Chords Lesson 15 Arpeggios and who cares Simple

Chords, Lesson #15 Arpeggios and who cares!? !? !

Simple Definition of a Chord: Notes played at the same time. Instruments that can play chords: Piano/Keyboard Instruments String Instruments “Air” Instruments like the Accordion and Pipe Organ Because Wind Instruments (Reed and Brass instruments) can only play one note at a time they must play a chord through the use of multiple players or the performance of an arpeggio (more on this later).

Types of Chords For You To Know At This Level “Voices” are the actual notes in the chord and are labeled by their relationship to the Root (the note the chord is based on). An “Interval” is the distance between two notes measured in half and whole steps (the definition of half and whole steps can be found in lessons #2, #5 & #7). An “Arpeggio” is when the chord is broken into its component parts. Meaning: The voices of a chord are each played one at a time. Triad: 3 voices 5 th 3 rd Root

Types of Chords For You To Know At This Level

Types of Chords For You To Know At This Level For our purposes, a triad will always contain : A Root : The note the chord is based on. A “Perfect” 5 th (an interval of 3 1/2 steps up from the root) A major 3 rd (interval of 2 whole steps up from the root) *OR* minor 3 rd (interval of 1 1/2 steps up from the root) The “quality” (major or minor) of the chord is determined by the type of 3 rd contained in the triad.

Types of Chords For You To Know At This Level Major Triad Minor Triad

Types of Chords For You To Know At This Level 7 th Chord (4 voices in the chord) 7 th 5 th 3 rd Root

Types of Chords For You To Know At This Level For our purposes, a 7 th chord will always contain : A Root : The note the chord is based on. A “Perfect” 5 th (an interval of 3 1/2 steps up from the root) A major 3 rd (interval of 2 whole steps up from the root) *OR* A minor 3 rd (interval of 1 1/2 steps up from the root) A major 7 th (1/2 step below the root at an octave) *OR* A minor 7 th (1 whole step below the root at an octave)

Types of Chords For You To Know At This Level Major Triad Major 7 th Major Triad Minor 7 th Minor Triad Minor 7 th

What you should do to learn these concepts better: Experiment constructing triads and 7 th chords on the piano. Try different combinations of major and minor 3 rds and 7 ths. Listen to the combinations you come up with and think of a label for each combination. Practice Chords/Arpeggios on your instrument. Seek further information on the internet regarding chord construction. Triads: https: //www. musictheory. net/lessons/40 7 th Chords: https: //www. musictheory. net/lessons/45

. . . and of course. . Practice Practice!!!!!!