The Chord construction topic :)

Okay here is a topic where you may post your knowledge of chords that should be useful to others.

Some of Mine is this (please correct me if I'm wrong) When constructing a chord, it is bassed on a scale

The C chord is made up of: CEG

C is the Tonic or Root Note, It gives the chord it's base, the other notes simply are a blanket over the Root note.

The E gives the chord it's filling, it's called the mediant. With out this The chord sounds Very Open.The mediant fills it with more sound.

The G Creates the most of the actual sound of the chord, when we sing a C chord we sing the G note. You can actually play a chord progression in single notes by only playing the dominant, there fore it DOMINATES the entire chord's sound Bwa ha ha ha!!

If you're going for a 7th chord, or just adding another note after the dominate, it simply changes the flavor of the chord. For example : Adding 7ths makes it bluesy or jazzy. The 7th is called the "Leading tone". I don't know why yet...

Also by adding another tonic in another octave, It enhances the chord's sound and dosen't change the flavor at all.

By altering the Mediant you change the feeling or emotion of the chord you can make it mysterious , happy , or sad . Sad is the minor chords, although these don't always have to be sad chords ^__^

I'm not exactly sure what altering the dominant does, I just know by sharping the domiant, you get an augmented chord is that what augmented means, sharping the 5th? By flatting the dominant you get a -5 chord hence the (-) Go down, Augmented (+) Go up

Since Bb isn't on the c major scale normally, By Sharping it to a B, we get a Major 7th chord.

I find that learning chord construction rulles like these is better than learning every single chord of that kind. Therefore if you don't know what a d augmented is, you simply make D F# A D F Bb.
Learn your majors first though through reference. ^ ^

Yeah, I like to study harmony and chords all the time. I love learning new chords, even if I don't know how to use them LOL!

Hey nice idea! Well, to answer your question about why the 7th note is called the leading tone, it's actually very simple. The 7th note is the weakest note in the scale, it's so weak that it actually pushes you towards the tonic (the strongest note) so it's called the leading tone, because it "leads you" back to the tonic. Cool hey?

That is cool!, Thanks for the info

kentaku_sama wrote:The 7th is called the "Leading tone". I don't know why yet...

Simply because it leads you back to the Tonic
The 5th is also another strong leading tone, also the 4th can be used, that not so strong though, and the 2cond is used quite some! But the 7th is the strongest, and the 5th is almost or just as strong

So when you play a 7th(5th,2cond (4th)), then play a Tonic you get the feeling the piece is completed