Chords - Fundamentals of Music Theory
So far we have looked at intervals, scales and modes, some of the most fundamental parts of music theory. These are important concepts to understand before we get into this section, so if you aren't already familiar, we recommend reading those sections first. Otherwise, strap in and get comfortable as we dive into chords, what they are, how they are made, and how to use them.
What are Chords?
A chord consists of multiple notes being played together. Whilst an interval describes the distance between two notes, it could be argued that playing those two notes together constitutes a chord (known as a Dyad). However, chords are more commonly expected to consist of at least three notes.
That would also suggest that chords can only be played on instruments that support the playing of multiple notes at the same time, such as keyboard, string, or mallet percussion instruments, etc. However you can of course play chords with any collection of tuned instruments if each instrument plays a different note of the chord. This is already a very common practice in every type of music from classical to pop music. For example a bass guitar might play a particular note of the chord and the accompanying keys/guitar may play the rest of the chord notes omitting the note already covered by the bass. Or a chord may be split up between a string section with each group of instruments (violin, viola, cello) playing one of the notes each.
Building Blocks
The primary building blocks of chords are intervals, stacked one on top of the other. In Western music, the most commonly used interval for this is a 3rd. Now if you have read up on intervals, you will already know there are two distinct types of 3rds, Major 3rd (4 semitones) and minor 3rd (3 semitones). The different combinations of these will change the quality and character of the chord. Let's see how that works by looking into the most fundamental of chord types, the Triad.
Triads
As the name suggests, triads are made up of three notes. They must also consist of two (Major or minor) 3rd intervals, stacked one on top of the other. Chords built by stacking only 3rd intervals are called Tertiary or Tertian chords.
- The root note of the chord is the foundation that the rest of the chord is stacked upon. It also dictates the name of the chord, for example C.
- The next note in the stack, known as the third, is a 3rd interval from the root. Whether you use a Major 3rd (4 semitones) or a minor 3rd (3 semitones) will determine the quality of the chord.
- The final note in the stack, known as the fifth, is another 3rd interval, this time from the previous note. Whilst not quite as important as the previous third, this note still determines other characteristics of the chord depending on whether you use a Major or minor 3rd.
Here are the various possible configurations of those stacks:
Major Triad (1, 3, 5)
A Major triad consists of the root, followed by a Major 3rd, with the stack topped off with a minor 3rd. This combination of a stacked Major 3rd (4 semitones) and minor 3rd (3 semitones) makes the final note in the stack a Perfect 5th (7 semitones from the root).
5
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
3
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
1
The middle note being a Major 3rd determines the quality of this triad as a Major chord which is generally described as a “happy” sounding chord and is extremely common in pop music.
Example: A root of C, followed by a Major 3rd (4 semitones from C) giving us an E (C, C♯, D, D♯, E), and topped off with a minor 3rd (3 semitones from E) giving us a G (E, F, F♯, G), produces a C Major chord (C, E, G). This can also be written as CM, CMaj, CΔ, or most commonly just C (if there isn't a quality shown, Major is assumed).
Minor Triad (1, ♭3, 5)
A minor triad begins with the root, followed by a minor 3rd (3 semitones), with the stack finished off with a Major 3rd (4 semitones). Again this totals 7 semitones, so the last note is still, like in the Major chord, a Perfect 5th.
5
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
♭3
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
1
The middle note being a minor 3rd determines the quality of this triad as a minor chord which is commonly thought of as a “sad” sounding chord.
Example: A root of C, followed by a minor 3rd (3 semitones from C) giving us an E♭ (C, D♭, D, E♭), topped with a Major 3rd (4 semitones from E♭) giving us a G (E♭, E, F, G♭, G), produces a C minor chord (C, E♭, G). This can also be written as Cmin, C-, or most commonly just Cm.
Augmented Triad (1, 3, ♯5)
An Augmented triad consists of two stacked Major 3rds, but can most easily be thought of as a Major triad but with the last note of the stack, the Perfect 5th, raised by one semitone making it an Augmented 5th.
♯5
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
3
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
1
Augmented chords can sound dissonant but, some would say have a dreamy quality.
Example: A root of C, followed by a Major 3rd (4 semitones from C) giving us an E (C, C♯, D, D♯, E), and topped off with another Major 3rd (4 semitones from E) giving us a G♯ (E, F, F♯, G, G♯), produces a C Augmented chord (C, E, G♯). This can also be written as Caug or C+.
Diminished Triad (1, ♭3, ♭5)
A diminished triad is made up of two stacked minor 3rds and can be thought of as a minor triad but with the Perfect 5th lowered by one semitone to produce a diminished 5th.
♭5
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
♭3
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
1
Diminished chords can create an uneasy or scary sound and are commonly used in horror movies.
Example: A root of C, followed by a minor 3rd (3 semitones from C) giving us an E♭ (C, D♭, D, E♭), topped with another minor 3rd (3 semitones from E♭) giving us a G♭ (E♭, E, F, G♭), produces a C diminished chord (C, E♭, G♭). This can also be written as Cdim or Co.
Suspended Chords
There are of course other 3 note chords that don't conform to the above mentioned Tertiary rule of stacking only 3rds. In fact some don't have a 3rd interval at all. Suspended chords replace the 3rd with either a Major 2nd or a Perfect 4th. With no 3rd quality, a Suspended chord has a more open sound, albeit with some tension created by the dissonance between either the root note and the Major 2nd or the Perfect 4th and the Perfect 5th. That tension is often (but not always) resolved by following it with a Major or minor chord.
Suspended Second Chord (1, 2, 5)
You can think of a Suspended Second chord, or Sus2 as it is more commonly named, as a Major or minor triad but with the Major or minor 3rd replaced by a Major 2nd. The root note and Perfect 5th remain the same.
5
⬆ Perfect 4th (5 semitones)
2
⬆ Major 2nd (2 semitones)
1
Example: A root of C, followed by a Major 2nd (2 semitones from C) giving us a D (C, C♯, D), and stacked with a Perfect 4th (5 semitones from D) giving us a G (D, D♯, E, F, F♯, G), produces a C Suspended Second chord (C, D, G). This is usually written as Csus2.
Suspended Fourth Chord (1, 4, 5)
As with the Suspended Second chord above, a Suspended Fourth chord can be thought of as a Major or minor triad but this time with the Major or minor 3rd replaced by a Perfect 4th. Again The root note and Perfect 5th remain the same.
5
⬆ Major 2nd (2 semitones)
4
⬆ Perfect 4th (5 semitones)
1
Example: A root of C, followed by a Perfect 4th (5 semitones from C) giving us an F (C, C♯, D, D♯, E, F), and stacked with a Major 2nd (2 semitones from F) giving us a G (F, F♯, G), produces a C Suspended Fourth chord (C, F, G). This is usually written as Csus4, or most commonly just Csus (if no number is present, 4 is assumed).
Power Chords (1, 5, 8[1])
Let's not forget Power chords. Whilst some purists might not consider only two notes played at the same time as a chord, Power chords are a regular feature in various music genres like punk, rock and metal. They are often one of the first chords we learn when starting out as they are easy to play. They aren't just any old two notes however, they are made of the root note and the Perfect 5th, often with the root note doubled with the octave above.
8[1]
⬆ Perfect 4th (5 semitones)
5
⬆ Perfect 5th (7 semitones)
1
Example: A root of C, followed by a Perfect 5th (7 semitones from C) giving us a G (C, C♯, D, D♯, E, F, F♯, G), produces a C Power chord (C, G). Optionally you can also stack a Perfect 4th interval (5 semitones from G) to double the root note one octave higher (G, G♯, A, A♯, B, C). Power chords are more commonly written as 5 chords, so in this case just C5.
Seventh Chords
Let's revisit the triads from above which are constructed by stacking two 3rd intervals (Major or minor). If we were to add another Major or minor 3rd to that stack we would produce one of the several possible types of Seventh chord. As four note chords, Seventh chords sit within the tetrads family. We can find Seventh chords in use throughout all genres of music but particularly in blues and jazz. The naming of Seventh chords isn't always obvious so we will be sure to explain each below.
Major Seventh Chord (1, 3, 5, 7)
A Major Seventh chord is simply a Major triad with a Major 7th on top. The stack consists of the root, followed by a Major 3rd, then a minor 3rd, and finally another Major 3rd on the top of the stack. That final Major 3rd (4 semitones) in the stack gives us our Major 7th (11 semitones from the root). We could call this chord a Major Major Seventh (a Major triad with a Major 7th), but thankfully this is shortened to just Major Seventh as the quality of the chord is implied i.e. the term Major relates to both the 3rd and the 7th.
7
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
5
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
3
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
1
Major Seventh chords sound happy, due to their underlying Major triad, but also soft and jazzy to most thanks to the Major Seventh.
Example: A root of C, followed by a Major 3rd (4 semitones from C) giving us an E (C, C♯, D, D♯, E), then a minor 3rd (3 semitones from E) giving us a G (E, F, F♯, G), and topped off with a Major 3rd (4 semitones from G) giving us a B (G, G♯, A, A♯, B), produces a C Major Seventh chord (C, E, G, B). This can also be written as C Major 7, CMaj7, CΔ7 or just CM7.
Minor Seventh Chord (1, ♭3, 5, ♭7)
A minor Seventh chord is built on a minor triad with a minor 7th on top. The stack consists of the root, followed by a minor 3rd, then a Major 3rd, and finally another minor 3rd on the top of the stack. That final minor 3rd (3 semitones) in the stack gives us our minor 7th (10 semitones from the root). This chord could be called a minor minor seventh (a minor triad with a minor 7th), but again like the previous chord, the quality of the chord, minor this time, is implied (the minor relates to both the 3rd and the 7th) and so we can just call it a minor seventh.
♭7
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
5
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
♭3
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
1
Minor seventh chords inherit the sad sound of their underlying minor triad, but also sound smooth and jazzy due to the minor seventh.
Example: A root of C, followed by a minor 3rd (3 semitones from C) giving us an E♭ (C, D♭, D, E♭), then a Major 3rd (4 semitones from E♭) giving us a G (E♭, E, F, G♭, G), and topped off with a minor 3rd (3 semitones from G) giving us a B♭ (G, A♭, A, B♭), produces a C minor seventh chord (C, E♭, G, B♭). This can also be written as C minor 7, Cmin7, or just Cm7.
Dominant Seventh Chord (1, 3, 5, ♭7)
A Dominant Seventh chord is what most people think of as THE seventh chord. It is certainly the most common/popular type of seventh chord. A Dominant seventh chord differs from the previous two seventh chords in that its third and seventh do not share the same quality. A Dominant seventh chord is made up of a Major triad but with a minor 7th. Its stack consists of the root, followed by a Major 3rd, then a minor 3rd, and finally another minor 3rd on the top of the stack. That final minor 3rd (3 semitones) in the stack gives us the minor 7th (10 semitones from the root).
♭7
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
5
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
3
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
1
The name Dominant comes from the chord's association with the Dominant V (five) chord of a Major scale. If we were to build a V chord on say the C Major scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B), we would start with a root of G (the fifth note in the scale), a third of B (a Major 3rd from G), a fifth of D (a minor 3rd from B) then a seventh of F (a minor 3rd from D). Only the V (Dominant) chord produces a Major triad with a minor 7th when building diatonically from the available notes of the parent scale (more on that later).
Unlike the previous two chords, this one does not share the quality of Major or minor for both the third and the seventh of the chord. It is really a Major minor seventh (a Major triad with a minor 7th), but because of its popular usage as the Dominant V chord when resolving to the I chord (perfect cadence, don't worry, we'll leave that for a later lesson!), it is known as the Dominant seventh chord. Having said that, most refer to this chord as just a (the) Seventh chord (dropping the word Dominant). This does cause some confusion between this chord and the above seventh chords. Best to remember this is a Major triad with a minor 7th.
Whilst Dominant seventh chords can be found in everything from Classical music and beyond, they are used extensively in blues music and also help build up a strong need for resolution.
Example: A root of C, followed by a Major 3rd (4 semitones from C) giving us an E (C, C♯, D, D♯, E), then a minor 3rd (3 semitones from E) giving us a G (E, F, F♯, G), and topped off with a minor 3rd (3 semitones from G) giving us a B♭ (G, A♭, A, B♭), produces a C Dominant Seventh chord (C, E, G, B♭). This can also be written as C Dominant 7 or Cdom7 but is generally just written as C7.
Minor Major Seventh Chord (1, ♭3, 5, 7)
Where a Dominant seventh chord is built from a Major triad but with a minor 7th, the minor Major Seventh chord is if you like the opposite i.e. a minor triad but with a Major 7th. Its stack consists of the root, followed by a minor 3rd, then a Major 3rd, and finally another Major 3rd on the top of the stack. That final Major 3rd (4 semitones) in the stack gives us the Major 7th (11 semitones from the root).
7
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
5
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
♭3
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
1
Again, this chord does not share the quality of Major or minor for both the third and the seventh of the chord. But unlike the Dominant seventh, the minor Major Seventh doesn't have an official alternative name. Not to worry though as the chord has been nicknamed the “Hitchcock” chord due to its scary usage in the movie soundtrack for Psycho. The minor Major Seventh can also sound mysterious and intriguing, and in that context it was used as the final chord on the original James Bond theme music.
Example: A root of C, followed by a minor 3rd (3 semitones from C) giving us an E♭ (C, D♭, D, E♭), then a Major 3rd (4 semitones from E♭) giving us a G (E♭, E, F, G♭, G), and topped off with a Major 3rd (4 semitones from G) giving us a B (G, G♯, A, A♯, B), produces a C minor Major Seventh chord (C, E♭, G, B). This can also be written as C-Δ7, CminMaj7 or just CmM7.
Diminished Seventh Chord (1, ♭3, ♭5, 7)
Just as the previous seventh chords are built on Major or minor triads, a diminished seventh chord is built on the diminished triad. But rather than adding a Major or minor 7th, we add a diminished 7th (a minor 7th lowered by one semitone). Thus the double flat () as a minor 7th is already flattened once compared to a Major 7th. Another, perhaps simpler way to think of it is that a diminished seventh chord consists of three stacked minor 3rds.
7
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
♭5
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
♭3
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
1
Diminished seventh chords, like their underlying diminished triad, feature heavily in scary/horror movies due to their uneasy, tense sound.
Example: A root of C, followed by a minor 3rd (3 semitones from C) giving us an E♭ (C, D♭, D, E♭), followed by another minor 3rd (3 semitones from E♭) giving us a G♭ (E♭, E, F, G♭), and topped off with yet another minor 3rd (3 semitones from G♭) giving us an A (G♭, G, A♭, A). But as the letter A is reserved for the sixth note, we must spell it as B. This produces a C diminished seventh chord (C, E♭, G♭, B). This can also be written as Cdim7 or Co7.
Half Diminished Seventh Chord AKA Minor Seventh Flat Five Chord (1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7)
As with the diminished seventh chord above, a half diminished seventh chord is also built on the diminished triad. But rather than adding a diminished 7th, we just add a minor 7th. As you can see in the chord name above, this chord is also very commonly known as a minor seventh flat 5 chord. Another way to look at this chord is as a minor seventh chord but with the Perfect 5th lowered by one semitone, thus the other commonly used name of minor seventh flat five chord. It is also worth noting that this is the naturally occurring chord when building the VII chord of a Major scale.
♭7
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
♭5
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
♭3
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
1
Half diminished seventh chords don't have as much tension as a fully diminished seventh chord, and are extremely common in jazz music in particular.
Example: A root of C, followed by a minor 3rd (3 semitones from C) giving us an E♭ (C, D♭, D, E♭), followed by another minor 3rd (3 semitones from E♭) giving us a G♭ (E♭, E, F, G♭), and topped off with a Major 3rd (4 semitones from G♭) giving us a B♭ (G♭, G, A♭, A, B♭), produces a C half diminished seventh chord (C, E♭, G♭, B♭) otherwise known as a C minor seventh flat five chord. This is most commonly written as Cø7 or Cm7b5.
Augmented Major Seventh Chord AKA Major Seventh Sharp Five Chord (1, 3, ♯5, 7)
The Augmented Major Seventh chord is built on an Augmented triad along with a Major 7th. As the Augmented triad stack already consists of two Major 3rds, an additional minor 3rd is sufficient to obtain the Major 7th. An alternative way of thinking about this chord is as a Major Seventh chord but with the Perfect 5th raised by one semitone, thus the alternative name of Major Seventh sharp five chord.
7
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
♯5
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
3
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
1
Augmented Major Seventh chords have an otherworldly, some might say beautiful sound and appear in a variety of musical genres.
Example: A root of C, followed by a Major 3rd (4 semitones from C) giving us an E (C, C♯, D, D♯, E), followed by another Major 3rd (4 semitones from E) giving us a G♯ (E, F, F♯, G, G♯), and topped off with a minor 3rd (3 semitones from G♯) giving us a B (G♯, A, A♯, B), produces a C Augmented Major Seventh chord (C, E, G♯, B). This can also be written as CaugM7, C+M7 or C+Δ7 among others.
Other Seventh Chords
All of the above seventh chords are examples of tertian seventh chords, as in they are created by stacking a combination of only Major or minor 3rds. Now the eagle-eyed may be asking “But what about stacking three Major 3rds? Where is that chord?”. Well, stacking three Major 3rds, each consisting of 4 semitones, gives us a total of 12 semitones which takes us back to our root note, albeit an octave higher, and so does not produce a seventh chord.
There are of course many other possible non-tertian seventh chords such as the Augmented seventh chord (1, 3, #5, b7), the Dominant seventh flat five chord (1, 3, b5, b7). Or how about the Dominant seventh suspended second chord (1, 2, 5, b7) or the Dominant seventh suspended fourth chord (1, 4, 5, b7)? There are plenty more possible seventh chords to discover but not all will be that commonly used.
Sixth Chords
Continuing with the notion of adding a note to an existing triad, where previously we looked at adding a seventh, here we instead add a sixth. As with seventh chords, sixth chords also consist of four notes and so also sit within the tetrads family.
Major Sixth Chord (1, 3, 5, 6)
A Major Sixth chord is simply a Major triad with a Major 6th. The stack consists of the root, followed by a Major 3rd, then a minor 3rd, and finally a Major 2nd on the top of the stack. That final Major 2nd (2 semitones) in the stack gives us our Major 6th (9 semitones from the root).
6
⬆ Major 2nd (2 semitones)
5
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
3
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
1
Major Sixth chords can have a somewhat mixed quality. Whilst the chord is clearly a Major chord due to the Major 3rd, the notes of a Major Sixth are the exact same notes as those of the relative minor seventh chord. For example a C Major Sixth chord (C, E, G, A) shares the same notes as an A minor seventh chord (A, C, E, G), just in a different order.
Major Sixth chords are commonly used in jazz, often as an alternative to a Major Seventh chord. This is especially the case when the root note of the chord features in the melody played over this chord because a Major Seventh is close to the tonic/root and can sound a little dissonant.
Example: A root of C, followed by a Major 3rd (4 semitones from C) giving us an E (C, C♯, D, D♯, E), then a minor 3rd (3 semitones from E) giving us a G (E, F, F♯, G), and topped off with a Major 2nd (2 semitones from G) giving us an A (G, G♯, A), produces a C Major Sixth chord (C, E, G, A). This can also be written as C Major 6, CMaj6, CΔ6 or just CM6.
Minor Sixth Chord (1, ♭3, 5, 6)
Unlike a minor seventh chord, the minor quality does not apply to both the 3rd and the 6th. A minor Sixth chord is built on a minor triad but adds a Major 6th. The stack consists of the root, followed by a minor 3rd, then a Major 3rd, and finally a Major 2nd on the top of the stack. That final Major 2nd (2 semitones) in the stack gives us our Major 6th (9 semitones from the root). Another way to look at this chord is as a Major Sixth chord with only the 3rd lowered from a Major 3rd to a minor 3rd.
6
⬆ Major 2nd (2 semitones)
5
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
♭3
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
1
Minor Sixth chords, most commonly heard in jazz, inherit the sad sound of their underlying minor triad but have an added darkness to them due to the tritone interval (6 semitones) between the minor 3rd and the Major 6th. Minor Sixth chords are sometimes used as an alternative to minor seventh chords or minor Major Seventh chords.
Example: A root of C, followed by a minor 3rd (3 semitones from C) giving us an E♭ (C, D♭, D, E♭), then a Major 3rd (4 semitones from E♭) giving us a G (E♭, E, F, G♭, G), and topped off with a Major 2nd (2 semitones from G) giving us an A (G, G♯, A), produces a C minor sixth chord (C, E♭, G, A). This can also be written as C minor 6, Cmin6, or just Cm6.
Minor Flat Sixth Chord (1, ♭3, 5, ♭6)
Where a minor Sixth chord still has a Major 6th, a minor flat sixth chord takes the same minor triad but adds a minor 6th instead. The stack consists of the root, followed by a minor 3rd, then a Major 3rd, and finally a minor 2nd on the top of the stack. That final minor 2nd (1 semitone) in the stack gives us our minor 6th (8 semitones from the root).
♭6
⬆ minor 2nd (1 semitone)
5
⬆ Major 3rd (4 semitones)
♭3
⬆ minor 3rd (3 semitones)
1
Minor flat sixth chords have been used in everything from the Beatles to Beyoncé. They tend to be used as a passing chord, in particular just before the Dominant seventh chord to help create an even greater need to resolve. Confusingly minor flat sixth chords aren't always identified as such. They are sometimes labeled as the borrowed VI (sixth scale degree) chord of the parallel minor scale. For example in the key of C Major scale, our vi chord would normally be A minor seventh chord. If we instead borrow the VI chord from the parallel C minor scale we get a flattened A♭ Major Seventh chord, the notes of which are (A♭, C, E♭, G). Those same notes form the C minor flat sixth (C, E♭, G, A♭) albeit in a different order. The name you use really depends on the context.
Example: A root of C, followed by a minor 3rd (3 semitones from C) giving us an E♭ (C, D♭, D, E♭), then a Major 3rd (4 semitones from E♭) giving us a G (E♭, E, F, G♭, G), and topped off with a minor 2nd (1 semitone from G) giving us an A♭ (G, A♭), produces a C minor flat sixth chord (C, E♭, G, A♭). This can also be written as C minor flat 6, Cmin♭6, or just Cm♭6.
Chord Inversions
Before we get any deeper into more types of chords (in the next section), let's break down chord inversions, what they are, and how/when we might use them.
Root Position
Firstly, as the name suggests, a chord inversion involves taking an existing chord and inverting the notes. So let's take a C Major triad for example which includes the notes C, E, G. This “regular” chord is known as the Root Position because its root note, C in this case, is the first note in the chord spelling with the remaining notes of the chord normally played in ascending order of pitch.
1st Inversion
If we take the notes of our previous example, the C Major triad, but reorder them by moving the root note to the end, we get E, G, C. This is known as the 1st Inversion. The chord still contains the same notes, but now the C would be played at a higher pitch than the other notes rather than lower and the E is now “in the bass”. These changes give the chord a different character or voicing.
2nd Inversion
Continuing on from the previous example, if we take the 1st Inversion of a C Major triad, E, G, C, and again move the first note to last, we get G, C, E. Once again the same notes as our original triad but now the root note is in the middle and we have G in the bass. This has a different character again to the other voicings.
3rd Inversion and beyond
With triads, if we again performed the move of first note to last on a 2nd Inversion, we end up back where we started, with the Root Position of C Major i.e. C, E, G. However we can invert more than just triads. Technically a chord of any number of notes can be inverted as many times as required before we eventually return back to the Root Position of that chord. So four note chords will have a Root Position and three inversions, a five note chord will have a Root Position and four possible inversions, etc.
Some of these inversions might share the same notes as another chord known by a different name. For example Augmented triads, due to their symmetrical nature (stacked Major 3rds), when inverted create another Augmented triad. Let's start with a C Augmented triad, C, E, G♯, each note a Major 3rd apart. The 1st Inversion of this chord gives us E, G♯, C. As the notes of this inversion are still a Major 3rd apart, it forms another Augmented triad, in this case an E Augmented triad, albeit spelt differently to the written notes of that chord (E, G♯, B♯). The 2nd Inversion, G♯, C, E, creates another Augmented triad, a G♯ Augmented triad, again the same notes but spelt differently (G♯, B♯, D).
Usage
Using a particular inversion of a chord may purely come down to preference based on the sound of that voicing. However there are also some practical reasons for choosing inverted chords over their root positions. For example you may be able to find a particular inversion of a chord that you want to play much closer on your instrument to the chord you played previously making the change easier and more efficient to play. In some cases, maybe another instrument will play the original bass/root note of the chord.
There is also a composing technique known as Voice Leading which we will get into further in the next lesson. But in principle voice leading ensures smooth, harmonious transitions between chords by limiting the interval sizes between the notes of one chord and the next. Use of chord inversions can help with this. In a similar fashion, chord inversions can be used to create walking bass lines where the bass note of each chord in a progression takes small, incremental linear steps up or down in pitch.
Slash Chords
No, these are not chords played exclusively by the guitarist Slash of Guns N' Roses fame. The name refers to how chords are written when they have a different note than usual “in the bass”. Sound familiar? Yes, chord inversions are commonly written as a Slash Chord. For example the 1st Inversion of a C Major triad, E, G, C would be written as C/E. The 2nd inversion, G, C, E would be written as C/G. We can see here that the actual chord is written first, followed by the note to be played in the bass, and separated by a slash (/), thus the name.
It is worth noting that slash chords aren't exclusively used for chord inversions. Maybe the note you wish to play in the bass is pulled out of the chord but the rest of the chord spelling remains the same. Or maybe the bass note isn't in the chord at all!
Arpeggios
Let's wrap up this section with a look at Arpeggios. Playing a chord usually involves playing the notes of the chord simultaneously. Arpeggios on the other hand involve playing some or all of the notes of the chord, one after the other. The notes are often played in ascending or descending order or both (one after the other), but that isn't a strict rule. Arpeggios can completely omit or skip some notes of the chord or just play them in whatever the desired order.
Arpeggios are commonly played over the top of the same chord (being played on another instrument for example). As the notes all exist within the underlying chord, they will always sound good. Sometimes though just playing the arpeggio on its own is enough to suggest the chord. Often a melody or solo will be made up of a sequence of notes that highlight each chord within a chord progression. Some of the most famous musical licks, motifs or phrases were created from arpeggios. Next time you are playing along to a favourite piece of music, try just picking out the notes of the chord, in whatever order you like, rather than the whole chord at once. Explore, have fun!
More Chords
Above we have learned about some of the most commonly used chord types from Triads and Suspended chords through to Sixth and Seventh chords. We have looked at different chord qualities such as Major, minor, Augmented and diminished chords. And we have also looked at how to change the feel and character of our music by playing different chord voicings using chord inversions or by playing arpeggios. In the next section we will learn about other chord types such as Extended chords, Altered chords, and Added chords. We will look more into how to build chords from an underlying scale and how to piece chords together to form chord progressions and more.
Resources
If you are looking for information on a specific chord, check out our Music Theory Chords section and just select the chord type and root note you need for a detailed breakdown. And if you want to view chords on your preferred instrument of choice, some of our instrument sections include a chords section such as Piano Chords and Guitar Chords with more instrument chords to come in the near future.
