LO2 - Chords and Chord Progresions
Types of Chords
Major Chords;
A major chord is a cord that has a root and a major third and a perfect fifth. When there is a major chord with three notes it is called a major triad. There are other chords like the 7th chords can also be called major chords. A major chord sounds happy and uplifting. Major chords make up most of the songs that we listed to now days and most of the songs of the past. They create a certain mood when they are mixed with different chords.
Minor Chords;
A minor chord is different from major chords because it has a minor third above the root instead of having a major third. Unlike a major chord that sounds happy and uplifting, the minor chord sounds sad and depressing. Minor chords are in loads of songs because they can create a variety of different moods and feelings when they are put in sequences with other chords.
Dominant Chords;
In music theory the dominant is the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale. It is called the dominant because is the second in importance after the tonic. This means that the dominant chords are built up on the diatonic scale. The dominant seventh chord is a prime example because it is made up of a major diatonic scale. It contains a major triad and a minor seventh.
Augmented Chords;
An augmented chord another type of chord. When you are playing a augmented triad then you have to go back to the major triad witch is made up of the tonic and the third and the fifth. To make it to an augmented chord all you have to do is raise the fifth by one semi-tone. This means that in an augmented triad there are two whole steps between the 1st degree and the 3rd degree. This also means that there is a whole tone between the 3rd and 5th degrees of the scale.
Diminished Chords;
A diminished chord is another slightly less regular type of chords. When we are trying to get a diminished triad we have to get to our minor triad and instead of how we raided the 5thby one semitone when we were doing augmented chords we drop the 5th by one semitone. In a diminished triad essentially what has been done is two minor third intervals have been staked on top of each other. This is because there is a whole step and a half step between the 1st and 3rd interval and then there is a whole step and a half step between the 3rd and 5th intervals.
Seventh Chords;
A seventh chord is a chord that has a triad plus another note that forms an interval a seventh above the tonic (the chords root). Usually when something is referred to as a seventh chord it is really a dominant seventh chord. However there are different types of seventh chords. Here is a list of some of the slightly less regular seventh chords; Harmonic seventh chord, major/minor seventh, half diminished seventh chord and the diminished seventh chord.
A major chord is a cord that has a root and a major third and a perfect fifth. When there is a major chord with three notes it is called a major triad. There are other chords like the 7th chords can also be called major chords. A major chord sounds happy and uplifting. Major chords make up most of the songs that we listed to now days and most of the songs of the past. They create a certain mood when they are mixed with different chords.
Minor Chords;
A minor chord is different from major chords because it has a minor third above the root instead of having a major third. Unlike a major chord that sounds happy and uplifting, the minor chord sounds sad and depressing. Minor chords are in loads of songs because they can create a variety of different moods and feelings when they are put in sequences with other chords.
Dominant Chords;
In music theory the dominant is the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale. It is called the dominant because is the second in importance after the tonic. This means that the dominant chords are built up on the diatonic scale. The dominant seventh chord is a prime example because it is made up of a major diatonic scale. It contains a major triad and a minor seventh.
Augmented Chords;
An augmented chord another type of chord. When you are playing a augmented triad then you have to go back to the major triad witch is made up of the tonic and the third and the fifth. To make it to an augmented chord all you have to do is raise the fifth by one semi-tone. This means that in an augmented triad there are two whole steps between the 1st degree and the 3rd degree. This also means that there is a whole tone between the 3rd and 5th degrees of the scale.
Diminished Chords;
A diminished chord is another slightly less regular type of chords. When we are trying to get a diminished triad we have to get to our minor triad and instead of how we raided the 5thby one semitone when we were doing augmented chords we drop the 5th by one semitone. In a diminished triad essentially what has been done is two minor third intervals have been staked on top of each other. This is because there is a whole step and a half step between the 1st and 3rd interval and then there is a whole step and a half step between the 3rd and 5th intervals.
Seventh Chords;
A seventh chord is a chord that has a triad plus another note that forms an interval a seventh above the tonic (the chords root). Usually when something is referred to as a seventh chord it is really a dominant seventh chord. However there are different types of seventh chords. Here is a list of some of the slightly less regular seventh chords; Harmonic seventh chord, major/minor seventh, half diminished seventh chord and the diminished seventh chord.
Chord Progressions
Diatonic;
Diatonic chords are chords that naturally occur within a key. They contain only the notes found in the scale (or key) that you’re working in. There are seven diatonic chords in every key, each chord built from one of the 7 notes in the scale. In order to write songs with nice sounding chords and harmonies you must understand what chords will work with each other and what chords won’t. Using a diatonic scale to help you to work out dose make it easier.
Diatonic Chord Formula for a Major Key
1(Major) – 2(minor) – 3(minor) – 4(Major) – 5(Major) – 6(minor) – 7(diminished)
Cromatic;
The word chromatic most often refers to the chromatic scale which is a scale that consists of just semi-tones. One example of playing a chromatic scale is if you were to play all the white and black keys going from left to right or from right to left on the piano. Whereas, if you were playing a diatonic scale you would play only the white notes.
Diatonic chords are chords that naturally occur within a key. They contain only the notes found in the scale (or key) that you’re working in. There are seven diatonic chords in every key, each chord built from one of the 7 notes in the scale. In order to write songs with nice sounding chords and harmonies you must understand what chords will work with each other and what chords won’t. Using a diatonic scale to help you to work out dose make it easier.
Diatonic Chord Formula for a Major Key
1(Major) – 2(minor) – 3(minor) – 4(Major) – 5(Major) – 6(minor) – 7(diminished)
Cromatic;
The word chromatic most often refers to the chromatic scale which is a scale that consists of just semi-tones. One example of playing a chromatic scale is if you were to play all the white and black keys going from left to right or from right to left on the piano. Whereas, if you were playing a diatonic scale you would play only the white notes.
Chords in Only love by Ben Howard
The score here is written out for a solo acoustic guitar and a singer. Ben Howard plays it this way when he plays the song acoustic. This can a
also be played on piano the same way when the right hand dose the high melodys and the cool stuff and the felt hand dose the bassy chords. The Highest note in the score is … and the highest note on the score is…
also be played on piano the same way when the right hand dose the high melodys and the cool stuff and the felt hand dose the bassy chords. The Highest note in the score is … and the highest note on the score is…
Only love chord Progression
The chord sequence in only love begins with only two chords and these two chords are Fm7 and Abadd2. These chords can be played as just Fm and Ab and the song will still sound good. In order to play the real chords in the song you have to use an alternative tuning on the guitar. Through the first two pages of the sheet music for the song the two chords are the same and they simply repeat. On the third page of the sheet music the song comes to the second section which is in a 3 4 time signature. The chords in this sequence then go to an F minor to a Eb to a Ab to a Dbsus9. If you look at the picture to the right you can see this sectsion of the song from page three of my Only Love by Ben Howard sheet music. The song repeats these chords and then goes back to the first set of chords. The song dose not actually have any other chords in it. This is because the alternative tuning guitar part that Ben Howard plays has the chords being played by the thumb and the melodies being played by the higher fingers like fingers 1 and 2 and 3. Analysing the chord Progression in Only Love by Ben HowardChord Progression number 1:
Fm7 - Abadd2 Chord Progression 2: Fm - Eb - Ab - Dbsus9 |