Archive for the ‘Intermediate Chord Theory’ Category

Suspended Chords Resolved

Commonly referred to as “Sus” chords, these unique sounding chords have enriched compositions of every music genre for as long as music has been around. Though most musicians tie the words Sus and 4th together, its more clear to think of Sus chords as the 3rd is suspended – in other words, the major 3rd […]

Chords: Pitch versus Quality

This special post focuses on the dual nature of chords. After receiving great feedback from the “9th Chords and Beyond” post, I realized it would be beneficial to discuss in detail the two faces of chords:  Pitch and Quality. Separating Pitch from Quality (or type) is essential in gaining a deeper understanding of chords.  It […]

9th Chords And Beyond

Moving beyond 7th chords, we enter the huge, shimmering, full-orchestra sounding world of 9th chords. Simply put, 9th chords are extensions of 7th chords. In fact, there is a corresponding 9th chord for each of the three types of 7th chords: Cma7 Dmi7 G7 Cma9 Dmi9 G9 Here is the structure for major 9th chords: […]

Beyond Triads: Seventh Chords

Before indulging ourselves into the tasty world of seventh chords, let’s review how we got here: The diatonic major scale is made up of a specific sequence of half-step and whole-step intervals. Every diatonic major scale has the exact same sequence of half-steps and whole-steps. The key of C is the only “natural” diatonic major […]

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