Questions tagged [chords]
For general questions about chords like how to play them, construct them, or what symbols represent them. For more in depth analysis of the ideas behind chords themselves, please use the chord-theory tag.
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How to derive triads from more complex chords
I recently came into possession of a chord diagram book for guitar.
It explains 7/9/11/13 chords, sus, add, and everything in between, seemingly, for all 12 notes.
What I don't see explained in this ...
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Why doesn't the G chord resolve as definitively into C as E7 into Am?
I'm a beginner guitarist.
On the piano it sounds fine: G to C. Perfect!
On the guitar it sounds ... meh ... blah ...
In a minor scale, however, such as A minor, the dominant (E7) resolves definitively,...
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How do I analyse these chords in this chorale?
I’m playing some chorales and I can’t figure out how to analyse these highlighted chords. I think these chords share the characteristics of having adjacent notes and I’m having trouble with that. The ...
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What guitar chord is made up of the open notes A D G B?
Guitar chord is cited as a chord in Kenny Wayne Sheppard's Born With a Broken Heart.
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Are all classical guitar pieces composed based on chord progressions?
For the last few days I enjoyed playing Fernando Sor's "Study in B Minor" mostly because chords that I had learned could be found throughout the piece and I deemed it more "organized&...
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My index finger on bar chord position keeps making poor sounds. Is there a way to improve them?
My index finger on bar chord keeps making very poor sounds.
Will there be improvements if I just keep playing or are there ways(like exercises) to improve the sounds?
I have tried to use the side of ...
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Differing from suggested fingering
I have been learning to play the piano and the book I have has these suggestions for fingering for the chords.
The piece that uses this is Take Me Out to the Ball Game
I find that it is easier for me ...
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1
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LilyPond - dotted note chords
I have a problem with dotted note chords in LilyPond, for example:
\version "2.22.2"
\relative c
{
<f' g a c>4.\arpeggio
}
This produces:
For the sake of presentation, I am ...
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How would you notate the chord G# F B E as a substitute for a G7 chord leading to C?
An example of this sort of sound seems to happen at the very beginning of Joao Gilberto's Aguarela do Brasil. And I have been using it a lot in my guitar playing recently. But I don't know what to ...
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ii-ii6-I progression
I've heard this progression many times and in many ways over the course of my life, but I can't seem to assign a name to it or find out any further information about it or its history. It goes as ...
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When do you include the bass note of a chord if the bass is the b9?
I'm writing chords for a pop piano part (so definitely want to follow what is more intuitive for pop/jazz players rather than sticking hard to the music theory books). The chord in the right hand is a ...
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What should I play over this rhythmic slash notation?
(I'll work on getting a better picture)
I'm playing as the pianist for a jazz ensemble and Ive encountered a specified rhythm in slash notation, however there are no specified chords.
This is a ...
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The Newton Brothers "I'm the candy Man" chord progression analysis
I've been listening to "I'm the candy man" from The Fall of the House of Usher this morning and am hitting a little roadblock trying to think of the theory behind the chord progression.
It ...
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What should this chord be called?
In a piece that I'm composing, I use a very weird chord (arpeggiated) in bar 3 of the below excerpt:
The chord progression is G - C♯7 - ??? - A.
How should this chord be named, and does it include the ...
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Why do the chords of one song work with the melody of the other perfectly
Specifically, these 2 songs:
Redbone:
(Chords are B, C#, D#m in original key)
Snooze:
(Chords are G#m7, A#m7, Bmaj7 transposed + 6 ...
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In harmonic syntax (“root progressions”), does only the root matter, or the entire chord?
I’ve read in these threads that Rameau & CPE Bach have a different opinion on wether or not more notes than the root of a chord are relevant in harmonic syntax.
Here are some stand out quotes from ...
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Does melody come from root progressions?
I’ve noticed that in a melody certain notes stand out and it’s always the root of the current chord or arpeggio. (also, are arpeggios only descending/ascending or can they be in a random order?)
In ...
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1
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Display LilyPond fret diagrams next to chord names instead of below
I am trying to display chord diagrams with LilyPond to the side of the chord names.
By default, LilyPond renders the diagram below the chord name like so:
but I want them to be side by side like so:
....
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Diminished chord terminology
What’s the terminology for changing a major triad into a diminished chord?
C major – C°7 – Gmin7 – C7 etc.
I can’t remember the term!
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descending chord sequence from a bossa nova
IM LISTENING TO " MY LITTLE BOAT" bossa nova song.
it has a descending sequence in the verse:
Dmaj7 - Db7 -Cmaj7 -B7 -Bbmaj7 etc...
what's the best way to describe this theoretically?
(from ...
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How to analyze this chord in Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement?
In Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement, I'd like to understand the Fx (double sharp) in measure 8.
Measure 8 has a bass of A and an arpeggio with the notes C# E Fx C# which sounds like an A7, ...
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Which is better in determining consonance in chords and in scales: The Harmonic Series or Simpler Ratios?
Is the answer to this question simply that both of these concepts aid in understanding which chords and intervals are consonant or is one of these discoveries actually better than the other?
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Naming chords with diminished intervals
From a pure theoretical perspective, what would be the appropriate names for these two chords? I want to respect the specific degrees. In other words, not treating the double flat seventh as a sixth, ...
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How to perform rapid notes with the pinky finger on piano?
I'm playing a piece on piano which contains the following two-voice rhythm for the right hand:
.
The piece is at a relatively rapid tempo, around 120 BPM. I currently finger the chord as 1-2-3-5 and ...
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Doja Cat - Paint the Town Red Chord Progression
What is the functional explanation of the chord progression in the Doja Cat song Paint the Town Red?
I think it's in G minor and is an alternating Gm7 Am7 progression.
Where does the Am7 come from?
G ...
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How did tetrachords become whole and half steps?
How did the ancient Greek concept of tetrachords evolve into the whole- and half-step model familiar today?
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Why did the ancient Greeks choose tetrachords?
Why did the ancient Greeks choose tetrachords as the basis for their musical theory rather than some other structure?
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History of Tetrachords [duplicate]
I posted a similar question not too long ago and it was suggested that I look into tetrachords and I quickly understood why, but now I have questions about tetrachords.
For what reason are diatonic ...
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How to identify the important order of each note in inversions? [duplicate]
Is A C E G with a root on E an Am7 or a CM6 inversion?
In this case why can A be the most important note or just a tension I could skip at the same time?
How should I identify the quality of a chord ...
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(24-EDO) Microtonal chord symbols for these chords
I came across some interesting chords recently in a series talking about 19-EDO but I found that a lot of them work quite well in 24-EDO as well, and they are shown below. I can get behind everything ...
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Mapping pads to broken guitar chords with velocity sensitivity for live performance
I am a complete rookie to music theory nor do I know how to play a keyboard or guitar. I like to sing and perform therefore I need help to execute this, if at all it is possible:
Something along these ...
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Why are triads considered perfect chords and the basis which all extensions are built off of?
Why are triads considered perfect chords and the basis which all extensions are built off of?
I'm sort of posting the question from an ignorant standpoint but I do already have some prior knowledge. I ...
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What does this chord symbol mean?
I came across this while studying harmony and couldn't figure out what its trying to say. It comes from Bach's Partita in A Minor for Flute, BWV 1013, measure 2.
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Lilypond lead sheet chord symbol notation
I am working with a collection of Lilypond files generated from the Weimer Jazz Database, and I've been trying to understand the rules for chord symbol notation. I've found a useful resource ...
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Can multiple instruments make a chord?
This seems in line with the definition of chord
"three or more musical tones sounded simultaneously"
But do people commonly refer to a chord coming from multiple instruments? Then any set of ...
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One tick lower than B flat minor on 48 Bass accordion
I like the B flat minor chord on my 48 Bass accordion.
I play F minor to go up one "tick" (don't know the proper word), but what could I play to go down a tick? There's no A flat minor.
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Do chords sound good only on specific instruments?
Whenever I search on the internet for chords, google spits out things such as "guitar chords" or "best chords for piano".
But isn't it that such chords would be good for any ...
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Meaning of a stem extending to both sides of a notehead
A piano part of a big band arrangement uses notation where chords are marked and stems extend to both sides of noteheads:
My guess is that this is marking the highest note of the chord to play, as ...
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advice on Linus and Lucy, (Bridge PART)
I am currently working on the Vince Guaraldi song, Linus and Lucy; Am having trouble figuring out the bridge of the song, not really sure where to start on it. Any advice
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Sharp 4th sounds good in major scale lick/progression?
As part of my practice session today, I was exploring using CAGED chord shapes up and down the neck while incorporating licks in order to make melodic passages. While playing in A major, I improvised ...
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What is it called when a chord progression in a specific key uses root/tonic notes that are in-key, but other members of the chord are not?
What is it called when a chord progression in a specific key uses root/tonic notes that are in-key, but other members of the chord are not?
For example, say I am in the key of C major and I pay C Maj, ...
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Chords, real book and extensions
Got two questions about this.
When playing jazz from real books, how often should I add extensions and colour tones to the chords? Should I do it most of the time?
When a chord has extensions ...
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Am I hearing overtones or beats? is it normal to hear them?
I started learning piano not so long ago and there is something that's confusing me a lot: when I play some notes at the same time (chords or two notes) sometimes I hear a second higher vibrating ...
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How do you play this chord? It's too far apart to play with one hand. (piano)
My left hand is too far down to help, so I can't use it. How would I play it?
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Is it common that a 7th chord or 9th chord played missing root note and 3rd note?
Is it common that a 7th chord or 9th chord played with missing root note and 3rd note? If not
for 7th chords, is it the case for 9th chords?
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Specific chord confusion: why the C# in Eb7 b9 13?
needing the expert help on the forum as I simply can't understand this. Following a vid, the player mentions he plays Eb7 9b 13 chord. The melody note is C, and he plays 1-3 (Eb, G) in left hand. What ...
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Invert open voice chords
when playing open voiced chords, do I still want to invert them so they fit each other? Or isn't open voiced chords as common to invert?
And when I play chords with my right hand, and bass note with ...
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What is the function of G Major in the key of B Major
Referencing the song in context: Yoake To Hotaru
At around 3:30, the chord progression goes from Cm - Dm - EM - GM#5 - Abm from what I can see in the video.
In this case, what function does GM#5 ...
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Adequate chord progression for an intimate "bolero"-"jazz" song?
I am trying to compose an intimate song to be played by an acoustic guitar (and a piano at most) related to the genre of "bolero" or "jazz", perhaps with traces of "fado"....
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Rationale behind the modulations in Alice Cooper's Poison
I was playing along to Poison and noticed a curious chord progression:
[Verse]
(in Dm)
i VI III VII
Dm Bb F C
Your cruel, device, Your blood, like ...
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