Music Theory Crash Course
Chords
September 14, 2022
MUSIC THEORY | CHORDS
CHORDS:
Intervals can be either harmonic or melodic. A harmonic interval is created when two notes are played simultaneously. A melodic interval is created when two notes are played consecutively. The main difference is that a melodic interval, like we’re seeing here, communicates an emotion over time, while a harmonic interval like this, communicates that same emotion immediately. This is the basis for creating chords.
A chord is built starting with the root (which is what the chord is named after) then the third and the fifth of that scale. If we are to build a chord starting on C, we’d use C E G. This chord is called a C major chord or a c major Triad, because it contains only 3 notes. As you can hear, this chord is usually interpreted as being happy or joyful sounding. We can also count the interval pattern of the chord by counting from the root to the third and then to the fifth. You’ll find that the interval pattern of a major triad is 4 semitones, followed by 3 semitones. 4 then 3 equals MAJOR.
Let’s build another chord in C major but we’ll start the chord on the 2nd degree of this scale. We’ll add the root, the third, and the fifth. With this chord now, you’ll see that the interval pattern has changed. The second degree of a C Major gives us a D minor chord. We can count the interval pattern again to show how to make a minor triad. That pattern is 3 semitones, followed by 4 semitones. 3 then 4 equals a minor chord.
Just like the interval pattern to create a major or minor scale, the chords that can be built from each degree of any scale also follow a pattern.
In a major scale the chords we can expect to find are Major, minor, minor, Major, Major, minor, and then diminished.
A diminished chord is rarely used since it’s quite dissonant but is comprised of two 3 semitone intervals and is found at the 7th degree of a scale.
The same way we discovered the interval pattern of a Relative natural minor scale can be used to discover the chords available in the Relative minor scale as well. We just have to start the pattern from the 6th degree of that scale. So the chord pattern in the key of A minor is Minor, Diminished, Major, minor, minor, Major Major.
Okay, I know that this is a lot of information to digest, so be sure to review the video as many times as you’d like in order to wrap your mind around this concept. Also, revisiting all of these topics after a good night’s sleep will work wonders for your retention!
Let’s recap what we’ve learned so far. We know that the music we most likely want to create will be made from a selection of 7 harmonically related pitches within an octave. The order that these pitches are placed in relation to one another will determine if the emotion we experience from hearing the scale is either happy or sad, major or minor. The 7 pitches are referred to as degrees of the scale, starting at 1 and moving upward to 7. These degrees can be represented using Roman numerals 1 through 7. A three note major chord, called a triad can be constructed within a major scale using the first, third, and fifth notes. This chord must be comprised of first a 4 semitone interval, followed by a 3 semitone interval. Abiding strictly to this rule, that means we can only build a major chord on the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th degree of the major scale. As you can see, if I attempt to build a major chord starting from the second degree of the c major scale, by counting up 4 semitones for the first interval and then 3, we now have a note present that is not a part of our major scale. Remember, the C major scale contains only white keys. To build a minor chord, we can use the interval pattern 3 and then 4. The D minor chord is available in the C major scale.
Alright! Take a break and in the next video, I’ll tie this all together with information about Chord Progressions. The harmonic blueprint of a song. See you there!