Chord – The Foundation of Music

Previously we introduced “melody,” which floats on top of the song and is the easiest part for our ears to catch. Let’s review the opening phrase:

The melody is the part shown above:

Does the melody alone feel a bit monotonous?

Let’s add the chords; the chord part is shown below:

Subjectively, chords feel like a layer of accompaniment lying beneath the melody, supporting it and enriching its otherwise single-dimensional sound.

Put them together:

While listening, keep your eyes on the chord part below the piano roll, follow the timeline from left to right, and let your ears focus on the supporting chords.

You should already feel subjectively how chords sound to the ear—they are like the solid foundation beneath a beautiful high-rise, lying under the melody.

Next, let’s look at what a chord actually is from a more serious theoretical standpoint. Keep the auditory impression above in mind while you digest the theory.

Chord (from Greek χορδή) in music theory refers to two or more different pitches sounding together. In European classical music and related styles, it usually means three or more pitches; two-note combinations are described as intervals. Chord tones may be sounded simultaneously or separately. When separated, they are called broken or arpeggiated chords. Chords may be tertian (stacked in thirds) or non-tertian; traditional Western harmony builds chords in thirds.

From the encyclopedia we learn: a chord is a group of pitches obeying specific pitch rules—different pitches sounded together.

So compared with a melody, which is single notes in succession, any group of notes sounded together can be called a “chord”:

So what specific pitches are these?

We said in the melody chapter that a melody is simply “notes from a scale combined in various ways.” A chord, briefly, is “notes from a scale combined and sounded together.” Both melody and chords come from the scale, which is why we call the scale the cornerstone of music.

Stage summary:

Chord definition: notes from a scale combined and sounded together (not necessarily absolutely simultaneous).

Chord function: provides the bedding of music, supports the melody, enriches the listening experience.

But you probably noticed that randomly picked notes may not sound good.

So pleasant chords obey rules too.

Remember: all music theory is simply a summary of what sounds good, not black magic.

If we pick a note and add the pitch two scale steps above it, the result is stable and consonant. In C major, starting from the rootC4, the scale is C D E F G A B; two steps above C isE4 (skipping D).

This already sounds much better than random clusters.

Do the same again: two steps aboveE4 isG4.

Sounds nice, right? You’ve discovered the trick: inside a scale, pick every other note and stack them—pleasant chords appear!

Try it yourself in C major: skip every other note when stacking (click empty space to add notes, drag to lengthen).

Have you built a pleasant combination? That’s a chord (*^▽^*)

Usually the most convenient and non-cliché stack uses four notes, called a seventh chord.