Chords
A chord (in a tertian harmonic sense; ie. harmony built on thirds) must have all of its notes a third apart (either minor or major)
- this rule holds true for extended chords (e.g.
9th,11thchords), since the 9th is a minor third above the 7th,
chords are often augmented with "tensions". A tension is an additional chord member that creates a relatively dissonant interval in relation to the bass.
- Harmonization usually sounds pleasant to the ear when there is a balance between consonance and dissonance. Simply put, this occurs when there is a balance between "tense" and "relaxed" moments.
- A misplayed note or any sound that is judged to detract from the whole composition can be described as disharmonious rather than dissonant.
Think of a chord as a harmonic structure that supports melody
Augmented
Augmented chords can be used as a substitute for a dominant chord.
Augmented can be used to increase the tension of the V chord, before bringing it back to the tonic, creating an even bigger resolution.
Examples:
- Oh! Darling - Beatles (opening chord)
If you take a minor triad and augment the 5th you wind up with a major triad of the augmented note
- ex. Gm with an augmented 5th yields an E♭ major chord.
Add chords
An add chord simply adds the scale degree to the chord
- ex. a C6 chord is a Cmajor with the 6th
add chords notably don't remove the 3rd, making add2 and add4 chords distinct from sus2 / sus4
Try arpeggiated add♯4 and let the bass drive the progression.
- Lydian
Try arpeggiated addb2 and let the bass drive the progression.
- Phrygian
Extension chords (compound intervals)
- ex. 9th, 11th, 13th They are called compound because they are greater than one octave
Compound chords are normally played with the 7th.
- this is the principal difference between an
add2chord and a9thchord
Augmented 5th (aka minor 6th)
Arpeggiated, provides a mysterious vibe
Slash chords (e.g. C/E)
A slash chord denotes which note should be played in the most bass register
- ex. if we have a
C/Echord, we should play a C major chord with notesE/G/C.
If the slash chord contains a note not found in the chord (e.g. C/B, since B is not part of C major), then we have to reconstruct the chord. In this case, a C/B chord is a Cmaj7 chord with B in the lowest register.
The Four Chords (I-V-vi-IV)
They work well together because they offer a lot of space to work with. They are fairly neutral sounding, and therefore a lot of melodies can work with them.
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