chord chord The chord of C major as played on a piano A chord is a set of two, three, or more notes , usually spaced at harmonious intervals , that are played simultaneously. When the notes making up a chord are played sequentially rather than simultaneously, the result is known as an arpeggio . A slang term for a chord is a change. A chord progression or chord sequence is a series of chords played in succession. The most commonly encountered chords are the major and minor triads , and the augmented and diminished triads. Chords are named after their root note , or tonic . For example, the chord of C major is made up of the notes C, E (the major third ) and G (the fifth ). A chord with just two notes is called a diad; a particularly effective form is the power chord (root plus fifth). A chord with four notes is a tetrad. More complex chords are possible but not encountered much outside of certain musical genres such as jazz and fusion. Chords are one of the basic elements of harmony – in other words, the playing together of notes that sound harmonious or pleasing to the ear. The system of chords comes about through the harmonization of scales .

This means simply the playing simultaneously of notes from a scale that sound good together. A little bit of history Originally, music was written one line at a time, usually for singers or small instrumental groups. When music evolved to have more than one line sung or played at the same time, people found that certain notes sounded good together, and other notes didn't. As a result, rules were created that stated what intervals could be played harmoniously together – for example, thirds, fifths, and sixths. To begin with, composers didn't think of chords; what they did think about were individual lines of melody that intersected to form what we know today as chords. It wasn't until Jean-Philippe Rameau theorized about chords in the 18th century that chords were named and understood. But as with a lot of theory, Rameau spoke about chords after they happened, so all he did was name something that already existed. Rameau spoke of groupings called triads – three-note chords built on fifths. He theorized that triads are formed by stacking or harmonizing a major scale. And what he thought back in 1722 still holds true today.

The harmonized major scale Chords and harmony come from a harmonized major scale. The easiest way to understand the process of constructing chords is to start with the simplest and most common of scales – the major scale . Consider the notes of the C major scale. These are simply the white notes on the piano, beginning on C: C 7 1 Its root note is B but the chord is neither B major nor B minor. Both intervals above the root are a minor third, which makes this a diminished chord – B diminished. So now we have the full set of triads based on the harmonized scale of C major: C major D minor E minor F major G major A minor B diminished C major Harmonized C major scale These can be played as full chords (with some notes appearing twice, one or two octaves apart) on the guitar in open position like this: Harmonized chords of C major played on guitar (with some doubling of notes) The principle is the same for finding any major triad. All we have to do is take the first, third, and fifth notes of the major scale.

For example, to find an E major chord, write out the notes of the E major scale (E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯, E) and select the first (E), third (G♯), and the fifth (B). Minor triads To form a minor chord, the third of the corresponding major chord has to be lowered by a half-step (semitone) – equivalent to one key (black or white) on the piano or one fret on the guitar. For example, the notes for an E major triad are E, G♯, B. So, following the rule just stated, an E minor triad is E, G, B. The other triads Classical music, jazz , and popular music contain diminished chords. Blues music rarely uses diminished chords because they aren't part of the standard 12-bar blues progression; however, some rock music does use diminished chords. To make a diminished triad lower both the third and the fifth of the corresponding major triad by a half-note. So, for example, the notes for E diminished are E, G, B♭. The triad formed from the seventh note of a major scale is diminished.

In the case of the C major scale described above, the triad form with B as the root note is B diminished. The final triad is called an augmented triad. These triads crop up in jazz and classical, but are pretty rare in rock, although the likes of Frank Zappa and Steve Vai have used them. An augmented triad is a major triad with an augmented fifth. For example, to get C augmented, start with the basic C major triad (C, E, G), and raise the fifth G up one half-step to G♯, to give the C augmented triad C, E, G♯. Augmented chords don't occur naturally in the harmonized major scale. Nonetheless, they're important to understand. Seventh chords A seventh chord , as the name suggests, is built from a triad by adding on the seventh note of the scale. There are several varieties, distinguished by both the type of triad and the type of seventh used.

The most common are: Dominant seventh (or simply 'seventh') chord = major triad + minor seventh Major seventh chord = major triad + major seventh Minor seventh chord = minor triad + minor seventh Diminished seventh chord = diminished triad + diminished seventh (half step lower than a minor seventh) Half-diminished seventh chord = diminished triad + minor seventh Extended chords Extended chords (or chord extensions, if you prefer) are tertian chords (built entirely from thirds) that contain notes that are more than an octave above the normal triads. (For this reason, seventh chords aren't considered to be extended.) Ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords are extended chords. The additional notes are dissonant (see dissonance ) to the basic chord. For more on this subject, see the separate article on extended chords . Types of chord Added tone chords An added tone chord is a non-tertian chord composed of a tertian triad and an extra "added" note. The added note is not a seventh (three thirds from the chord root), but typically a non-tertian note, which cannot be defined by a sequence of thirds from the root, such as the added sixth or fourth.

For example, the added tone chord C6 is composed of the C major triad C, E, G, plus the sixth note of the scale, A. Roman numeral chord notation Roman numerals can be used to indicate major and minor chords. Major chord: I, II, III, etc. Minor chord: i, ii, iii, etc. Augmented chord: I+, II+, III+, etc. Diminished chord: viï¿½, viiï¿½, etc. Half-diminished chord: viiø7, etc. Extended chords: ii7, V9, V13, etc. Altered tones or chords: #iv, ii#7 In this notation, the harmonized triads of the major scale, for example. may be written: I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°. How to Play Major Chords on a Keyboard (with Pictures) - wikiHow Chord Basics 1 Understand what a chord is. A chord is three or more notes. Complex chords may have many notes, but you need a minimum of three. The chords discussed here will all be composed of three notes: a root, a third and a fifth.

[1] 2 Find the root of the chord. Every major chord is built on a note called the tonic, or root of the chord. This is the note that the chord is named after and will be the lowest note in the chord. For a C major chord, C is the tonic. It will be the bottom note of your chord. You will play the tonic note with your thumb in your right hand, or with your pinkie in your left hand. 3 Find the major third. The second note in a major chord is the major third, which gives the chord its character. It will be four semitones, or half-steps, above the root. It is called a third because when you play a scale in that key, it will be the third note that you hit. For a C major chord, E is the third. It is four half steps above C. You can count them on your piano (C#, D, D#, E). You will play the third with your middle finger, regardless of which hand you’re using. Try playing the root and the third together, to get a sense of how that interval is supposed to sound. 4 Find the fifth.

The top note in a major chord is called the fifth because if you play a scale it will be the fifth note that you hit. It anchors the chord and makes it complete. It is seven semi-tones above the root. [2] For a C major chord, G is the fifth. You can count the seven semi-tones up from the root on your piano. (C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G.) You play the fifth with your pinkie in your right hand, or your thumb in your left. 5 Understand that there are at least two ways to spell a chord. All notes can be written at least two different ways, for example Eb and D# are the same note. Therefore, an Eb major chord would sound the same as D# major chord. The notes Eb, G, Bb create an Eb chord. The notes D#, F𝄪 (F##), A# create a D# Major chord, which sounds exactly like an Eb chord. The two chords are called enharmonic equivalents because they sound exactly the same but are written differently. [3] A few of the common enharmonic equivalents are noted below, but otherwise the article presents only the most common notation of a major chord.

6 Review proper hand position. In order to play a piece of piano music well, you need to consistently use the correct hand position, even when you’re just practicing chords. Keep your fingers tall and curved, as if they are diving into the keys. Use the natural curve of your fingers. Use the weight of your arms rather than the strength of your fingers to push on the keys. [4] Play on the tips of your fingers, including if possible the pinkie and thumb which tend to lie flat if you’re not paying attention. Keep your fingernails trimmed close so that you can play using the tips of your fingers. Part 2 Playing Chords 1 Use three fingers. Notice that you will only use fingers 1, 3 and 5 (thumb, middle, pinkie) to play the three notes of each chord. Your index and ring fingers may rest on, but not press down any keys. Notice that your fingers advance one half-step (one key) up the keyboard each time you change chords. 2 Play C Major. The three notes will be C, E, G. Remember, C = tonic (0), E = major third (4 semi-tones), G = fifth (7 semi-tones).

Right hand fingering will place your thumb on C, your middle finger on E and your pinkie on G. Left hand fingering will place your pinkie on C, your middle finger on E and your thumb on G. 3 Play Db Major. The three notes will be Db, F, Ab. Remember, Db = tonic (0), F = major third (4 semi-tones), Ab = fifth (7 semi-tones). The enharmonic equivalent of this chord is C# Major. Notice that Db could also be noted as C#. F can also be written in music as E#. Ab can also be written as G#. The notes you play will be the same whether it is written as Db Major or C# Major. Right hand fingering will place your thumb on Db, your middle finger on F and your pinkie on Ab. Left hand fingering will place your pinkie on Db, your middle finger on F and your thumb on Ab. 4 Play D Major. The three notes will be D, F#, A. Remember, D = tonic (0), F# = major third (4 semi-tones), A = fifth (7 semi-tones).

Right hand fingering will place your thumb on D, your middle finger on F# and your pinkie on A. Left hand fingering will place your pinkie on D, your middle finger on F# and your thumb on A. 5 Play Eb Major. The three notes will be Eb, G, Bb. Remember, Eb = tonic (0), G = major third (4 semi-tones), Bb = fifth (7 semi-tones). Right hand fingering will place your thumb on Eb, your middle finger on G and your pinkie on Bb. Left hand fingering will place your pinkie on Eb, your middle finger on G and your thumb on Bb. 6 Play E Major. The three notes will be E, G#, B. Remember, E = tonic (0), G# = major third (4 semi-tones), B = fifth (7 semi-tones). Right hand fingering will place your thumb on E, your middle finger on G# and your pinkie on B. Left hand fingering will place your pinkie on E, your middle finger on G# and your thumb on B. 7 Play F Major. The three notes will be F, A, C.

Remember, F = tonic (0), A = major third (4 semi-tones), C = fifth (7 semi-tones). Right hand fingering will place your thumb on F, your middle finger on A and your pinkie on C. Left hand fingering will place your pinkie on F, your middle finger on A and your thumb on C. 8 Play F# Major. The three notes will be F#, A#, C#. Remember, F# = tonic (0), A# = major third (4 semi-tones), C# = fifth (7 semi-tones). The enharmonic equivalent of this chord is Gb Major which will be written as Gb, Bb, Db. Note that F# can also be written as Gb. A# can also be written as Bb. C# can also be written as Db. So the notes you play to make a major chord will be the same in F# Major and Gb Major. Right hand fingering will place the thumb on F#, the middle finger on A# and the pinkie on C#. Left hand fingering will place the pinkie on F#, the middle finger on A# and the thumb on C#. 9 Play G Major.

The three notes will be G, B, D. Remember, G = tonic (0), B = major third (4 semi-tones), D = fifth (7 semi-tones). Right hand fingering will place the thumb on G, the middle finger on B and the pinkie on D. Left hand fingering will place the pinkie on G, the middle finger on B and the thumb on D. 10 Play Ab Major. The three notes will be Ab, C, Eb. Remember, Ab = tonic (0), C = major third (4 semi-tones), Eb = fifth (7 semi-tones). The enharmonic equivalent of this chord is G# Major which will be written as G#, B#, D#. Note that Ab can also be written as G#. C can also be written as B#. Eb can also be written as D#. The notes you play to make a major chord will be the same for Ab Major and G# major, although they will be noted differently. Right hand fingering will place your thumb on Ab, your middle finger on C and your pinkie on Eb. Left hand fingering will place your pinkie on Ab, your middle finger on C and your thumb on Eb.

11 Play A Major. The three notes will be A, C#, E. Remember, A = tonic (0), C# = major third (4 semi-tones), E = fifth (7 semi-tones). Right hand fingering will place your thumb on A, your middle finger on C# and your pinkie on E. Left hand fingering will place your pinkie on A, your middle finger on C# and your thumb on E. 12 Play Bb Major. The three notes will be Bb, D, F. Remember, Bb = tonic (0), D = major third (4 semi-tones), F = fifth (7 semi-tones). Right hand fingering will place the thumb on Bb, the middle finger on D and the pinkie on F. Left hand fingering will place the pinkie on Bb, the middle finger on D, and the thumb on F. 13 Play B Major. The three notes will be B, D#, F#. Remember, B = tonic (0), D# = major third (4 semi-tones), F# = fifth (7 semi-tones).

Right hand fingering will place the thumb on B, the middle finger on D# and the pinkie on F#. Left hand fingering will place the pinkie on B, the middle finger on D# and the thumb on F#. Part 3 Practicing 1 Practice playing all three notes at once. When you feel comfortable playing each chord individually, try skipping up the scale with each major chord. Start with a C major chord, then play a Db major, then D major and so on. Begin by doing this exercise with only one hand. When you feel confident, play both hands at once. Listen for false notes. The ratio between the notes should always remain the same, so if one chord suddenly sounds different, review whether you are hitting the correct notes. 2 Try arpeggios . An arpeggio is when each note is struck in sequence from lowest to highest. To play a C Major arpeggio with your right hand, strike the C with your thumb and release. Strike E with your middle finger and release. Strike G with your pinkie and release. When you have mastered this motion, try to make it fluid rather than choppy. Strike and release each note quickly, so there is scarcely any time between notes.

3 Practice playing the major chords in different inversions. Inversions of a chord use the same notes, but place a different note on the bottom. For example, a C major chord is C, E, G. The first inversion of the C-major chord is E, G, C. The second inversion is G, C, E. Challenge yourself by making a major chord with every note on the scale, in every inversion. 4 Look for chords in sheet music. Once you are familiar with how to construct and play a chord, find a piece of music that has chords written. Look to see if you can identify major chords that you have practiced. Community Q&A How do I read chords in sheet music? wikiHow Contributor In sheet music, chords are made up of two or more notes stacked on top of each other on the staff. You read them the same way you read any other note in sheet music -- by memorizing which line or space corresponds to each note. To play a chord, you just play all the stacked notes at the same time. Can I learn piano without classes? wikiHow Contributor How do I play inversions?

wikiHow Contributor An inversion is when you use all the same notes you normally do in a chord but you've changed which one you start with. For example: C major chord starts with the note C and has E and G above it (1, 3, 5). If you want to play the 1st inversion of this chord you will begin the chord on E, and play G and C (from the next octave) above it. In second inversion, you will start with G, and play C and E above it (from the octave above it). How can I learn piano without attending classes? What are the full chords of a piano? wikiHow Contributor If you don't want to attend classes, try YouTube videos or online courses. There are no specified chords on a piano. Music theory is the best thing to help you here. Updated: Views: 648,234 "I've heard about tonic, thirds and fifths but I was counting three up from the tonic and five up from the tonic. I could not get the chords right and it frustrated me. I did not know that I should have counted four half steps up to get the third and seven half steps to get the fifth.

Thanks so much!"..." more - Pam Taylor "Thank you so much for making the lessons simple! I like the yellow tabs placed on the keys that are being discussed, it really helps. Showing the actual hand position on the keyboard is very helpful. Finally, the chord pictured is a treasure!"..." more - Connie "Most clear instructions on playing basic chords that I've been able to find on internet. I think the instructions accompanied with photo illustrations make it easier to understand than a video would. Thanks for sharing!"..." more - D. Payne "I am a beginner and found this article very easy to learn with God-given wisdom. Very nice and simple explanation. Feels more comfortable than with the master who teaches me these chords. :-)"..." more - Crystal Sarah The images of hand placement were the critical icing on the cake to my understanding. - Trish Posterino This article helped me so much Yes, the penny dropped. It was music to my ears. - Trish Posterino It helped me a lot to learn my chords and to get used to them. - Jermaine Smith This is very helpful for me to learn. - Laxmi Bilas Koirala Thanks for helping me in my life.

:) - Mario Hany Basics made simple to understand. - Arthur Allen Clear, concise, and accurate. - Lynn Johnson Very useful. - Vibodha Rathnayake Scales For The Resonator Guitar Notes And Tones Throughout the text on this website, the words "Note" and "Tone" are often used. For the descriptions and definitions to be clear, it is worthwhile to precisely define what these words are intended to mean. A Tone implies a specific frequency. A particular Tone can only occur once in a Scale. The same Tone can often be played at multiple places on the Fretboard. For example, for the standard tuned Resonator Guitar, the Tone played on the open first string is the identical Tone played on the second string at the third fret. A Note is one of the 12 members of the Chromatic Scale . It can be referenced specifically, by it's letter name (e.g., A, Bb, F#, etc.) or relatively, by it's Scale Degree as a member of a Diatonic Scale . The Note played on the open sixth string is a G, and is the same Note as played on the open third string.

These are not the same Tone, however, since the frequency of the third string is twice that of the sixth. It can be confusing when the word "Tone" is used with its alternate meaning in discussing intervals. On fretted instruments a "Whole Tone" is an interval of two frets, a "Half Tone" is an interval of one fret, etc. On this website, the use of the word "Tone" by itself means a "frequency" and the interval usage will always include a modifier (Half, Whole, etc). Chord Numbering Throughout the information on this site, chords will often be referred to using a chord numbering system. The following brief explanation is provided for those unfamiliar with this system. In a given Key, the primary chord for which the Key is named (also called the Root), is designated by the roman numeral "I". The chord named for each Note in the the Diatonic Scale of the Key is designated by the roman numeral for its order in the Scale. For example, in the Key of G, a C chord (corresponding to the 4th Note in the Scale) is designated as the IV chord.

The natural progression of chords that are used in a Key can be generated by starting with the three Notes that comprise the I chord, and progressing to the next Note in the Diatonic Scale from each of those Notes. The resulting 3 Notes comprise the II chord. This is repeated to produce the other chords in the Key. The following diagram illustrates the process. A common practice in using the numbering system is to designate Major chords with "M" and Minor chords with "m" (e.g., IIIM or VIm). But in the discussion on this website, it will be assumed that the I, IV, and V chords are Major, the II, III, and VI chords are Minor, and the VII chord is Diminished, as in the above diagram. It is also sometimes necessary to reference chords for which the Root Note is not in the Scale of the Key, which are Ab, Bb, Db, Eb, and F# for the Key of G. These can be referenced using the prior numeral with a "+" or the next numeral with a "-". Thus, Bb is the III- chord in the Key of G. All such chords are assumed to be Major.

In any case where a chord does not follow these rules an "M" or "m" designation will be included (e.g., Bmaj in the Key of G would be designated IIIM). The chord numbering system is very convenient because it can make most discussions apply to any Key. Scale Types Why do we care about Scales? Scales are not just a construct of music theory, they are the Notes you need to play. A great number of melodies draw from a palette of only seven Notes. Standard musical notation is set up to identify those seven Notes (the Scale) at the beginning of the staff. If a melody requires a Note that is not in the defined Scale, a temporary Scale change notation (flat, sharp, or natural) is required, which is called an "accidental". When playing in the Key of G Major, one plays Notes from the G Scale while the chord behind the tune is G. When the chord changes to a C, D or some other related chord, one does not play Notes from a C or D Scale, but continues to use the same seven Notes of the G Scale.

So if one is very familiar with the locations of the 7 Notes for a given Key, he/she is likely to be able to play most tunes in that Key with relative ease. In the music of Western Culture, there are twelve Notes , each separated by a "Half Tone". The most basic Scale Type is the Chromatic Scale, which includes all twelve Notes. This Scale Type is not formally addressed by the Scale Analyzer because there is not much information to be gained by doing so. However, there are Chromatic Note sequences in other Scales Types. Western music is primarily based on the Diatonic Scale and all other Scales Types are described in terms of this Scale Type. Diatonic Scales The Diatonic Scale is defined by a sequence of Whole Step and Half Step intervals as follows:. After the last Half Step, the pattern repeats. The above sequence defines a Major Diatonic Scale.

If one looks at the keyboard of a Piano, the Diatonic Sequence is apparent by examining the intervals between the white keys, which comprise the Notes in the C Major Scale: The Note for each black key is designated as the sharp (#) of the Note before it or the flat (b) of the Note after it, depending upon the Key of the Scale you are working with. By starting on a given Note, and using the interval sequence described above, the Major Scale for the Key (designated by the starting Note) can be determined. The following diagram identifies the Major Scale for each of the twelve Keys. The reason some Keys use flat (b) designation versus sharp (#) is explained by the nature of standard musical notation. Notes are designated by 5 lines and the spaces between them. For example, the following identifies the Notes represented by the lines and spaces on the treble staff for three different Key signatures: Each line and space must represent a consistent letter name for its Note, which may be designated to be sharp or flat, depending on the Scale. For example, the second line from the bottom can only represent a G, Gb, or G# Note.

If the Key of F were to use sharp designations and the Key of A were to use flats, those Scales would have ambiguous Note name references, as is shown in the following diagram: Notice that if sharp designations were used for the Key of F, there would be two Notes named with the same letter (A and A#). Thus, the second space from the bottom would have to represent both A and A#. Since there is no contention for Note letters when using flat designations, those are used for the Key of F. The converse is true for the Key of A. Scale Degree When playing in a given Key, it is usually more convenient to refer to a Note by its relative order in the Major Scale than by its letter name. This is called the Scale Degree: As shown above, in the Key of D, the D, E, F#, G, A, B, and C# Notes are the Root, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th, respectively.

The Notes that are not included in the D Major Scale, D#, F, A#, and C are the Minor 2nd, Minor 3rd, Minor 6th, and Minor 7th of the Key. The G#, which is also not in the Major Scale, is referred to as the augmented 4th or diminished 5th. In discussion on this website, "3-" is shorthand for "Minor third", "4+" for "augmented fourth", etc. By using the Scale Degree, one can refer to any Note in any Key, without having to memorize the absolute (lettered) Notes that make up each Key. Diatonic Modes A Scale that is constructed using the Diatonic Sequence described above is the Major Scale of the Key named by the starting Note, which is also called the Ionian Mode. The order of the intervals in the Diatonic Sequence cannot change and still be Diatonic, but one may begin on a different interval in the sequence. Since there are seven intervals in the sequence, there are seven intervals on which one can begin. Each starting interval defines a different "Mode" of the Key. The following diagram illustrates the process for the Key of G.

In the above diagram, the top line illustrates two cycles of the Diatonic Sequence. The Modes are formally defined by the changes to the Major Scale that are needed to produce each Mode for the same Key. For example, the Dorian Mode contains a Minor 3rd, and a Minor 7th (Bb and F, for G Dorian) instead of a natural 3rd and 7th, and all other Notes are the same as in the Major Scale. The following diagram summarizes. Ionian (Major) 6- 7- The Notes in a given Major Scale also comprise the Scales of Diatonic Modes in other Keys. So if one begins on another Note in the Scale (other than the Root), a different Mode is played in the Key designated by the beginning Note. The following diagram illustrates the process using the G Major Scale as an example. In the above diagram, the top line illustrates two cycles of the G Major Scale. Related Key The Key of G is the Related Key for the A Dorian, B Phrygian, C Lydian, D Mixolydian, E Minor, and F# Locrian Scales.

This is because the Notes for each of these Scales are drawn from the G Major Scale, as shown in the previous diagram. If one needs to determine the Notes that are needed to play in a given Mode, he can memorize the Notes (Scale Degrees) that comprise the Mode. Another, possibly easier way comes from the recognition that there are only twelve sets of Notes that make up all the Modes of the Diatonic Scales of which there is a total of 84 (12 Keys x 7 Modes). For example, an A Minor Scale consists of the same seven Notes as the C Major Scale, but the A Minor Scale begins and ends on the A Note. If one can determine the Major Key that includes the same set of Notes as the desired Mode, that is, the Relative Key, and he/she has learned that Major Scale, it should be simple to play in the desired Mode. The following illustrates a method for determining the Relative Key for each Diatonic Mode: Mode +1 -11 To illustrate how to use this diagram, suppose one wanted play an A Lydian Scale.

Locate an A (second string, second fret), go up the Fretboard seven frets to find the E (or just locate the V chord). The Notes in the E Major Scale are the same Notes used in the A Lydian Scale, with the Scale beginning and ending on the A Note. Notice that the fret sequence going down the Fretboard (-2, -4, -5, -7, -9, -11) is the Diatonic Sequence in reverse. Why do we care about Modes? Each of the Diatonic Modes has a distinct "mood" or "feel" that can be applied to a tune or song. The following describes each Mode from my subjective point of view. Ionian: Major, upbeat, "happy" sound. Lydian: Similar to Major. The augmented 4th gives it a slightly brighter sound. MixoLydian: Similar to Major. This Mode is commonly used in Celtic, Old Time, and Bluegrass music. Examples of tunes that use this Scale are Red Haired Boy, June Apple, and Big Mon. The Minor 7th gives it a slightly more somber sound than the Major Mode.

Aeolian: Minor, sad or "dark" sound. Dorian: This Scale works when played against either a Major or Minor G chord. When played against a Major chord, it produces a "bluesy" sound. The Bill Monroe tune Evening Prayer Blues draws heavily from this Scale. When this Mode is used against a Minor chord, it sounds very nearly Minor, differing from the Aeolian Mode by only the natural 6th. Phrygian: Exotic, Spanish sound. This Mode is often used in Flamenco pieces. Locrian: Exotic, Middle Eastern sound. This Mode differs most from the Major Mode, with only the Root and 4th in common. This Mode is often used in Klezmer music. Knowing the kind of mood you want to produce and using the above information, one can determine the Scale that needs to be played. Most players (including myself) do not regularly use all of the Modes, nor do they play in all of the Keys. Consider a player who only plays out of the G and D positions (capoing when needed) and only uses the Major, Minor, and Mixolydian Modes.

That player could benefit greatly from practicing Scales in the Keys of G, D, and C. These would help him play in G Mixolydian, D Mixolydian, D Dorian, A Minor, and B Minor in addition to the three Major Keys. These are not all the Modes that these three Scales support, but they are the more commonly used. Familiarization with the F Scale would add significant capability, notably D Minor and G Dorian. Knowledge of a few Scales can go a long way. Arpegios Arpegios are not actually Scales, or could be considered "sparse" Scales. They consist of the Notes that make up a chord. The Scale Analyzer offers Arpegios as a Scale Type Selection for Major Keys. These consist of the Root, third, and fifth of the selected Key. It is useful to be familiar with where the Notes that comprise the Root chord lie on the Fretboard because it helps one to recognize Positions . The following diagram identifies them for the Key of G.

From the diagram above, it can be seen that, besides being able to play a G chord open or at the 12th fret, there are several "approximations" of a G chord that can be played near the 5th and 7th frets: Forward slant: 1\5, 3\4, 5\3. This two Note approximation places the Root on top and the 3rd on the bottom. Reverse slant: 2\3, 3\4, 4\5. If all 3 Notes are played together, the chord will be slightly out of tune. However, any pair can be played in tune. Forward slant: 1\9, 2\8, 3\7. If all 3 Notes are played together, the chord will be slightly out of tune. However, any pair can be played in tune. If you associate either of the first two of these "chords" with Position IV, the third with Position V, and a straight bar with Position I, it is easier to visualize the pattern of Notes in the Scale for each Position : The diagrams above display background Note patterns representing one of the possible methods of playing the Scale for each Position .

Pentatonic Modes The order of the intervals in the pentatonic sequence cannot change and still be pentatonic, but one may begin on a different interval in the sequence. Since there are five intervals in the sequence, there are five intervals on which one can begin. Each starting interval defines a different pentatonic "Mode" of the Key. The following diagram illustrates the process for the Key of G. In the above diagram, the top line illustrates two cycles of the pentatonic sequence. These Scales could be considered "partial" Diatonic Scales . The following diagram identifies the Notes that comprise each Pentatonic Mode. Mode I (Major) 6- 7- There are many other substitutions of Pentatonic for Diatonic Modes that could be made just on the basis of having Notes in common, but it does not make sense to substitute a Scale that loses the "character" of the Diatonic Mode. For example, the Major Pentatonic Mode has all Notes in common with the Lydian Mode, but does not include the augmented 4th, which is the "defining" Note for the Lydian Mode.

Pentatonic Scales are simpler and generally easier to play than Diatonic Scales, and can be very effective for improvisation. There are other five Note Scales that are used in Rock and Jazz that include Half Tone intervals, but these will not be described here at present. Blues Scales The common Blues Scale consists of six Notes. It is defined by a sequence of Whole Step, Half Step, and Three Half Step intervals as follows: The Blues Scale can be played over a Minor or Major Root chord. It is most closely related to the Pentatonic Minor Scale, differing only by the inclusion of the augmented fourth (1, 3-, 4, 4+, 5, 7-). The Scale is also related to the Diatonic Dorian Mode. Notice the brief Chromatic passage of the third, fourth, and fifth Notes in the sequence. This Scale has no associated Modes. Fretboard Positions For guitars, fiddles, and other fretted instruments, there are well defined hand positions for playing Scales which determine the finger to be used to fret a given Tone. On the Resonator Guitar, hand positions are not clearly defined, since we only use one "finger" to play all the Notes.

In an attempt to understand the Resonator Guitar Fretboard, I have devised "Fretboard Positions" for playing Scales, so that at any given time, I visualize myself playing in a particular position. When moving up or down the Notes of a Scale, there is often need for a "shift" between positions. The following is a diagram of the first 17 frets, indicating all Notes that belong in the G Major Scale: The relationship of Notes for a Key other than G can be acquired by shifting the above diagram to the right or left by the appropriate number of frets. Notice that the frets of most significance to the G Major Scale are the open position, and the 5th, 7th, 12th and 17th frets. This is because the Notes on all six strings at those bar positions are in the Scale. These correspond to the bar positions where the main chords in the Key of G are played: Root (I) - open, 12th fret; subdominant (IV) - 5th fret, 17th fret; dominant (V) - 7th fret.

From this Note arrangement, the following Fretboard Positions are defined: open, I-, I+, IV-, IV+, and V. In the position names, the roman numerals refer to the fret where the indicated chord is played for the Key in which one is playing. The plus/minus sign indicates whether the Scale is played "in front of" (+) or "behind" (-) the bar. The following associates the Notes in the G Scale with the various Fretboard Positions. The above diagram identifies six sections of the Fretboard which overlap. As is shown, there are many cases where a Note at a given fret is used in two different positions. This is one way to organize the Fretboard for the purpose of constructing Scales, which is used throughout this website. Certainly, there are other valid ways to view the Notes on the Fretboard. Open Position The Open Position has a different Note pattern for each Key and can have Notes in common with the next higher position. As can be seen in the diagram above, for the Key of G, the Open Position differs from Position I+ (12th fret) because of the lack of accessible 7th Notes "behind the nut".

Open Position Scales are easiest to play in the Keys that contain the open Notes, G, B, or D. The following identifies which Keys include which open Notes. Open Notes D Db Those Keys whose Scale contains all the open Notes provide the best opportunity to use Melodic Technique . Closed Positions There are five Closed Positions (I-, I+, IV-, IV+, and V), each of which defines a pattern of Notes. The reference to roman numerals implies, e.g., that the I- Position is a pattern of notes behind the fret where the I chord is played (as defined in the Chord Numbering system). For Major Modes, this is true. But it is important to understand that Closed Positions are defined for the Related Key as opposed to the Key. Different Modes of a given Key have differing Note patterns at a given Fret, but identical patterns can be found at a different Fret. This is illustrated by the following diagram. The IV- Position for A Major (behind the fifth fret above the A Chord) has a specific Note pattern. For A Minor, the pattern of Notes to be used behind that fret differs from that of A Major.

But Notes of the IV- Position of the Related Key, C are also used for A Minor. When using this Position for Am, the Scale Degrees change as shown. Notice that the pattern of the Notes of the VI- Position in A is the same shape as the VI- Position for C/Am. For each mode, the reference frets (I, IV, and V) are at different locations relative to the Root chord. Closed Position Scales are the most difficult to play accurately at high speed with good Tone. This is because they consist of all Closed Moves , which involves a lot of bar movement. However, if they are learned at any speed, they contribute significantly to knowledge of the Fretboard. If they are mastered, they are the most useful of the Scales, because they can be used in any Key. Playing well in Closed Position requires the ability to cleanly perform consecutive Closed Moves . I- Position In this position, all Notes can be acquired at or behind the fret where the Root is played. Since there are two places in this Fret Range to access the 3rd, there are two methods for playing the Scale in the I- Position.

IV- Position In this position, all Notes can be acquired at or behind the fret where the IV chord is played. Since there are two places in this Fret Range to access the 6th, there are two methods for playing the Scale in the IV- Position. IV+ Position In this position, all Notes can be acquired at or in front of the fret where the IV chord is played, except the 3rd, which must be acquired from behind the fret. Since there are two places in this Fret Range to access the 7th, there are two methods for playing the Scale in the IV+ Position. V Position In this position, all Notes can be acquired at or in front of the fret where the V chord is played. Since there are two places in this Fret Range to access the 2nd, there are two methods for playing the Scale in the V Position. Octaves When analyzing the Fretboard, it often important to examine one or more complete Scales (octaves) even if these span multiple Positions . Therefore, the Scale Analyzer allows the user to specify the range of Notes of interest in addition to specifying the Fretboard Position of interest.

These Note Ranges are specified by the Low Octave, Middle Octave, High Octave, Low&Mid Octave, and Mid&High Octave. In some keys, the two octave ranges can involve as many as three Position Shifts. Music Theory/Chords - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Music Theory/Chords Jump to: navigation , search This is a basic introduction to chords. There is also a complete chord reference . Chords are the vertical arrangement of notes from a scale. The study of chords is called Harmony. Harmony is concerned with how one or more notes interact, and how they follow each other. Many people define chords as several notes played simultaneously. It must be pointed out that it is possible to play music of a chordal nature on the flute, trumpet, or a lone human voice, all three being monophonic instruments. Since obviously monophonic instruments cannot play a stacked chord where the notes are sounded simultaneously; the chords are implied. A simpler way of viewing this is that when chord tones are played as an arpeggio on a monophonic instrument the human ear interprets that there is a harmonic structure. We therefore define a chord as the basic element of harmony.

To start with we will look at examples of the most basic chord, the triad. Contents Triads[ edit ] The triad is a class of chords, specifically three-note chords formed by this formula: 1-3-5 or root, third, fifth. In this example they are constructed of two consecutive thirds. There are four kinds: ♭5 ♭=flat/lowered; #=sharp/raised The major is very consonant ; the minor is a bit less so but still consonant for most purposes. The augmented is very dissonant and the diminished is extremely dissonant as it contains a tritone (augmented fourth or, in this case, diminished fifth). The major and minor triads may have their third omitted, although this is uncommon. If the third of a major or minor chord is omitted, the result is a fifth chord, which is often called a power chord when played on an overdriven guitar. Triads and Inversions[ edit ] If we look at a C major triad or three-voice chord it is based on combining a root voice (C) with two other voices at slightly different intervals of a third (E, a major third from C and G, a minor third from E).

If we compare the key of C major to the C major chord using the names do, re, mi, fa, so, la, si, to represent the scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, the C major chord is constructed from the notes do, mi, and so. This same relationship is true for all major triads in all corresponding major keys. Building a C Major Triad Note 5 so These three notes (the root, major third and perfect fifth) can be structured or 'voiced', C-E-G, E-G-C or G-C-E. No matter what order the three notes (called voices) are in they still create a C major chord. It does not matter if the voices are the singers in a choir or the instruments of an orchestra, if the notes are all either C, E, or G we simply have a gigantic sounding C chord. The two consecutive intervals produced by these voicings would be: C E G = major third, minor third (root pos'n), E G C = minor third, perfect fourth (1st inv.), G C E = perfect fourth, major third (second inv.).

If the root (C) is on the bottom this voicing is called root position. If the third (E) is on the bottom it is called first inversion. If the fifth (G) is on the bottom this voicing of the triad is called second inversion. Since there are only three possible voicings of a triad it is relatively easy to hear them in that they are a common feature of the past two centuries of traditional harmonic structures in Western music. The use of the exponentially more complex voicings arising from 4-voice, 5-voice and larger chords is more challenging. Some 4-voice chords are used in traditional, 'classical' and church music but others such as the diminished seventh were strictly forbidden in early sacred music as they contained the tritone interval; the mathematical halfway point in the octave which acquired the name diabolus in musica (the Devil in music) due to its dissonant qualities. Other 4-voice chords were not used in symphonic and 'classical' music until the French Impressionist era and in modern jazz.

All triads and 4-voice chords are built within the octave, or eight-note scale which encompasses the do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do of the major scale, for instance, or the scale steps 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8; eight being the octave where the pattern starts over again. All triadic and therefore, common, chords can be constructed the same way : using the 1 3 5 formula. Take the C scale, for instance, [use "Rel. name" in a sentence in which "Rel." is not abbreviated] : Building Harmonizing Chords in the Scale of C Major Degree 1. Shaded interval pairs are enharmonic; one interval with two names. 2. The Tritone is six semitones. The dreaded tritone, six semitones up from the root (and six down from the octave), is harmonically bewildering, being neither fish nor fowl, exactly halfway from nowhere; one interval with two names (enharmonic in 12-tone equal temperament), the augmented 4th and the diminished 5th.

Likewise, the enharmonic augmented 5th and minor 6th are eight semitones up from the root. By observing that 2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths are always either major or minor and 4ths and 5ths are always perfect, augmented (raised) or diminished (lowered) it becomes evident that major chords have a major 3rd, minor chords have a minor third. By altering or manipulating these intervals by raising or lowering the third, fifth, seventh, and so on, all of the possible chords can be produced. Some examples: Applying chords[ edit ] The easiest way to apply a triad, or indeed any chord, is to pick one on a polyphonic instrument (such as a piano) and play its three notes simultaneously. This is often how chords occur in actual music: an instrument plays all the notes in the chord at the same time. However, there are other possibilities. The simplest is to arpeggiate the chord, that is, to play its notes one at a time in any order, especially in a ascending or descending order.

Often melody can be written around the chord, using notes in the chord as well as the diatonic and chromatic passing notes between the chord tones. When this is done while there is no accompaniment actually playing a chord, the chord is implied. Seventh chords[ edit ] Triads are often extended with some form of the seventh to form a seventh chord . When a chord is referred to as simply a seventh chord, usually the dominant seventh is meant, which is a major triad with a minor seventh, for instance, C-E-G-B♭. It is called the dominant seventh because the V chord, or "dominant chord" in the Latin naming system, is the only major chord in the major scale that can naturally contain a minor seventh. Because all sevenths are dissonant intervals, any seventh chord is dissonant, in other words, a seventh chord is more tense than a major or minor chord. However, a few styles of music, such as jazz , make heavy use of seventh chords and may treat them as rather consonant. Other chords[ edit ] Some chords are defined by the relation to the key rather than by any inherent characteristics.

The Neapolitan chord, for example, is an ordinary major chord, but its root is the lowered supertonic of the corresponding key, so the Neapolitan of C major is a D♭ major chord. Additionally, the Neapolitan is usually found in first inversion. A borrowed chord is one from the parallel major or minor key. In C major, the parallel key is C minor and borrowed chords include E♭ major, B♭ major, and F minor. piano - Playing notes of a chord not quite simultaneously - Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange Playing notes of a chord not quite simultaneously up vote 4 down vote favorite When playing a chord on the piano, I'm increasing tending to 'roll' the chord i.e. play the notes in a very fast sequence rather than at once - too fast for it to be really scored . It's more akin to playing a chord slightly slowly on guitar where the 6 strings are plucked in sequence. Does this technique have a name and is it considered good/poor technique?

I do do it even in some scored pieces where the score has two written as played at the same time - probably like a 16th beat gap or even less - because to me it just sounds nicer, but I'm not sure in this context if that is playing the piece 'wrong' or within the bounds of personal playing style? 2 I want to say 'arpeggio' but I'm not sure if it's the exact thing you're looking for – Shevliaskovic Jun 5 '15 at 10:53 Isn't this strumming? – T. C. Jun 6 '15 at 6:04 @TheodorosChatzigiannakis - in my dictionary strum is to play strings - carelessly... – Tim Jun 6 '15 at 7:40 up vote 5 down vote 'Roll' is a term used, but arpeggiate is a better one. An arpeggio can be as quick from one end to the other as you like, or as slow.

The same thing can be done with chords on the guitar, usually designated on the dots by a squiggly vertical line before the notes themselves, showing the chord, and an arrowhead telling which way the strum goes;up,or more often, down (in direction, rather than pitch). As far as personalising a song, do what you want with it.The composer may or may not be happy, after all, he wrote what he wanted played. The old adage - if it sounds good... Exactly what I would have written if you did not beat me to it. – Neil Meyer Jun 5 '15 at 11:59 1 Sometimes on piano it's called "quasi-arpeggiation" since "arpeggiation", strictly speaking, means to play each note distinctly in the manner of a harp. The term "arpeggio" comes from the Italian word "arpa", which means "harp".

– user1044 Jun 7 '15 at 20:07 @Mr.Boy One further note on the stylistic front: while it is well within your rights to roll chords in a song as a stylistic choice, be aware that stylistic techniques can be prone to overuse. A rolled will chord draw attention to itself, much like an accent, but if the majority of chords are rolled, then it can lose its special uniqueness and potentially become mundane, or even annoying. YMMV. – Caleb Hines Jun 16 '15 at 17:49 up vote 4 down vote Doing something unintentionally is always a sign of poor technique, muscle weakness, or some related issue. If you cannot avoid rolling your chords it is likely that you are playing too fast or ahead of your skill level — you're starting into the chord before your hand has fully assumed the correct position to just press down. You might try practising playing chord inversions, for example C Major in root position, up to first inversion on the E, up to second on the G, up to the octave in root position again, and then reverse.

Ensure that you are sounding all notes clearly and at the same time, and be as slow as you need to do that. Increase your speed slowly as you improve. If you wish to be accurate to the composer's intention, it depends on what style of music you're playing — but in general, if an arpeggiation is not marked, you are likely not meeting it. As an example off the top of my head, Chopin's Prelude in C Minor absolutely should not be played with this kind of rolling; it destroys the power and presence of the huge multi-octave 7-note forte chords. There are undoubtedly many other such songs. To clarify: it is deliberate not a limitation of my playing (for once!) – Mr. Boy Jun 8 '15 at 11:20 @Mr.Boy That's good to know. Certainly play the way you want to play! I will leave this advice here for anyone else coming across this question. – Matthew Read♦ Jun 8 '15 at 13:27 @MatthewRead: "in general, if an arpeggiation is not marked, you are likely not meeting it" I tend to disagree.

There's a good deal of evidence that 19th century composers felt entirely free to improvise on their own scores, as well as not minding when other performers did. There's of course the anecdote of Chopin admonishing LIszt to play his Etudes as written, but then Liszt probably went overboard, turning everything into the Franz Liszt show. The fact that Liszt's contemporaries noted that he played Beethoven's Sonatas as written suggests that this was uncommon practice at the time. – BobRodes Jun 16 '15 at 17:48 @MatthewRead Furthermore, it was very common in Bach's time to roll chords, and not common at all to mark them. That said, I wouldn't roll the chords in the C Minor Prelude either! – BobRodes Jun 16 '15 at 17:54 1 This answer helped me because I do do this unintentionally, almost all the time. – Flounderer Jun 16 '15 at 23:35 up vote 4 down vote I'm not sure in this context if that is playing the piece 'wrong' or within the bounds of personal playing style?

The short answer is "depends on who you ask," as is so often the case. Compare the beginning of these two performances of Chopin's Ballade No. 3. The first is Rubinstein, and the second is Paderewski, both Polish pianists (Rubinstein used to snicker at the "foreign accent" of most Chopin interpreters), and both considered great Chopin interpreters. You will see that Paderewski is quite happy to roll chords (and yes, we call them "rolled chords" as well as "arpeggiated chords"), whenever he feels like it, even though they aren't notated as such (Rubinstein is playing the score as notated), where Rubinstein avoids doing this. (In fact, Rubinstein would often not roll chords that were annotated with an arpeggiation mark; he had huge hands and could block chords that most people couldn't. Showing off a bit, I'd say.

:) To see for yourself, compare his performance of Brahms' first concerto, second movement, with that of others.) This was part of the more wide-open style of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, and fell out of favor later on, as performance practice began to stress fidelity to the score over personal interpretation. More recently, things have moved back towards the middle--after all, if you stress the score too much, you'll lose track of your own inspiration and your performance will sound uninspired. So, as you can see, Paderewski at least was most certainly in the "within the bounds of personal playing style" camp. For what it's worth, so am I. up vote 0 down vote I think you are referring to a glissando. When playing a chord that is notated as glissando, you arpeggiate the chord, but in a very fast manner compared to an actual arpeggiation, therefore it is not an actual arpeggio (since that would require "time"; i.e. notated rhythm). Note chopin g minor nocturne op 37 No. 1; the end of the B section has a glissando.

I, personally, like to play this where the first F# note "duration" is a bit longer than the rest, and then (very) quickly play the rest, likely at the same speed as you described. This is how I like to play it, however there is no right or wrong way. While a glissando's purpose is not to separate the notes completey, an arpeggio's purpose IS to separate the notes completely (think arpeggios when playing your scales/arpeggios). <- This is my opinion and open to interpretation.

Question: What is the name for playing the notes of a chord in sequence rather than all together?
Answer: Arpeggio