Different chords and how to make music with them
This article is a lesson on using different chords and creating music with them. Chords are a fundamental part of music theory. Perfecting the chord theory down will make the voyage into music theory a smooth one.
Chords are the building blocks of music. You cannot add colors to a song with a single note. A decent chord progression is required to build and improvise. Chords are hence the first thing that music schools and coaching classes teach. Chords and classifications
Chords are a group of notes played at a time or one after another. When played at a time, it is called "strumming" on a guitar and when you play notes of a chord one after another, it is called an arpeggio. In general terms, strumming is called playing a chord. There are two ways you can play pitches. You can either play chords or arpeggios. Wind instruments lack the advantage of playing a group of notes at once. String instruments do them the best. Classification of chords
Before we move further, follow this lesson if you don't know what intervals are. From that last lesson, we came to know how to create a major scale with intervals.
Root, Major second, Major third, Perfect fourth, Perfect fifth, Major sixth and Major Seventh, all together make the major scale. For our purposes let us consider the terms scale and key as synonymous. If a chord only uses the notes of the key/scale, it is called a "Diatonic chord". Otherwise, it can be called a "borrowed" or a "substituted chord".
Following are the types of Diatonic chords:
You notate major chords just with their name while you follow up a minor chord with m. Ex: A (A major chord). Am is the A minor chord. Asus2 and Asus4 are Suspended chords of A.
Inversions of triads Triads are just three notes. But don't let that limit you. A chord usually has a bass note(the lowest note, usually the root) and a treble note( could be root, third or fifth). You can make the same chord sound different by swapping the positions they are played at.
Example: A major is A, C# and E played together, with A as the bass note. A first inversion is where the third, C#, will become the bass note. A second inversion is where the fifth, E, is the bass note of the chord. There is a third inversion too, where you play the seventh of root, as a bass note. This way you can use a particular voicing of a chord and experiment with need.
These are some added chords -
If C11 is the name of the chord, you are supposed to C,E,G,B and D at a time.
If Cm11 is the name, C,Eb,G,Bb and D.
If C13 is the name of the chord, you play C,E,G,B,D and A.
If Cm b13, we play C,Eb,G,Bb,D and Ab.
If C9 is the name, C,E,G,B and D. If Cm9, C,Eb,G,Bb and D.
Those are the extended chords that are generally used. But you are free to experiment around in music always.How to use these music chords
A song rides at the back of the backing chord progression. For the beginners, it is advised to stay in a key throughout the song. Chords are notated in Roman numericals. Major chords are notated in capital and minor in small numbers.
I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, VII0, are the chords of a major scale. Seventh chord of a key is called a half diminished chord. We will speak about it later. ii,iii and vi chords here are minor. Rest are major chords. Using these chord combinations one can lay down a good chord progression. If you are playing in the key/scale of C major, following are your chords: C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor and B half diminished.
About the diminished chords (VII0) These chords don't sound very good on their own. They are a bit difficult to accommodate in music so they deserve a lesson on their own. B half diminished has the following notes, B, D, F and A.
These are the general directions and information regarding chords. Generally chord progressions start with the root chord, but one is always free to experiment. And remember, you always play a chord with all notes together or arpeggiate it, playing notes one after another. I hope this brief lesson on chords was helpful.
