (e.g., Asus4(add9) or Asus4(add7)).
- sus2 (or simply 2) indicates a sus chord with the third omitted and the second (which may also be called the ninth) used instead. As with "sus4", a "sus2" chord can have other scale degrees added (e.g., Asus2(add♭7) or Asus2(add4)).
- (♭9) (parenthesis) is used to indicate explicit chord alterations (e.g., A7(♭9)). The parenthesis is probably left from older days when jazz musicians weren't used to "altered chords". Albeit important, the parenthesis can be left unplayed (with no "musical harm").
- add indicates that an additional interval number should be added to the chord. (e.g., C7add13 is a C 7th chord plus an added 13th).
- alt or alt dom indicates an altered dominantseventh chord (e.g., G7♯11).
- omit5 (or simply no5) indicates that the (indicated) note should be omitted.
Examples
The table below lists common chord types, their symbols, and their components.
Chord Components Name Symbol (on C) Interval P1 m2M2 m3 M3 P4 d5P5 A5 M6/d7 m7 M7 Short Long Semitones 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Major triadC
CΔP1 M3 P5 Major sixth chordC6
CM6Cmaj6 P1 M3 P5 M6 Dominant seventh chord C7 Cdom7 P1 M3 P5 m7 Major seventh chord CM7
C∆7Cmaj7 P1 M3 P5 M7 Augmented triad C+ Caug P1 M3 A5 Augmented seventh chord C+7 Caug7 P1 M3 A5 m7 Minor triadCm Cmin P1 m3 P5 Minor sixth chordCm6 Cmin6 P1 m3 P5 M6 Minor seventh chord Cm7 Cmin7 P1 m3 P5 m7 Minor-major seventh chordCmM7
Cm/M7
Cm(M7)Cminmaj7
Cmin/maj7
Cmin(maj7)P1 m3 P5 M7 Diminished triad Co Cdim P1 m3 d5 Diminished seventh chord Co7 Cdim7 P1 m3 d5 d7 Half-diminished seventh chord Cø
Cø7P1 m3 d5 m7
Use
The basic function of chord symbols is to eliminate the need to write out sheet music. The modern jazz player has extensive knowledge of the chordal functions and can mostly play music by reading the chord symbols only. Advanced chords are common especially in modern jazz. Altered 9ths, 11ths and 5ths are not common in pop music. In jazz, a chord chart is used by comping musicians (jazz guitar, jazz piano, Hammond organ) to improvise a chordal accompaniment and to play improvised solos. Jazz bass players improvise a bassline from a chord chart. Chord charts are used by horn players and other solo instruments to guide their solo improvisations.
Interpretation of chord symbols depends on the genre of music being played. In jazz from the bebop era or later, major and minor chords are typically realized as seventh chords even if only "C" or "Cm" appear in the chart. In jazz charts, seventh chords are often realized with upper extensions, such as the ninth, sharp eleventh, and thirteenth, even if the chart only indicates "A7". In jazz, the root and fifth are often omitted from chord voicings, except when there is a diminished fifth or an augmented fifth.
In a pop or rock context, however, "C" and "Cm" would almost always be played as triads, with no sevenths. In pop and rock, in the relatively less common cases where songwriters wish a dominant seventh, major seventh, or minor seventh chord, they indicate this explicitly with the indications "C7", "Cmaj7" or "Cm7".
Characteristics
Within the diatonic scale, every chord has certain characteristics, which include:
- the number of pitch classes (distinct notes without respect to octave) in the chord,
- the scale degree of the root note,
- the position or inversionof the chord,
- the general type of intervals it is constructed from—for example, seconds, thirds, or fourths, and
- counts of each pitch class as occur between all combinations of notes the chord contains.
Number of notes
No. | Name | Alternate name |
---|---|---|
1 | Monad | Monochord |
2 | Dyad | Dichord |
3 | Triad | Trichord |
4 | Tetrad | Tetrachord |
5 | Pentad |
Pentachord |
6 | Hexad |
Hexachord |
7 | Heptad |
Heptachord
|
8 | Octad |
Octachord
|
9 | Ennead | Nonachord
|
10 | Decad |
Decachord
|
Two-note combinations, whether referred to as chords or intervals, are called dyads. In the context of a specific section in a piece of music, dyads can be heard as chords if they contain the most important notes of a certain chord. For example, in a piece in C Major, after a section of tonic C Major chords, a dyad containing the notes B and D sounds to most listeners as a first inversion G Major chord. Other dyads are more ambiguous, an aspect that composers can use creatively. For example, a dyad with a perfect fifth has no third, so it does not sound major or minor; a composer who ends a section on a perfect fifth could subsequently add the missing third. Another example is a dyad outlining the tritone, such as the notes C and F# in C Major. This dyad could be heard as implying a D7 chord (resolving to G Major) or as implying a C diminished chord (resolving to Db Major). In unaccompanied duos for two instruments, such as flute duos, the only combinations of notes that are possible are dyads, which means that all of the chord progressions must be implied through dyads, as well as with arpeggios.
Chords constructed of three notes of some underlying
Polychords are formed by two or more chords superimposed.[29] Often these may be analysed as extended chords; examples include tertian, altered chord, secundal chord, quartal and quintal harmony and Tristan chord. Another example is when G7(♯11♭9) (G–B–D–F–A♭–C♯) is formed from G major (G–B–D) and D♭ major (D♭–F–A♭).[30] A nonchord tone is a dissonant or unstable tone that lies outside the chord currently heard, though often resolving to a chord tone.[31]
Scale degree
Roman Numeral |
Scale Degree |
---|---|
I | tonic
|
ii | supertonic |
iii | mediant |
IV | subdominant |
V | dominant |
vi | submediant |
viio / ♭VII | leading tone / subtonic
|
In the key of
Many analysts use lower-case Roman numerals to indicate minor triads and upper-case numerals for major triads, and degree and plus signs ( o and + ) to indicate
Inversion
In the harmony of Western art music, a chord is in root position when the tonic note is the lowest in the chord (the bass note), and the other notes are above it. When the lowest note is not the tonic, the chord is inverted. Chords that have many constituent notes can have many different inverted positions as shown below for the C major chord:
Bass note Position Order of notes
(starting from the bass)Notation C root position C–E–G or C–G–E 5
3 as G is a fifth above C and E is a third above CE first inversion E–G–C or E–C–G 6
3 as C is a sixth above E and G is a third above EG second inversion G–C–E or G–E–C 6
4 as E is a sixth above G and C is a fourth above G
Further, a four-note chord can be inverted to four different positions by the same method as triadic inversion. For example, a G7 chord can be in root position (G as bass note); first inversion (B as bass note); second inversion (D as bass note); or third inversion (F as bass note).
Where guitar chords are concerned, the term "inversion" is used slightly differently; to refer to stock fingering "shapes".[32]
Secundal, tertian, and quartal chords
Type | Component intervals |
---|---|
Secundal | Seconds: minor second
|
Tertian | Thirds: major third, minor third |
Quartal | Fourth: augmented fourth
|
Quintal | Fifths: diminished fifth, perfect fifth
|
Many chords are a sequence of notes separated by intervals of roughly the same size. Chords can be classified into different categories by this size:
- major triad (C–E–G) is defined by a sequence of two intervals, the first (C–E) being a major third and the second (E–G) being a minor third. Most common chords are tertian.
- minor second(D–E♭).
- augmented fourth/tritone(F–B).
These terms can become ambiguous when dealing with non-diatonic scales, such as the pentatonic or chromatic scales. The use of accidentals can also complicate the terminology. For example, the chord B♯–E–A♭ appears to be quartal, as a series of diminished fourths (B♯–E and E–A♭), but it is enharmonically equivalent to (and sonically indistinguishable from) the tertian chord C–E–G♯, which is a series of major thirds (C–E and E–G♯).
Harmonic content
The notes of a chord form intervals with each of the other notes of the chord in combination. A 3-note chord has 3 of these harmonic intervals, a 4-note chord has 6, a 5-note chord has 10, a 6-note chord has 15.[34] The absence, presence, and placement of certain key intervals plays a large part in the sound of the chord, and sometimes of the selection of the chord that follows.
A chord containing tritones is called tritonic; one without tritones is atritonic. Harmonic tritones are an important part of dominant seventh chords, giving their sound a characteristic tension, and making the tritone interval likely to move in certain stereotypical ways to the following chord.[35] Tritones are also present in diminished seventh and half-diminished chords.
A chord containing
Other chords of interest might include the
- Diminished triad, which has many minor thirds and no major thirds, many tritones but no perfect fifths
- Augmented triad, which has many major thirds and no minor thirds or perfect fifths
- Dominant seventh flat five chord, which has many major thirds and tritones and no minor thirds or perfect fifths
Common types of chords
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2019) |
Triads
Triads, also called triadic chords, are tertian chords with three notes. The four basic triads are described below.
Type Component intervals Chord symbol Notes Audio Third Fifth Major triadmajor perfect C, CM, Cmaj, CΔ, Cma C E G ⓘ Minor triadminor perfect Cm, Cmin, C−, Cmi C E♭ G ⓘ Augmented triad major augmented Caug, C+, C+ C E G♯ ⓘ Diminished triad minor diminishedCdim, Co, Cm(♭5) C E♭ G♭ ⓘ
Seventh chords
Seventh chords are tertian chords, constructed by adding a fourth note to a triad, at the interval of a third above the fifth of the chord. This creates the interval of a
There are various types of seventh chords depending on the quality of both the chord and the seventh added. In chord notation the chord type is sometimes superscripted and sometimes not (e.g., Dm7, Dm7, and Dm7 are all identical).
Type Component intervals Chord symbol Notes Audio Third Fifth Seventh Diminished seventh minor diminished diminished Co7, Cdim7 C E♭ G♭ B ⓘ Half-diminished seventh minor diminished minor Cø7, Cm7♭5, C−(♭5) C E♭ G♭ B♭ ⓘ Minor seventh minor perfect minor Cm7, Cmin7, C−7, C E♭ G B♭ ⓘ Minor major seventh minor perfect major CmM7, Cmmaj7, C−(j7), C−Δ7, C−M7 C E♭ G B ⓘ Dominant seventh major perfect minor C7, Cdom7 C E G B♭ ⓘ Major seventh major perfect major CM7, CM7, Cmaj7, CΔ7, Cj7 C E G B ⓘ Augmented seventh major augmented minor C+7, Caug7, C7+, C7+5, C7♯5 C E G♯ B♭ ⓘ Augmented major seventh major augmented major C+M7, CM7+5, CM7♯5, C+j7, C+Δ7 C E G♯ B ⓘ
Extended chords
Extended chords are triads with further tertian notes added beyond the seventh: the ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords. For example, a dominant thirteenth chord consists of the notes C–E–G–B♭–D–F–A:
The upper structure or extensions, i.e., notes beyond the seventh, are shown here in red. This chord is just a theoretical illustration of this chord. In practice, a jazz pianist or jazz guitarist would not normally play the chord all in thirds as illustrated. Jazz voicings typically use the third, seventh, and then the extensions such as the ninth and thirteenth, and in some cases the eleventh. The root is often omitted from chord voicings, as the bass player will play the root. The fifth is often omitted if it is a perfect fifth. Augmented and diminished fifths are normally included in voicings. After the thirteenth, any notes added in thirds duplicate notes elsewhere in the chord; all seven notes of the scale are present in the chord, so adding more notes does not add new pitch classes. Such chords may be constructed only by using notes that lie outside the diatonic seven-note scale.
Type Components Chord
symbolNotes Audio Chord Extensions Dominant ninth dominant seventh major ninth— — C9 C E G B♭ D ⓘ Dominant eleventh dominant seventh
(the third is usually omitted)major ninth perfect eleventh — C11 C E G B♭ D F ⓘ Dominant thirteenth dominant seventh major ninth perfect eleventh
(usually omitted)major thirteenth C13 C E G B♭ D F A ⓘ
Other extended chords follow similar rules, so that for example maj9, maj11, and maj13 contain major seventh chords rather than dominant seventh chords, while m9, m11, and m13 contain minor seventh chords.
Altered chords
The third and seventh of the chord are always determined by the symbols shown above. The root cannot be so altered without changing the name of the chord, while the third cannot be altered without altering the chord's quality. Nevertheless, the fifth, ninth, eleventh and thirteenth may all be chromatically altered by accidentals.
These are noted alongside the altered element. Accidentals are most often used with dominant seventh chords.
Type Components Chord symbol Notes Audio Chord Alteration Seventh augmented fifth dominant seventhaugmented fifth C7+5, C7♯5 C E G♯ B♭ ⓘ Seventh minor ninth dominant seventh minor ninth C7−9, C7♭9 C E G B♭ D♭ ⓘ Seventh sharp ninth dominant seventh augmented ninth C7+9, C7♯9 C E G B♭ D♯ ⓘ Seventh augmented eleventh dominant seventh augmented eleventh C7+11, C7♯11 C E G B♭ D F♯ ⓘ Seventh diminished thirteenth dominant seventh minor thirteenth C7−13, C7♭13 C E G B♭ D F A♭ ⓘ Half-diminished seventh minor seventh diminished fifth Cø, Cø7, Cm7♭5 C E♭ G♭ B♭ ⓘ
Added tone chords
An added tone chord is a triad with an added, non-tertian note, such as an added sixth or a chord with an added second (ninth) or fourth (eleventh) or a combination of the three. These chords do not include "intervening" thirds as in an extended chord. Added chords can also have variations. Thus, madd9, m4 and m6 are minor triads with extended notes.
Sixth chords can belong to either of two groups. One is first inversion chords and added sixth chords that contain a sixth from the root.[38] The other group is inverted chords in which the interval of a sixth appears above a bass note that is not the root.[39]
The major sixth chord (also called, sixth or added sixth with the chord notation 6, e.g., C6) is by far the most common type of sixth chord of the first group. It comprises a major triad with the added major sixth above the root, common in popular music.[3] For example, the chord C6 contains the notes C–E–G–A. The minor sixth chord (min6 or m6, e.g., Cm6) is a minor triad, still with a major 6. For example, the chord Cm6 contains the notes C–E♭–G–A.
The
- Italian sixth chord: A♭, C, F♯
- French sixth chord: A♭, C, D, F♯
- German sixth chord: A♭, C, E♭, F♯
The augmented sixth family of chords exhibits certain peculiarities. Since they are not based on triads, as are seventh chords and other sixth chords, they are not generally regarded as having roots (nor, therefore, inversions), although one
The second group of sixth chords includes
Type Components Chord
symbolNotes Audio Chord Interval(s) Add nine major triad major ninth — C2, Cadd9 C E G D ⓘ Add fourth major triad perfect fourth — C4, Cadd11 C E G F ⓘ Add sixth major triad major sixth — C6 C E G A ⓘ Six-nine major triad major sixth major ninth C6/9 C E G A D — Seven-six major triad major sixth minor seventh C7/6 C E G A B♭ — Mixed-third major triad minor third — — C E♭ E G ⓘ
Suspended chords
A suspended chord, or "sus chord", is a chord in which the third is replaced by either the second or the fourth. This produces two main chord types: the suspended second (sus2) and the suspended fourth (sus4). The chords, Csus2 and Csus4, for example, consist of the notes C–D–G and C–F–G, respectively. There is also a third type of suspended chord, in which both the second and fourth are present, for example the chord with the notes C–D–F–G.
The name
In modern lay usage, the term is restricted to the displacement of the third only, and the dissonant second or fourth no longer must be held over (prepared) from the previous chord. Neither is it now obligatory for the displaced note to make an appearance at all, though in the majority of cases the conventional stepwise resolution to the third is still observed. In post-bop and modal jazz compositions and improvisations, suspended seventh chords are often used in nontraditional ways: these often do not function as V chords and do not resolve from the fourth to the third. The lack of resolution gives the chord an ambiguous, static quality. Indeed, the third is often played on top of a sus4 chord. A good example is the jazz standard, "Maiden Voyage".
Extended versions are also possible, such as the seventh suspended fourth, which, with root C, contains the notes C–F–G–B♭ and is notated as C7sus4. Csus4 is sometimes written Csus since the sus4 is more common than the sus2.
Type Components Chord
symbolNotes Audio Chord Interval(s) Suspended second open fifth major second — — Csus2 C D G ⓘ Suspended fourth open fifth perfect fourth — — Csus4 C F G ⓘ Jazz sus open fifth perfect fourth minor seventh major ninth C9sus4 C F G B♭ D ⓘ