Full transcript of “The Complete Guide to Chords In Music”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 Chords are the foundation of harmony in music. A melody by itself can be a bit lonely, and you might not really know how it feels, but chords and harmony can make it sound happy or [music] sad or jazzy or maybe a bit confusing. or provide a sense of completion like you've come home. One of the ways composers and musicians will communicate is with chord names, chord symbols, and even numbers in relation to a key, which are all
0:45 powerful tools for chunking large amounts of musical information. Every chord name or symbol indicates some specific combination of notes. There are a lot of permutations, so it may feel a tad overwhelming at first, but once you get the basics figured out, you'll learn that all chords are just riffs on simple patterns. And even the craziest chords tell you exactly what to do right in the name. And if you're wondering what this crazy chord sounds like, it sounds kind of bad. And by the way, trying to learn chords without these prerequisites is a bit like trying to play a board game without knowing any of the rules. And there's pieces missing, and the game's in a foreign language anyway. So, check my channel if there's anything you need to brush up on. If you want to jump ahead to something specific, here's the order I'll be covering things in. But if you're new to this, I highly recommend you go on the journey through the whole
1:30 video and simply pause whenever you need to. Everyone comes to these topics with different amounts of prior knowledge, so it's up to you to decide what is an appropriate pace. But also, don't worry if you don't get it all in one sitting. This is a huge amount of material we're covering today. Absorb what you can, go practice, and then come back and review. It'll make more and more sense every time you come back and watch. There's a few things you need to know when considering the anatomy of a chord and chord symbol. First, most chords appear in this snowman shape of stacked thirds. Three and four note chords are the most common, but larger chords are certainly possible. Chords are named for a note and a quality. The note is just the bottom of the snowman, no matter how many notes there are in the chord. And we call this note the root of the chord. The quality is the rest of the chord name and it's determined by the
2:17 intervals from the root to all the other notes of the chord. But before we get to those details, you need to know that we name those other notes just like intervals. We count up from the root to each other note in the chord. Most chords have a root, third, and fifth. Some chords have more notes, and we just continue that pattern. And if the snowman happens to be a bit misshapen, we don't judge. We still just count up from the root. It's important to know that chords can be spaced out and inverted in all kinds of ways and still be the same chord. Like this is C major. It has the notes C, E, and G. And so do all these chords. You can turn the snowman upside down, rip them apart, and spread them out, and it's all still just C major because they
3:04 all have the same notes. And we still call the same notes the root, third, and fifth, no matter what order they're in. Each version may sound a bit different, [music] but from a theory perspective, they're all just C major. These are called inversions, and we call it root position when the root is on the bottom, first inversion if the third is on the bottom, and second inversion if the fifth is on the bottom. And if the chord is larger, we just continue that pattern. And you can actually spread out and voice the other notes however you like, but it's only the bottom note that determines the inversion. If you're looking at a whole mess of notes and trying to identify a chord, the first step is to figure out what notes you've got and mentally rearrange them into that root position snowman
3:50 shape. Then you can see what the root is and figure out how all the other notes relate to it. And the last thing you need to know before we get into the details of all those different chord qualities is that chords are related to scales. So if we take a C major scale and stack it up in thirds to three notes, you get all the basic chords of C major. We say that all these chords are related to C major because they're built from C major and they exclusively use notes from the C major scale. And if you did the same thing in another key like in B flat major or in D major, you would have all the basic chords related to those keys. We care about this for two reasons. First, because major scales are all built using the same interval pattern of tone tone semmitone tone tone tone semmit tone, the chords that come out of
4:35 them all have the same qualities in the same order, which is major chords on 1, four, and five, minor chords on 2, 3, and six, and the seventh chord is diminished. This is really useful because certain cadences and chord progressions are used over and over again in music in each and every key and we often describe them in numbers. So being aware of these patterns can help you learn songs faster, site readad better, and even more easily transpose songs into other keys. And here are some super nerdy details that will mostly be of interest to students taking conservatory theory exams. Pause if you want to take a closer look, but we won't be going over this in detail. It's not terribly difficult, but this kind of figured bass notation is largely a relic of the
5:21 Baroque era. And while some musicians use it regularly, I can't say that I do. The second reason we care about how chords relate to various keys is because it can make it much easier to compare and understand the differences between chord qualities. Like for instance, C major and D major compared to C and D minor. Which finally brings us to the heart of this video, chord quality. We'll start with the basic three note chords, and there are six of them. four triads and two suspended chords. We often think of the major chord as being the default with a major third and a perfect fifth, which means that the minor chord is just major with a lowered third. The diminished triad has a lowered third and a lowered fifth, and augmented is major with a raised fifth. Here are my
6:08 preferred chord symbols, but you should know that different composers and arrangers may use different symbols. That is to say, a C major chord is always a C major chord, and the notes don't change, but you might see a few different versions of the chord symbol. It's a bit like regional differences in spelling or slang. I know it's a bit annoying. Sorry about that, but you do get used to it with practice. And as for suspended or sus chords, which are a rare exception to the snowman shape, we actually replace the third with either a perfect fourth or a major second. And [music] by the way, we call them suspended because they're often followed by either a major or minor chord, where the suspended second or fourth moves to the major or minor third. And the combination of the two sounds really good, too.
6:57 Now, really quickly, here are each of those three note chords in all keys. We're blowing through these because it's really the patterns that are most important right now. And you can certainly go back, review, pause, and inspect the details if you like. But I've also created a chord syllabus that I'll make available to members of this channel and my Patreon that includes every chord in this video in all keys. There are dozens of kinds of chords, so having a resource like this can be really useful as a reference to make sure you really understand how all these chords work in all keys. I'll also include how the qualities occur in both major and harmonic minor scales in all keys, so you can practice getting used to all of those and see how all the chords work together in specific keys. I'm a visual learner, so I find this kind of thing really helpful. Links in the description to join. And there's
7:44 also a product I'd like to mention called the decoder from Noisy Clan, and it can make navigating all these different keys quite a bit easier. It's basically a circle of fifths that's been constructed in a really genius way. So the way it works is you just spin it to any key like say D major and you can see the key signature in this window right here F# and C# and it also shows and labels all the chords from the key of D major. So the four chord of D is G major. And the five chord is A major. And the minor chords on 2, three, and six are right here, E minor, F# minor, and B minor. And the seven chord is right here, C#arp diminished. And if you spin it to another key like maybe A flat major. Then you'll see that the key signature and all the chords have changed. And you can see what's the two chord of A flat or the five chord or
8:30 whatever you want. The decoder also comes with this book that has all kinds of information about how to interpret the information on the decoder, build chords, transpose, and build core progressions. And if you look at the back, the decoder even has a little kickstand on it, so you can keep it on your desk in front of you. If you'd like to pick one up, NoisyClan is offering 15% off all orders using the code brad5 at checkout. And that code can actually be used on any of their products, and they've got a bunch of pretty cool ones. They have another kind of decoder specifically designed for transposing instruments. So, if you play trumpet or alto sacks, you'll always know what key you're supposed to be playing in. They've also got guitar mounts for the wall and some really beautiful and clever music stands. Again, use code Brad 15 to save 15% at checkout. Now, before we move on to four note
9:16 chords, I should mention that two note chords exist. They're commonly known as power chords. [music] They're just an open fifth, not major or minor or anything else. They're their own thing, and they sound really great on guitars. You could technically have other two note chords as well, but in common practice, we just call those intervals, not really chords. Next up are the four note chords. And because we have another note, there are quite a few more permutations. But each chord is just one of the triads we've already seen with something else added to it. This is the formula for all of them. And you can see the differences between them pretty easily when they all share C as the root. But let's look at each one individually. And hopefully you'll come to see that as you get used to reading these chord symbols, all the chords describe themselves really quite clearly. The first batch are commonly called seven chords, which take our four
10:02 basic regular triads and add a fourth note that's either a major, minor, or diminished seventh away from the root. The major 7 chord is a major triad with a major 7th added. It's just 1 3 5 and seven of a major scale. The dominant seventh chord is a major triad with a minor 7th added. So the seventh is one semmit tone lower than the major 7th chord. The minor 7th chord is a minor triad with a minor 7th added. It's like a major 7 chord with a lowered third and seventh. The minor 7 flat 5 chord commonly called half diminished. It's exactly what it sounds like. It's a minor 7 chord with a lowered fifth. Or you could certainly think of it as a diminished triad with a minor 7th added. you get the same answer. And this does
10:49 bring us to the fully diminished seventh chord, or usually just diminished seven, which is a diminished triad with a diminished seventh added. There's also the minor major 7 chord, which is just what it sounds like, a minor triad with a major 7th added. You'll see this as the one chord of a harmonic minor scale. For the seven sharp five chord, [music] you can think of it as an augmented triad with a minor 7th added, but I think most people think of it as a dominant chord with a raised fifth. And the last two are rarely used, but theoretically possible. The diminished major 7 chord, which is a diminished triad with a major 7th added, and the augmented major 7th chord, which is augmented triad with a major 7th. Here are all seven chords again in C. Go
11:35 ahead and pause if you'd like to compare the differences, or go back if you want to see them all again in different keys. Four note chords also come in a few other varieties, like six chords, which are just major or minor triads with either a major or a minor 6th added. There's the major 6th chord, which is a major triad with a major 6th, and the major flat 6 chord, which is a major triad with a minor 6th instead. There's also the minor 6th chord, which is a minor triad with a major 6th, or the minor flat 6, which is a minor triad with a minor 6th. Now, six chords are a bit funny because they're actually just inversions of other seven chords. Like a C major 6 chord is exactly the same as an A minor 7 chord in first inversion, but composers continue to use them for
12:21 various reasons, so that's how they work. And I suppose there are other theoretically possible six chords, too, but I don't think I've ever actually seen them in a piece of music. and they're just inversions of more commonly used seven chords. Anyway, I'm only including them here because I know someone is going to ask about them in the comments. However, it is quite common to have add nine chords, most commonly a major 9th, but a flat 9 is also theoretically possible. And they're usually added to a major or minor triad. Here's each one in all 12 keys. There's the major add 9, major add flat 9, minor add 9, and minor add flat 9. And it's important to note that these are add nine chords, not just nine chords, which we'll be getting to in a
13:06 few moments. Nine chords are actually five note chords that indicate the presence of a seventh. Add nine chords are just a triad with an added ninth. And you should know that for basically any chord, you can also have a sus 2 or a sus 4 version. Some are common and some are super rare, but they all work the same way. Just replace the third of the chord with either a major second or a perfect fourth above the root. And since that's true for basically every chord going forward too, we won't be mentioning them separately again. However, there is one special four note chord that has both the sus 2 sus 4, which is exactly what it sounds like. [music] And here it is in all possible keys. Similar to the sus 2 sus 4, you can also have something called a 69 chord. It comes in both major and minor varieties, and it's just a triad with both a major
13:52 6 and 9th added. Here they are in all possible keys. Major and minor. Next up is a chord convention that looks scary, but it's actually really simple. Slash chords. Now, although something like a 6ix9ine chord is sometimes written with a slash, they're not usually what we think of when we're talking about slash chords, what we're really talking about are these chord symbols that have a slash after them and then another note name, which indicates what note should be in the bass. So, a C slash E chord just means a C major triad with an E in the bass. The note after the slash doesn't even have to be in the chord, like with a G minor 7/ C. And sometimes these chords are just a way to describe an inversion like E minor over B. And that's actually how we often
14:38 describe slash chords as something over something. Some chord over some bass note. Finally, we're looking at 9, 11, and 13 chords. And those upper notes are often known as extensions because they're extra notes on top of our standard seven chords that add harmonic color in the form of a major 9th, perfect 11th, or major 13. Nine chords work just like seven chords, except you're also adding a major 9th to the chord. And 11 chords work just like nine chords with a perfect 11 added to the chord. And that pattern continues with 13 chords. They work just like 11 chords with a 13 added on top. Though, I will say that in common practice, a major or dominant 13 chord usually omits the 11 because it's considered a dissonance against the third of the chord. So in all possible keys, a major 9th chord is just a major
15:25 7 chord with an added major 9th. A minor 9th chord is a minor 7 chord with an added major 9th. And the same can be said for the dominant C9 chord. The major 11 chord builds on the major 9 with a perfect 11 added. A minor 11 chord is a minor 9th with a perfect 11th. And the rarely used dominant 11 chord like C11 would just be a C9 chord with an added perfect 11th. And for 13 chords, it's the same pattern. You just add a major 13 to the chords as we already understand them. Though again, it's quite common to leave out the 11 on the major and the dominant 13 chords to avoid the dissonance with the third of the chord. I would say that it's pretty rare to add
16:10 extensions to diminished or half diminished chords or to major augmented or minor major 7 chords. But if you do happen to see them, they work just like the other extended chords we've already seen. And it's also possible to have alterations to your extensions. You would commonly see a flat 9, sharp 9, sharp 11, or flat 13. And they're almost always on a dominant chord. And just like other extended chords, the altered notes just sit on top of a normal dominant chord. So if you have a seven flat 9 chord, that would be a dominant chord with a minor 9th or a seven sharp 9, which adds an augmented nine instead. For a sharp 11 chord, the major 9th is implied and we just add an augmented 11 on top of the appropriate chord. And for the flat 13, it's the same pattern with
16:55 the major 9th implied. And of course, in common practice, we do usually leave the 11th out. Notice that these chords with altered extensions are written a bit differently from the standard 9, 11, and 13 chords. We use parenthesis. This is to avoid ambiguity in complex chords. Because now that you know that all these funny extensions exist, you might do a double take on a B flat 9 chord. Is that supposed to be a B flat 9 chord or B flat 9? And maybe you could figure out which one makes more sense in context. But if you have a complex chord progression, it really might not be clear and how you interpret it makes a huge difference. So let's be clear that altered extensions need parenthesis because the root of the chord needs to be clearly different from the quality and any other extensions.
17:41 And of course, this opens the door to chords with multiple alterations. And really, while a complicated chord symbol in an unfamiliar key might take you a moment to decipher, if you understand the fundamentals, you really should be able to figure it out. You just do what it says in the chord symbol. Now, we have covered a lot of information in this video, and if it's your first day learning about chord theory, it might feel a bit overwhelming, but start by focusing on the patterns present in the three note chords, then move on to four, and then the more complicated ones. If you do it all at once, it's a lot. But if you do it gradually and connect the theory to whatever you're playing on your instrument, it's really not too bad. If you'd like a chord syllabus with all these chords to peruse at your leisure, join my Patreon or become a member of the channel right here on YouTube. Or if you just like to support the channel to make sure these videos keep coming, I'd really appreciate your
18:27 support. And of course, thanks to all my current patrons and channel members who help keep these videos coming. Special thanks to Mike War, Patrick McGroy, and Joe Narduchi for their help with this video. And if you'd like a deeper conversation about this or any other musical topic, I teach lessons online. So head on over to my website, bradharrison.ca, to get in touch and set up an appointment. As always, remember to like, comment, share, and subscribe. Thanks for watching.
