Play Chords in Music

Understanding the mechanism of chords is important to understanding modern music.

Note: This article assumes you can at least play a "C" and a "G" scale on whatever instrument you play. The examples use a piano because it best demonstrates how a chord is put together musically.

Steps

Understand a musical step and a musical half step

  1. On a "C" scale, A musical step is between "C" and "D" , "D" and "E", "F" and "G", "G" and "A", and "A" and "B".
  2. A musical half step is between "E" and "F" and "B" and "C".
  3. A musical half step appears between a white key and an adjacent black key or between two white keys that have no intervening black key.

Understand the musical scale described in steps

  1. All musical scales have a basic pattern, something like this:
    • 1step - 1step -1/2step - 1step - 1step - 1step - 1/2step.
  2. This particular pattern is called a major scale. Others, slightly different patterns, are called minor scales.

Understand what a musical third and fifth are

  1. A musical third is the first note in the key and the third note (which is two steps higher).
  2. A musical fifth is the first note and the fifth note in the key (which is 3 1/2 steps higher).
  3. The fifth is 1 1/2 steps higher than the third.
  4. The musical third between the first and third note in the key is called a major third.

Understand The Major Chord

  1. The Major chord contains a Major third and a fifth.
  2. The "C" chord has the notes "C", "E" and "G".

    "C" and "E" make a "major" third (two steps).
  3. "C" and "G" make a fifth (3 1/2 steps).
  4. By now the reader has noticed that the third and fifth notes do not make a "major" third. The distance is 1 1/2 steps instead of two. The third and fifth notes in a scale are a minor third.
  5. All major chords have a major third and fifth.

Learn the Names of the Chords in a Key

  1. Every chord in each key has a name (The Roman numeral indicates its placement in the key):
    • I: Tonic
    • II: Supertonic
    • III: Mediant
    • IV: Sub-Dominant
    • V: Dominant
    • VI: Sub-Mediant
    • VII: Leading Tone
  2. The tonic (I), sub-dominant (IV) and dominant (V) are major chords in all major keys.

Chords by type

  1. Each chord in a key is either a major, minor or diminished.
  2. The "Leading Tone" chord (diminished) is rarely played. The term "Leading Tone" refers to the affinity of the seventh note for leading into other notes.
  3. The chords types are as follows:
    • I: Tonic (major)
    • II: Supertonic (minor)
    • III: Mediant (minor)
    • IV: Sub-Dominant (major)V: Dominant (major)
      VI: Sub-Mediant (minor)
      VII: Leading Tone(diminished)

Minor Chords

  1. The minor chords have a minor third and a fifth. The notes of a minor third are 1 1/2 steps above the first note instead of two steps.
  2. A minor chord is denoted with a small "m" or "min".
    The Supertonic, Mediant and Sub-Mediant chords in the key of "C" would be written down as: "Dm" or "Dmin", "Em" or "Emin" and "Am" or "Amin".

Make a Minor Chord from a Major Chord

  1. Simply make the note in the third half a step lower.

    To make a "G" chord (major) "G-B-D" a minor chord, lower the "B" one half step (make it B flat).

Diminished Chords

  1. The diminished chord is a minor chord that also has a fifth reduced by 1/2 step.
  2. The diminished chord is signified with a a degree symbol.

Make the G minor chord "G-Bflat-D"(see above) into a G diminished chord

  1. Lower the fifth 1/2 step (make the D into a D flat).

The Suspended 3rd

  1. Suspended 3rds are usually played in church music. The Suspended 3rd is so-called because, opposite to the minor chord, it raises the third 1/2 step (sharps). It is also called a suspended 4th (mistakenly) because it creates a chord with a 4th and a 5th instead of a 3rd and a fifth.
  2. Strictly speaking, the third should be considered a "sharp". With the "C" chord, making a sharp of the 3rd (E) makes it an "F".
  3. The suspended 3rd or 4th (whichever name you prefer) is usually simply referred to as "sus". The "sus" chord ALWAYS resolves itself into another chord, usually the base chord. A "C sus" will resolve into the "C" chord.

The "Dramatic" Augmented Chord

  1. The augmented chord, signified with a superscribed "+" after the chord name is usually introduced at a dramatic phase in the music. The augmented chord is simply a sharpened fifth.
  2. Using the C chord as base (C-E-G), a "C augmented" chord would sharpen the fifth, giving (C-E-G#). [Note the photo incorrectly shows a sixth] The augmented chord is usually not held for long. It usually cuts against the natural grain of the music.

Follow Me -- The Leading Tone has (almost) Been Played

  1. A common embellishment to any chord is the 7th. The 7 super-scripted above the Chord name means a minor seventh. The "C7" means to play the "C" chord (C-E-G) with a "B-Flat".
  2. This chord will resolve itself into another chord, depending on if its base is the dominant, sub-dominant or tonic chord. A tonic and sub-dominant 7th will usually resolve into the tonic or sub-dominant, respectively. The dominant 7th is the usual way the dominant chord is played and will usually progress into another chord.
  3. Sometimes "maj7" is super-scripted. In that case, play the regular 7th note. The 7th will invariable lead into something else, hence the term "Leading Tone".

Related Articles

  • Make a Major Chord Minor
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