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Building Chords
How Notes Stack to Create Harmony
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A chord is made when two or more different notes sound at the same time, creating harmony instead of a single melody line. In many songs, chords provide the emotional color and structure that support the tune. A simple way to see a chord is as a vertical stack of notes rising from a keyboard, where each highlighted key adds a new layer of sound. The C major chord, made from C, E, and G, is a basic example of notes combining into a stable and bright harmony.
Chords are built from intervals, which are the distances between notes. A major triad uses a root note, a major third above the root, and a perfect fifth above the root, while a minor triad changes the third to create a darker sound. On a piano, counting half steps helps you build chords accurately because each adjacent key, black or white, is one half step apart. Musicians use chord patterns to create motion, tension, release, and a sense of direction in music.
Key Facts
- A chord is a group of 2 or more different notes played at the same time.
- A triad has 3 notes: root, third, and fifth.
- Major triad formula: root + 4 half steps + 3 half steps.
- Minor triad formula: root + 3 half steps + 4 half steps.
- C major triad: C + E + G.
- The interval from C to G is a perfect fifth, equal to 7 half steps.
Vocabulary
- Chord
- A chord is a set of different notes played together to create harmony.
- Root
- The root is the main note a chord is built from and often gives the chord its name.
- Triad
- A triad is a three-note chord made from a root, a third, and a fifth.
- Interval
- An interval is the distance in pitch between two notes.
- Half step
- A half step is the smallest distance between two adjacent keys on a piano.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Counting only white keys when measuring intervals is wrong because half steps include both black and white keys.
- Calling C, E, and G separate melodies is wrong because when they sound together they form one harmony called a chord.
- Assuming every three-note chord is major is wrong because changing the size of the third can make the chord minor, diminished, or augmented.
- Forgetting the root note is wrong because the root usually names the chord and helps determine its structure.
Practice Questions
- 1 Starting on C, count 4 half steps up to find the third of a C major triad, then count 3 more half steps to find the fifth. What three notes form the chord?
- 2 A minor triad is built with 3 half steps followed by 4 half steps. Starting on A, what notes form the A minor triad?
- 3 Explain why changing the middle note of C, E, G from E to E flat changes the sound and name of the chord.