The Different Types of Chords for Music

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If you are a musician, learning the basic theory is crucial. Unfortunately, many people don’t invest time and effort into earning the basics. No matter how good you are at writing songs, investing some time to learn basic concepts pushes you further. One of the most crucial basics to learn is the chords. Understanding music chords can change how you hear and write your songs. If you are a pianist, learn the piano chords for songs to upgrade your skills and the way you write your songs. Here is a brief overview of basic types of chords and how they are used.

What Are Music Chords?

Before we look at the types of chords, let us first learn what chords are in music. If you visit Chordify, you will realize there are different types of chords, each meant for a certain instrument. Chords are two or even more harmonic notes, usually played at once. Normally, you will get about three notes built together to make a chord. In short, a chord is a combination of several notes. It is from the chords you can create a melody, something your listeners will hear. These chords provide the shape of the melody.

The Basic Types of Chords

There are four fundamental types of chords, irrespective of the type of musical instrument you are playing. Let’s take a close look at them.

• Major Chords

Major chords are complete and resolved. Usually, they are built by adding intervals to the root. The root is the starting note of your chord. To understand this better, we advise you to learn more about notes, intervals, and keys. Learn about the major note C and the semitones to understand more about major chords.

• Minor Chords

Minor chords are somehow cheery and more like the major chords. However, there is a slight difference. According to most individuals, both major and minor chords sound almost the same. However, minor chords are normally created by adding three semitones and the perfect fifth.

• Augmented Chords

These chords sound disturbing and odd when played alone. You have probably heard them in thriller movies during the tense moments. You will rarely hear augmented chords. Normally, they are created like the major chords, but the perfect fifth is a bit raised.

• Diminished Chords

These chords add a discordant and tense sound to the music. You create the chords by adding a tritone that is made up of six semitones to the root note.

These are super vital basics of chording. It is crucial to apply these basics when playing your instrument to understand the art and beauty of music. Now that you have learned how to build these chords, you need to know how to use them in music. This calls for chord progression where you learn how to combine more than two chords in music. Progression can be easy or complicated, depending on the music genre.

Summary

Learning the chords can be difficult at first, especially if you do not know what each term means. However, just like how you learn to play an instrument, you can get better with enough practice.