Style
Chord Basics
Two or more notes played together constitute a “chord”.
The most basic chord type is the “triad” consisting of three notes: the root, third, and fifth degrees of the corresponding scale. A C major triad, for example, is made up of the notes C (the root), E (the third note of the C major scale), and G (the fifth note of the C major scale).
3rd Root 3rd
In the C major triad shown above, the lowest note is the “root” of the chord (this is the chord’s “root position” ... using other chord notes for
the lowest note results in “inversions”). The root is the central sound of the chord, which supports and anchors the other chord notes.
The distance (interval) between adjacent notes of a triad in root position is either a major or minor third.
Major | Minor |
The lowest interval in our
CM | Cm | Caug |
The basic characteristics of the chord sound remain intact even if we change the order of the notes to create different inversions. Successive chords in a chord progression can be smoothly connected, for example, by choosing the appropriate inversions (or chord “voicings”).
●Reading Chord Names
Chord names tell you just about everything you need to know about a chord (other than the inversion/voicing). The chord name tells you what the root of the chord is, whether it is a major, minor, or diminished chord, whether it requires a major or flatted seventh, what alterations or tensions it uses ... all at a glance.
● Some Chord Types (These are just some of the “Standard” chord types recognized by the