Articles tagged with: "chords"
The Major Scale: The Foundation of Western Music
The major scale is the most fundamental scale in Western music. It's a seven-note diatonic scale that forms the basis for countless melodies, harmonies, and musical compositions across all genres....
Diminished Scales: A Guide to Symmetrical Patterns in Music
The diminished scale, also known as the octatonic scale, is a fascinating eight-note symmetrical scale that alternates between whole and half steps. It is a cornerstone of modern harmony, used …
Suspended Chords: A Guide to Creating Tension and Motion in Music
Suspended chords, or "sus" chords, are a vital tool for any songwriter, composer, or musician. By replacing the defining third of a chord with either a more neutral second (sus2) …
Mastering the 7#11 Chord: A Comprehensive Guide to Dominant Seventh Sharp Eleven
The 7#11 chord, also known as the dominant seventh sharp eleven, is a rich and colorful extended chord that adds harmonic tension and sophistication to music. This chord is particularly …
The 6/9 Chord: A Comprehensive Guide for Musicians
The 6/9 chord is a beautiful and versatile extended chord that adds color and richness to music. It is commonly used in jazz, pop, and classical music to create a …
Power Chords: The Foundation of Rock Music
Often called the "building blocks of rock," power chords are the driving force behind the sound of rock, punk, and metal. This guide will teach you what power chords are, …
Mastering the 7#11 Chord: The Complete Guide to Dominant Seventh Sharp Eleven
The 7#11 chord, also known as the dominant seventh sharp eleven or lydian dominant, is a rich and colorful extension of the basic dominant seventh chord. This sophisticated harmony adds …
Musical Intervals: The Building Blocks of Music
Musical intervals are the distances in pitch between any two notes, serving as the fundamental element upon which melody, harmony, and scales are constructed. A strong understanding of intervals is...
Understanding Musical Chords: The Building Blocks of Harmony
Chords are the fundamental building blocks of harmony in Western music. This comprehensive guide explores chord construction, types, functions, and applications across musical genres. From basic...
Dominant Ninth Chord: Adding Color to Dominant Harmony
The dominant ninth chord (9) is an extended harmony that adds sophistication and color to traditional dominant function chords. Built by adding a major ninth interval to a dominant seventh …
Extended Chords: Adding Color and Sophistication to Harmony
Most musicians begin their journey by learning basic triads—the foundational building blocks of harmony. But to unlock the rich, complex sounds of jazz, R&B, and modern classical music, you need …
The Hendrix Chord: Deconstructing the Dominant 7#9
Unravel the mystery behind one of rock's most iconic sounds. From its jazz origins to its explosive impact in the hands of Jimi Hendrix, we'll explore the theory, application, and …
Sus2 Chord: The Open and Airy Suspended Harmony
The sus2 chord (suspended second) is a triad that replaces the defining third with a major second. This simple substitution removes the major or minor quality, creating a uniquely open, …
Understanding the Major Third: The Building Block of Bright Harmony
This article delves into the major third, a fundamental musical interval that is the key to creating bright, happy-sounding harmony. We define the major third (an interval of four semitones), …
The Ultimate Guide to the Dominant Seventh Chord
If there's one chord that acts as the engine of Western music, it's the dominant seventh. You've heard its tense, unresolved sound countless times in everything from Bach to blues, …
The Hendrix Chord (7#9): A Deep Dive into the Iconic Dominant Seventh Sharp Nine
The Hendrix Chord, formally known as the dominant seventh sharp nine (7#9), is a rich and dissonant chord that has become synonymous with the sound of Jimi Hendrix. It is …
Mastering the Minor 11th Chord: Theory and Application
The Minor 11th chord is a rich and complex extended chord that adds depth and color to musical compositions. This guide will explore its construction, historical context, and practical applications...
The Major Eleventh Chord: A Dreamy and Complex Sound
This article explores the rich and sophisticated world of the major eleventh chord (Maj11) . We'll uncover its unique theoretical construction, explain its characteristic dreamy yet dissonant sound,...
Minor Ninth Chord: Unlocking Dark Sophistication in Your Harmony
The minor ninth chord (m9) is a lush, five-note harmony that infuses the moody quality of a minor seventh chord with the expressive color of a major ninth. This unique …
The Minor Third: Music's Melancholy Heartbeat
A fundamental musical interval spanning three semitones, the minor third is the essential building block of minor chords and scales. Its characteristically pensive, sad, or mysterious sound makes it...
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Mastering the Half Diminished Chord: Construction, Applications, and Exercises
A half diminished chord, also known as a minor seventh flat five (m7♭5), is a four-note chord consisting of:
Unlocking the Diminished Sixth: A Guide to Its Tense Beauty
Dive into the world of the diminished sixth, a fascinating and highly expressive musical interval. This article demystifies its tense sound, explains its unique theoretical properties (including its...
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The 7#11 Chord Demystified: Construction, Usage, and Musical Applications
The 7#11 chord, also known as the dominant seventh sharp eleven, is a rich and colorful extended chord that adds a unique flavor to harmonic progressions. This chord is widely …
The Minor Pentatonic Scale: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
This article explores the minor pentatonic scale: a comprehensive guide for beginners, covering its fundamental concepts, practical applications, and musical examples.
Unlocking the Maj7#5 Chord: A Deep Dive into its Sound and Application
The Maj7#5 chord is a paradox: simultaneously floating and tense, beautiful and unsettling. This article explores its unique sonic qualities, from its theoretical construction as an augmented triad...
The Complete Musician's Guide to Altered Dominant (7alt) Chords
The altered dominant, commonly notated as 7alt, is a sophisticated dominant 7th chord that incorporates one or more altered extensions (b9, #9, b5, #5) to create maximum harmonic tension. This …
The Dominant Eleventh Chord: A Guide to Its Sound, Soul, and Function
This article demystifies the dominant eleventh chord (V11), a sophisticated harmony that defines the sound of modern jazz, funk, and gospel. We explore its theoretical construction, the crucial...
Sus4 Chord: The Classic Suspended Harmony
The sus4 chord (suspended fourth) is a triad where the third is replaced by a perfect fourth above the root. This creates a distinctive, open-sounding harmony with a strong tendency …
The Ultimate Guide to the 12-Bar Blues
The 12-bar blues is a foundational chord progression and song structure that serves as the bedrock of blues music and has profoundly influenced jazz, rock and roll, country, and R&B. …
Altered Chords: Adding Color and Tension to Your Music
Altered chords are a cornerstone of modern harmony, providing a rich palette of tension and release by chromatically modifying standard chord tones. This guide demystifies altered dominant chords,...
Major Ninth Interval: Bright Extensions in Modern Harmony
The major ninth interval is a compound interval spanning fourteen semitones, equivalent to an octave plus a major second. This bright, open-sounding interval is a cornerstone of modern harmony,...
Mastering the Minor Thirteenth: A Complete Guide to This Expressive Interval
A minor thirteenth is a compound interval that spans a minor thirteenth above a root note. It consists of a minor tenth (an octave plus a minor third) plus a …
Unlocking the Secrets of the Minor 13th Chord
The minor 13th chord is a lush, sophisticated harmony that often functions as a point of resolution in jazz and contemporary music. This article demystifies its theoretical structure, explains the...
Unlocking Exotic Sounds: A Deep Dive into the Half-Whole Diminished Scale (Synthetic Scale 2)
Delve into the Half-Whole Diminished Scale, a cornerstone of modern harmony also known as Synthetic Scale 2. Learn its symmetrical construction, its powerful use over dominant chords in jazz, and …
The Perfect Fourth: Music's Enduring Enigma
The perfect fourth is a foundational musical interval spanning five semitones. It has a uniquely dualistic nature: it can sound open and stable as a melodic leap, yet tense and …
What is a Musical Note? Understanding the Building Blocks of Music
A musical note is the fundamental building block of music, representing both a specific sound and a written symbol. Understanding its core properties—pitch, duration, dynamics, and timbre—is the...
Secondary Dominants: Adding Color and Direction to Chord Progressions
Secondary dominants are one of the most powerful tools in functional harmony, used to add color, tension, and forward momentum to chord progressions. By temporarily "tonicizing" chords other than the...
Unlocking the Dark and Dramatic: A Guide to the Phrygian Progression (i-bII-bIII-iv)
This article explores the i-bII-bIII-iv Phrygian progression, a powerful chord sequence known for its dark, tense, and exotic sound. We will break down its theoretical foundation in the Phrygian...
12-Bar Blues Progression: The Foundation of American Popular Music
The 12-bar blues is the most important and influential chord progression in the history of American popular music. This foundational harmonic cycle, built on the I, IV, and V chords, …
Mastering the Minor Thirteenth: The Complete Guide to This Colorful Interval
The minor thirteenth is a compound interval that spans 20 semitones above the root note, combining an octave plus a minor sixth. In chord construction, it typically appears as an …