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Let's talk about chords. A '''chord''' is three or more notes simultaneously. One of the notes is called the '''root note'''. Other notes are classified in terms of the intervals they create with the root note (ie their distance from the root note).
'''Triads''' are chords composed of a root note and its third and fifth - these are the most common type of chords. There are 4 main types of triads, depending on the which third and fifth intervals are used:
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''Notice a triad is basically every other note from the root in the common 7-note scales.'' A C major triad is (C E G). We skip the D and F:
* <span style="font-size:1.2em">'''C''' </span> D <span style="font-size:1.2em">'''E''' </span> F <span style="font-size:1.2em">'''G'''</span>
This is helpful to quickly get the notes for a particular chord in the key of C Major. As we learn more about other keys and get more accustomed to the intervalic relationship between each pair of notes in the chromatic scale, we will be able to derive the member notes for any particular chord quickly.
''Building chords by stacking third intervals as described above is called '''tertian harmony''' - alternate harmonic structures exist and are covered later in [[Quartal Harmony|advanced lessons]].''
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|C Major Chord#Open Position C Major Chord|Open C
|C Major Chord#Harmonic Theory: Tonality and the I Chord|Theory}}
'''Note: the example tab and chord shapes below are presented here simply for understanding notation. Feel free to play them if you want, but they will be covered in later lessons.'''
Usually the short name in the 2nd-to-last column in the table above is used to denote a chord. This includes the root and an optional quality. When only the root is present, this indicates a major chord. Chord symbols typically appear above sheet music or tab as follows:
E------|-----|-----|-----|
Sometimes, minor chords are written as lowercase letters, but I avoid this; as this would make B{{f}} minor appear like b{{b}}, which in a monospace font (often used for tab ) is <tt>bb</tt>, which is confusing.
Notice tab shows the frets to hold to play each chord. Since chords are often played repetitively, tabbing out chords can be unnecessary and distracting. Also, tab doesn't indicate the preferred fingering to use. Instead, tab or sheet music will usually give '''chord charts''' for all of the '''chord shapes''' used in the song before the song starts. Chord shapes indicate not simply the notes or fingers used, but the pattern of notes across all the strings for a particular voicing, given a certain tuning. Eventually, we will see that chord shapes can be moved all over the fretboard. For the above example, you'd see:
'''E''' ||-|m|-|
'''C''' ||-|-|r|
'''_''' ||-|-|-|
|
'''E''' o|-|-|-|
'''E''' ||-|m|-|
'''A''' o|-|-|-|
'''_''' ||-|-|-|
|
'''F''' ||i|-|-|
'''A''' ||-|m|-|
'''F''' ||-|-|r|
'''_''' ||-|-|-| '''_''' ||-|-|-|
|}
The names/slashes here indicate to strum the chord, with the spacing used to roughly indicate timing. Conventionally, chords get played for a whole or half measure, so there is no need to provide any more info here. If the strumming pattern were more complex, or there were chords that only lasted a quarter note, etc., then we would additionally need the note durations or numbers to indicate where each strum falls in relation to the beat.
Further notation explanations can be found in the [[Introduction]], [[Ref:_Reading_Chord_Charts,_Scale_Maps,_and_Strumming_Notation|Ref: Chords Charts/Strumming]], and [[Ref: Reading Tab]].
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|C Major Chord#Harmonic Theory: Tonality and the I Chord|Theory}}
Usually, the root note of the chord is also the lowest-pitched note, or '''bass note'''. This gives a strong harmonic foundation where the intervals created by the other notes can be clearly heard and felt. However, the third or fifth can also be the bass note. This is called an '''inversion'''. Inversions are numbered by the bass note's relation to the root note in the chord.
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