Harmony
Chord
- Definition
- A chord is a set of three or more notes sounded together, typically built by stacking notes a third apart above a root.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Songwriting stage
- writing
In practice
The most common chords in popular songwriting are triads, built from a root, a third, and a fifth. Whether that third is major or minor determines whether the chord sounds bright (major) or darker (minor). Adding a fourth note, such as a seventh, gives a chord more color and complexity without changing its basic major or minor identity.
Most beginning songwriters learn chords on guitar or piano as fixed shapes first, then start to understand them as the numbered scale degrees (I, IV, V, and so on) that make up a key. Recognizing a chord by its function in a key, rather than only by its shape, makes it far easier to transpose a song or build new progressions from scratch.
Example
A songwriter strums a basic triad built on D (D, F#, A) under the line 'morning light comes slow,' then swaps the F# for an F natural to turn the chord minor, instantly making the same lyric sound heavier.