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FOUR-NOTE CHORDS

Today we will take a look at the foundations of four-note chords.  Recall from the last post that chords consist of a three-note series to create a harmonic sound.  A chord can be enriched by the addition of a fourth note on top of the basic three-note chord, placed a third above the highest note. This can give a lot of life to your harmonies and especially with jazzy sounding music.  A four-note chord is made from the tones 1-3-5-7 of a scale, stacked on top of one another. So many combinations are possible to give variety and flavor to your music!  See the example of this chord built on top of a C triad:

Notice that this chord is stacked by thirds, and consists of the 1-3-5-7 tones of the scale.  The fourth note is highlighted as that is a note added to the “base” three-note chord underneath it.  In this example, the three note chord is a “C” chord, consisting of C-E-G.  The B added to it makes this a C major 7 chord.  You can make a lot of different chords by just changing one note at a time. Above, we have a C major 7 chord, and if we simply flat the top note, we get to a C7 chord:

This is also sometimes called a dominant 7th chord, as it leads very naturally into the tonic chord of any given key.  Don’t think so much about what key it is in as the fact that it is a four-note chord where the 7th tone is flatted.  In this example, the C is dominant in the key of F, so this C7 chord would very often progress naturally to an F chord.  An upcoming post will explain dominant 7 chords in more detail.  From the C7 chord, just flat the third to create a minor 7th chord:

From this C minor 7th chord, we then flat the fifth tone, the G, and we have a half-diminished 7 chord:

The term “diminished” refers to both the third and the fifth of the chord being flat.  It is called half-diminished because the 7th (B flat in this case) remains unchanged from the previous chord.  If we want to make a fully diminished chord, then, we just flat the 7th one more time:

This is a diminished 7 chord.  One of my favorite chords because it is so versatile!  I’ll be doing an upcoming post on the amazing nature of diminished 7 chords as well.  But for now, you can see how easy it is to form different chords in any key, by just making one more note flat in succession for each chord.  You can hit the play button to hear this progression of all the chords:

Audio Player

If we start on the tonic note of any given key, create a 1-3-5-7 chord on top of that, and then do the same for each note of the scale, the chords will always follow the same pattern: Major 7 chord, minor 7th cord, minor 7th chord, Major 7th chord, Dominant 7th chord, minor 7th chord, half-diminished chord, and Major 7th chord.  I show the example of the key of C, since it is common, but the pattern will always be the same for any key:

This is useful to know in composing music.  As you create chord progressions in your music, you can know which notes would be good harmonies for any chord!  Four-note chords are very powerful in any style of music, but especially gives a rich and full sound to jazz music.  In the next post, we will go over chord inversions, meaning that the chord is formed with a different note than the root at the bottom of the chord.  Until then, keep practicing!!

And the beat goes on…

CHORDS

This is the beginning of a series on musical chords, to explain in more detail what chords are and how they are used in music.  This is useful in understanding the foundations of music, harmony, and structure.

Chords are a set of pitches (usually three or more) that simultaneously sound together. A basic chord is made up of three notes that are stacked on top of one another by lines and spaces, as seen on the music staff. Because each line on the staff represents a step of a third in sound, a chord is built stacking on lines or spaces of the music staff.

A C chord is built with a C as the bottom note, and the other notes stacked on the lines above:

An F chord is built with an F as the bottom note, and the other notes stacked on the above spaces:

The examples above are written as major chords, where each of the notes written would be notes found in that key’s major scale. In the first example, the C major scale would have the notes C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.  In the second example, the F major scale consists of the notes F-G-A-B flat-C-D-E-F.  So you can see that a chord for a certain key is built from notes that are found in their respective scales.

To make a chord minor, you simply flat the second note of the chord, which is the third pitch of the scale.  A C minor chord then, would have the notes C-E flat-G:

Musical chords serve as the basic structure for harmonies and foundations of a song, and create mood and emotion for the piece.  A major chord gives the song a more happy mood, where a minor chord is usually used to describe sad or scary emotions.

Later I will post more about formation of four-note chords, which are very important to give music more variety and flavor.  They are especially useful in jazz music.

And the beat goes on…

From the Alzheimer’s Care Resource Center:

Wednesday Workshop – Sensations of Song: The Benefits of Music Therapy in Alzheimer’s

 

I love the studies and evidence for music as a treatment and therapy for a number of health and mental conditions. I recently also saw this on the Mayo Clinic Website:

“Research suggests that listening to or singing songs can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Musical memories are often preserved in Alzheimer’s disease because key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged by the disease.

For example, music can:

  • Relieve stress
  • Reduce anxiety and depression
  • Reduce agitation

Music can also benefit caregivers by reducing anxiety and distress, lightening the mood, and providing a way to connect with loved ones who have Alzheimer’s disease — especially those who have difficulty communicating.

If you’d like to use music to help a loved one who has Alzheimer’s disease, consider these tips:

  • Think about your loved one’s preferences.What kind of music does your loved one enjoy? What music evokes memories of happy times in his or her life? Involve family and friends by asking them to suggest songs or make playlists.
  • Set the mood. To calm your loved one during mealtime or a morning hygiene routine, play music or sing a song that’s soothing. When you’d like to boost your loved one’s mood, use more upbeat or faster paced music.
  • Avoid overstimulation. When playing music, eliminate competing noises. Turn off the TV. Shut the door. Set the volume based on your loved one’s hearing ability. Opt for music that isn’t interrupted by commercials, which can cause confusion.
  • Encourage movement. Help your loved one to clap along or tap his or her feet to the beat. If possible, consider dancing with your loved one.
  • Sing along. Singing along to music together with your loved one can boost the mood and enhance your relationship. Some early studies also suggest musical memory functions differently than other types of memory, and singing can help stimulate unique memories.
  • Pay attention to your loved one’s response.If your loved one seems to enjoy particular songs, play them often. If your loved one reacts negatively to a particular song or type of music, choose something else.”

(https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/expert-answers/music-and-alzheimers/faq-20058173)