November 8, 2024 • 30 mins
Triads and Chords Part 2 | Music Theory Podcast
Welcome to Triads and Chords Part 2 on the Music Theory Podcast! In this episode, we continue our deep dive into the world of triads and chords, building on the foundational concepts covered in Part 1. Whether you're a music theorist, music educator, musician, or music student, this episode will further enhance your understanding of chord construction, harmony, and chord progressions in Western music theory.
We begin by exploring more advanced chord structures, including seventh chords, ninth chords, and extended chords, explaining how these chords are formed and function within different musical contexts. We also break down how to use inversions and voicing techniques to create smooth chord progressions and add complexity to your compositions and arrangements.
This episode is essential for those looking to elevate their understanding of harmony, tonal music, and advanced chord theory. We also touch on how historical trends in harmony, from classical to jazz and contemporary styles, have influenced the use of chords and progressions in modern music.
By the end of the episode, you'll have a clearer grasp of how to build and analyze complex chords, and how to incorporate them into your own musical projects. Don’t miss out—subscribe now for more music theory insights!
A deeper dive into TRIADS, the 4 TRIAD TYPES: MAJOR, MINOR, AUGMENTED, and DIMINISHED, EXTENDED HARMONY CHORDS like 7TH CHORDS, SUSPENSION CHORDS, and ADD CHORDS, and INTERVALS including MAJOR 3RD and MINOR 3RD, because they are the building blocks of ALL of the above triads and chords.
Linear Music Theory Learning For Everyone!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:43):
What's up, everybody?
Welcome to another episode ofThe Harmonious Blacksmith.
This is episode five of theseries, and I am your host,
Kevin Patrick Fleming.
Oh, no, no, don't do that, no,oh, no, don't do that.
(01:08):
Thank you so much for spendingsome time with me today.
I do hope that you're enjoyingmy series so far and that you
are learning a lot from it.
So let's take just a little timeat the beginning of this episode
to recap what we are building inthis linear and cumulative
podcast.
(01:28):
So far, all the way back fromepisode one, we started with a
single note.
We talked about what notes were.
Then we talked about how muchcooler it is to have multiple
notes.
And then scales start to form.
We broke down that there areformulas based on whole steps
and half steps that do createscales that we use in modern
(01:52):
times.
And we went all the way as faras to define what diatonic
scales were and how they work.
Eventually, we got to theskipping method of how we get
triads, the harmonic basis forour system.
The idea that you get thesethree notes stacked on top of
each other as a foundation forharmony in our system, and also
(02:17):
that those triads are the basisfor all the chords that come out
in the system.
And then in our last episode, wewent through chord progressions,
and we even talked Talked aboutthe 1-4-5 progression.
If this is your first timejumping into my podcast and you
don't recognize all of thoseterms I just spoke about, do go
(02:40):
back to episode one and listento all of it to get caught up
with the rest of us.
That's the reason I review.
I mean, this is 100% aneducational podcast, and so I do
care about you having anunderstanding from start to
finish.
And you can go back to thebeginning, get caught up with
the rest of us, and come on backwhen you're done.
(03:02):
So on to today's topics, andthis episode is really just a
continuation of triads, chords,and chord progressions for your
information.
But I would like to starttoday's episode to dispel what
may seem a bit mysterious fromprevious episode, which is
SPEAKER_01 (03:23):
the
SPEAKER_00 (03:25):
four triad types.
But Kevin, I only ever heard youtalking about three triads so
far.
What you talking about four?
Oh yeah, that is true.
I have only talked about threeso far because there are only
three that show up quote-unquotenaturally within diatonic major
(03:47):
and minor scales.
But there is a fourth triad, andthat fourth triad is called
augmented.
Instead of just straight updefining what an augmented triad
is this time, we're going tohave fun with a little
comparison.
of the four triads.
(04:07):
So to recap, we have major, wehave minor, we have diminished,
and we have augmented.
And those are all themathematical permutations that
we have for triads, believe itor not.
Wait a second.
You're telling me there's onlyfour of them in the whole
system?
I heard all this music with allthese chords.
(04:28):
You gotta be kidding me.
Yeah, no, I'm serious.
There are only four of thembased on the criteria of how
they're created, and you'llfully understand that once we're
done with this comparison.
So let's review triads comingfrom the skipping method.
Of course, we're going to goback to major key, and I'm going
(04:48):
to pull from, in this episode,let's switch to G major.
Do any of you recall how thetriads were laid out in every
major key?
your key doesn't matter whetheri'm doing c like previous
episodes or g in this one do youremember hint hint it has to do
(05:08):
with the roman numeral systemthat we introduced in the
previous episode Well, in amajor key, we have three major
triads, three minor triads, andone diminished triad.
And it's actually the same in aminor key.
They are just in a differentorder.
So let's go ahead and set up ourkey of G major so that we can do
(05:31):
all of this.
Do y'all remember the formula inwhole steps and half steps for a
major scale?
Whole, whole, half, whole,whole, whole, half, right?
I'm sure all of you got that bynow.
So let's go ahead and build it.
We're going to start on the G.
A whole step gives us A.
Another whole step gives us B.
(05:52):
Half step gives us C.
Whole step to D.
Whole step to E.
Whole step to F sharp.
And half step back to G.
Okay.
This could be a good time forsome of you to pull out your
keyboard or piano images.
That way you can understandwhere that F sharp came from.
(06:15):
Again, remember that all thepitches that come out on any
instrument, doesn't matter ifit's piano or guitar like I'm
playing, They all bow down tothat formula.
So the sharps and flats come outbased on the whole steps and
half steps.
You can see that readily on apiano where you have the black
(06:37):
and white contrasting keys.
So let's start our first triadwith G as a root.
So if you remember, we start onthe root note G.
We skip A and take B.
We skip C and take D.
And when we put those together,we get G, B, and D, which it
(06:58):
turns out is a major triad.
But what makes it major, minor,augmented, or diminished?
Well, in order to understandthat, I need to introduce a new
concept, which is calledintervals.
An interval in music is just thedistance between two sounds.
(07:22):
I am so excited to be able to doan entire episode dedicated to
intervals in the near future.
But for now, we just want tounderstand a couple of intervals
and the way they sound.
Happily, there are a couple ofintervals you've already
understood, which are the halfstep and the whole step.
(07:44):
The two smallest movements fromone sound to another sound.
in our Western system.
So recall the half step, whichis moving either one note up or
one note down, either direction.
So let's say I'm starting on aD.
(08:04):
I can go up a half step, whichwould be one fret on a guitar or
one key on a piano.
Or I can go down a half step,which is going down one fret on
a guitar.
Or So a half step up soundslike...
And a half step down soundslike...
SPEAKER_01 (08:23):
The
SPEAKER_00 (08:27):
next interval is a whole step.
So starting on that D again, ifI go up a whole step, it sounds
like this.
If I go down a whole step, itsounds like this.
But Kevin, why are you doing allthat?
It seemed like a bunch of stuff.
I don't even need to know.
No, you do need to know it.
(08:48):
As a musician, this is veryimportant to understand the
building blocks that make up allthe different sounds in music.
But what I'm leading to is howwe create the four triads.
So let's build them.
Let's start with the good oldmajor triad.
So we already built the firstone in G major, G, B, and D.
(09:10):
But how is it constructed tomake it sound major the way it
sounds?
Well, here it goes.
When we start on G and we takethe skipping triad methods and
we go to the third note in thescale B, it happens to be two
whole steps away from G.
So from G to B...
(09:31):
is two whole steps of distance.
And that gives you what we callin intervals, a major third.
A major third is exactly twowhole steps of distance from one
pitch up to the next pitch.
And that is exactly what givesus that happy pitch.
(09:54):
bright, uplifting sound that wecall major.
It's simply the interval, thedistance between the two pitches
when you create a major triad.
So that explains the soundbetween the first and the third
within the triad.
But what about between the thirdand the fifth of the triad?
(10:18):
Well, when it comes to a majortriad, which is what I'm
sticking with right now, yourdistance between your third and
your fifth is a whole step plusa half step.
And that sounds like this.
The third is B and the fifth isD.
When you put them together, theysound like this.
(10:38):
And that interval is what wecall a minor third.
A minor third is exactly onewhole step plus one half step of
distance between two intervals.
notes.
So now, just for comparison'ssake, let's build both the major
(10:59):
third and the minor third off ofthe same pitch G, which is our
key, right?
We're in G major, but we're justgoing to use this to compare the
sounds back to back.
A major third would sound likethis.
And a minor third would soundlike this.
(11:22):
So again, back to back.
Major.
And then minor.
So see how the major is a littlemore uplifting and brighter?
And the minor is a little darkerand a little sadder, right?
(11:43):
It's literally one half step ofmovement in the sound that is
the difference.
What, Kevin?
You gotta be kidding me.
Only one half step in between amajor and minor sound?
Yep, that's correct.
One half step of differencemakes the whole sonority
completely different andcompletely in a different
(12:06):
expressive realm of emotion.
So now you've learned officiallyyour first two intervals in
music, which is a major third,which is two whole steps between
two notes, and a minor third,which is just a whole step and a
half step between two notes.
The reason we're going overthese is because these are the
(12:28):
intervals that make up all fourtriads in the Western system.
Basically, we're just exhaustingthe permutations or the
possibilities.
So let's compare the sound ofthe four triads in our system,
major, minor, diminished, andaugmented.
So when we start with major, itstarts with a major third
(12:52):
interval between the first twonotes, followed by a minor third
interval between the second pairof notes.
So in other words, I start on aG, a major third from there, or
two whole steps up gives me a B,and But from B to D, I have a
whole step and a half step.
If you recall, that's a minorthird, which sounds like this.
(13:17):
So you have a major third onbottom and a minor third on top.
And when you put them together,you get a major triad.
So a minor triad is actuallyexactly the opposite.
It has a minor third onbottom...
and then a major third on top.
(13:39):
So when you put those together,you get a minor triad.
So then what are the other ones?
Well, a diminished triad isgonna be two minor thirds
stacked on top of each other.
So G to B flat is a minor third,and B flat to D flat is a minor
(14:01):
third.
And when you put those together,it sounds like this.
And then finally, the augmentedtriad is going to have two major
thirds stacked on top of eachother.
So G would go to B.
And B would go to D sharp thistime.
(14:25):
And when you play those threetogether, you get an augmented
triad.
So now here's what they allsound like when they're right
next to each other.
Major triad.
Minor triad.
Diminished triad.
(14:45):
Augmented triad.
And those are all four triads inour system.
Phew! Okay, that might have beena lot to process in a small
period of time, but I realized Ineeded to go over that because
we are about to expand our chordknowledge, our knowledge of
(15:08):
chords and how we can createextended chord harmony, as well
as just different chordprogressions in general, other
than the one we went over in theprevious episode, which was the
1-4-5.
So now I'm going to double backa little bit to what I talked
about previously about howtriads, these four triads we've
(15:30):
been talking about, are reallythe foundation of all the chords
that we make in our system.
Well, what does that mean?
Well, I'm going to give you alittle comparison here.
Everybody enjoys a bowl of icecream every now and then.
Yes, they do.
So imagine that these fourtriads we get are like a bowl of
(15:52):
vanilla ice cream.
It's delicious.
We like it.
We would love to enjoy a bowl ofice cream if that's what's put
in front of us.
But wouldn't it be better withsprinkles on top, with caramel
on top, or even chocolate syrup?
So think about this.
(16:13):
The basic triads are going to beyour vanilla ice Out of all the
chords and basically yourextended harmony or your
expanded chords that we're aboutto go into are going to be like
putting sprinkles or caramel orchocolate or really anything
that you choose on top of a bowlof vanilla ice cream.
So let's get into it.
(16:34):
So our first extended harmonychord beyond just the vanilla
triads will be called a seventhchord.
A seventh chord is a four-notechord that includes the three
notes of the vanilla triad plusone more note on top.
(16:56):
And the note on top is decidedby the same rules that we use to
get all the other notes of thetriad, the skipping method,
where you just skip notes.
So basically, we're justskipping one more.
So think about it like this.
If you think of a root triadfrom a scale and the scale
(17:16):
degrees, you start on the firstnote one, then skip one and take
the third, then Then skip andtake the fifth.
And now we're going to skipagain and take the seventh.
So when I put all thosetogether, it sounds like this.
(17:37):
And that is what we call a majorseventh chord.
So for example's sake, let'sjust start on a different root
note and build another majorseventh chord for your
understanding.
So now I'm just going to starton A.
which is this pitch.
Then my third is C sharp.
(17:59):
My fifth is E.
And then my seventh is G sharp.
And when you put all thosetogether, it sounds like this.
So that first G major 7 soundslike this.
And then the A major 7 soundslike this.
(18:20):
And for example's sake, anotherone, a D major 7 would sound
like this.
So if I put all those together,you might get something like...
(18:41):
Really kind of a translucent,dreamy sound.
I always tell my students tothink about a cherub on a cloud.
You're kind of drifting off intosome kind of daydream where
you're no longer payingattention to whatever's in front
of you and just kind of enjoyinga relaxing ride on a cloud.
(19:06):
And this is what I was talkingabout, about adding sprinkles or
chocolate on top of the bowl ofvanilla ice cream, right?
It just gives it more flavor, alittle something extra, and it's
the same in music.
You have the same bass chord onthe bottom, but that one extra
note on top that we call aseventh just gives it a little
(19:30):
bit more flavor.
There are actually multipletypes of seventh chords as well.
So we just demonstrated a majorseventh chord.
There are also minor sevenths.
There are also dominantsevenths.
There are diminished sevenths,half diminished sevenths.
There's a lot of different kindsof them, and I'm not going into
(19:52):
all of them today.
Just Understand the concept.
The idea that you have thisvanilla triad that's three
pitches, and when you addanother note using the skipping
system, you get yourself aseventh chord.
The name of it and how it comesout in sound really just depends
on what key you're in, whattonality you're in, and what
(20:15):
you're basing your chord off of.
And just to explain how thiscarries on, if you take a triad
and add a note, you get aseventh chord.
If you take a seventh chord andadd another note on top, you get
a ninth chord.
If you take a ninth chord andadd another note on top, you get
an 11th.
And if you take an 11th chordand add another note on top, you
(20:36):
get a 13th.
And that's where it stops,because there is no such thing
as a 15th.
You're back to the octave, whichis back to the beginning of the
triad.
And those numbers, 7th, 9th,11th, 13th, those are all based
on scale degree above the rootof the chord.
So, recap, a triad is 3 notes, a7th chord is 4 notes, a 9th
(21:01):
chord is 5 notes, an 11th chordis 6, and a 13th chord is 7.
So, if you're used to reading alot of chord charts, like me,
because I'm a guitarist atheart, even though I play seven
instruments...
If you're used to reading achord chart, you're used to
seeing things like sevenths andninths.
(21:23):
They're pretty normal.
You might also see things likesus, S-U-S, or A-D-D, add,
things like that, and they havedifferent meanings.
So let's go over those two now,because those are very common.
The first one I referred to,where you might see a chord that
says like G-sus-4, that'sS-U-S-4, is called?
(21:47):
A suspension cord.
A suspension chord is a chord inwhich the major or minor third
is omitted and it's replacedwith a fourth or a second.
Again, those numbers arereferring to scale degrees.
So the lack of major or minorthird in the chord gives it this
(22:08):
sort of free and open sound inthe middle, but the addition of
the second or the fourth in itsplace adds a little bit of
musical tension because thatnote is right next to one of the
other notes in the chord.
To make sure that it's clear,what I'm saying is you're taking
the triad and you're getting ridof the middle note of the three
(22:30):
and you're replacing it with adifferent scale degree, two or
four.
So again, remember, a root triadwould be 1, 3, and 5.
We're going to replace the 3 inthe middle with a 2 or a 4.
And then you'll call it a sus 2or a sus 4 chord.
(22:50):
Let's demonstrate.
So again, I'm going to start inG major.
And our scale degree 1 is G.
Then scale degree 3 is B.
And scale degree 5 is D.
And then that gives us a majortriad.
So again, what we're going to dois we're going to get rid of the
middle one and replace it with atwo or a four.
(23:13):
And tell you what, the mostcommon one is a sus4.
So I'm going to go ahead anddemonstrate that.
So one, two, three, four.
The fourth scale degree is whatgives the chord its name.
Now I'm going to play the rootnote, the fourth note, and the
fifth note.
And that sounds like this.
(23:36):
So you can tell it has thisinteresting airy sound, but it
also has a little bit of tensionthat a normal triad doesn't.
And that tension really wants tobe resolved.
So when I say resolved, it meansit wants to go back to a
comfortable consonant placebecause it is a dissonant sound.
(23:59):
So listen to it again.
So Now listen to it if I move itto a point of resolution, which
would just be moving the 4 backto its original place of 3.
One more time.
One more time.
(24:22):
So you can tell it gives thismusical tension that we talked
about in a previous episode, butwithin the same chord frame.
So instead of actually changingchords to achieve musical
tension, you're doing it withinthe chord by replacing that
middle note with a two or afour.
(24:43):
So now let's hear what that sus2sounds like.
So you can imagine now the sus2is replacing the middle note,
the third, with a scale degree2.
So let's see how that works.
Scale degree 1 is G.
Scale degree 2 is A.
(25:03):
And then scale degree 5 would beD.
When you put them together, itsounds like this.
So again, you get this sort ofhanging tension feeling from it,
as if it needs to go somewhereand be resolved, like this.
(25:25):
And all I did was resolve thesuspended note back to its
original note, which is thethird scale degree of the
original triad.
So our last extended harmonyexample in this episode is going
to be what we call an add chord.
An add chord is when you takethe original vanilla triad and
(25:49):
you just add another scaledegree, not based on the
skipping method that we're usedto adding.
So we're used to like addinganother one for seven or nine
where you're adding and you'recontinuing to stack.
But in this case, it's just theoriginal triad plus another note
that's added somewhere in themiddle of it or on top of it.
(26:13):
So let me explain.
If you have a ninth chord, likewe've been explaining in this
episode, you'll have scaledegrees one, three, five, seven,
and nine, all stacked on top ofeach other to make a ninth
chord.
But if you have a add ninechord, you're going to have
scale degrees one, three, five,and then you're just going to
(26:34):
have a floating added nine ontop of that.
So in other words, the sevenththat was there in a ninth chord
won't be there because that ispart of the skipping method.
But when it comes to adds,you're just taking the triad and
you're just adding another notesomewhere.
So to demonstrate, a G9 chordwould consist of a G...
(27:00):
which is a 1, a 3, which is a B,a 5, which is a D, a 7, which is
an F sharp, and a 9, which is anA.
And you would play all of thosetogether at the same time.
(27:22):
So that is a G9 chord, but if Iwanted to play just a G chord,
add nine then i would just havethe notes of the triad one three
and five and then i would justadd the nine on top of it and so
that would just sound like thisSo a sus chord or suspension
(27:46):
chord replaces the middle noteof a triad with one of its
neighbors.
But an add chord is going toinclude all three notes of the
triad and just add another note,whether it's in the middle.
It could have been one of thoseneighbors you add, or it could
have been something on top ofit.
You know, add two, add four, addsix, add nine.
(28:10):
All of those would include theoriginal three triad notes
you're just adding that oneextra addition on top of it time
to recap episode five we learnedabout the four main triad types
major minor diminished andaugmented and the intervals that
(28:34):
go with it so We defined what aninterval in music is and talked
about the major and minor thirdsand how they compose all four of
our triads.
We learned about extendedharmony like seventh chords,
(28:54):
ninths, elevenths, thirteenths.
And in the end, we also learnedabout suspension chords and add
chords and how those are used inchord progressions.
Coming up, we've got anotherepisode with more chord
(29:17):
progressions coming.
And we're going to mix and matcha lot of these concepts that
we've been building up to now tocontinue to understand chord
progressions.
Thanks again for tuning in tothe Harmonious Blacksmith,
y'all.
I really do appreciate yourtime, and I can't wait to
(29:41):
continue this music theoryexploration with all of you.
What's up, everybody?
Welcome to another episode ofThe Harmonious Blacksmith.
This is episode five of theseries, and I am your host,
Kevin Patrick Fleming.
Oh, no, no, don't do that, no,oh, no, don't do that.
(01:08):
Thank you so much for spendingsome time with me today.
I do hope that you're enjoyingmy series so far and that you
are learning a lot from it.
So let's take just a little timeat the beginning of this episode
to recap what we are building inthis linear and cumulative
podcast.
(01:28):
So far, all the way back fromepisode one, we started with a
single note.
We talked about what notes were.
Then we talked about how muchcooler it is to have multiple
notes.
And then scales start to form.
We broke down that there areformulas based on whole steps
and half steps that do createscales that we use in modern
(01:52):
times.
And we went all the way as faras to define what diatonic
scales were and how they work.
Eventually, we got to theskipping method of how we get
triads, the harmonic basis forour system.
The idea that you get thesethree notes stacked on top of
each other as a foundation forharmony in our system, and also
(02:17):
that those triads are the basisfor all the chords that come out
in the system.
And then in our last episode, wewent through chord progressions,
and we even talked Talked aboutthe 1-4-5 progression.
If this is your first timejumping into my podcast and you
don't recognize all of thoseterms I just spoke about, do go
(02:40):
back to episode one and listento all of it to get caught up
with the rest of us.
That's the reason I review.
I mean, this is 100% aneducational podcast, and so I do
care about you having anunderstanding from start to
finish.
And you can go back to thebeginning, get caught up with
the rest of us, and come on backwhen you're done.
(03:02):
So on to today's topics, andthis episode is really just a
continuation of triads, chords,and chord progressions for your
information.
But I would like to starttoday's episode to dispel what
may seem a bit mysterious fromprevious episode, which is
SPEAKER_01 (03:23):
the
SPEAKER_00 (03:25):
four triad types.
But Kevin, I only ever heard youtalking about three triads so
far.
What you talking about four?
Oh yeah, that is true.
I have only talked about threeso far because there are only
three that show up quote-unquotenaturally within diatonic major
(03:47):
and minor scales.
But there is a fourth triad, andthat fourth triad is called
augmented.
Instead of just straight updefining what an augmented triad
is this time, we're going tohave fun with a little
comparison.
of the four triads.
(04:07):
So to recap, we have major, wehave minor, we have diminished,
and we have augmented.
And those are all themathematical permutations that
we have for triads, believe itor not.
Wait a second.
You're telling me there's onlyfour of them in the whole
system?
I heard all this music with allthese chords.
(04:28):
You gotta be kidding me.
Yeah, no, I'm serious.
There are only four of thembased on the criteria of how
they're created, and you'llfully understand that once we're
done with this comparison.
So let's review triads comingfrom the skipping method.
Of course, we're going to goback to major key, and I'm going
(04:48):
to pull from, in this episode,let's switch to G major.
Do any of you recall how thetriads were laid out in every
major key?
your key doesn't matter whetheri'm doing c like previous
episodes or g in this one do youremember hint hint it has to do
(05:08):
with the roman numeral systemthat we introduced in the
previous episode Well, in amajor key, we have three major
triads, three minor triads, andone diminished triad.
And it's actually the same in aminor key.
They are just in a differentorder.
So let's go ahead and set up ourkey of G major so that we can do
(05:31):
all of this.
Do y'all remember the formula inwhole steps and half steps for a
major scale?
Whole, whole, half, whole,whole, whole, half, right?
I'm sure all of you got that bynow.
So let's go ahead and build it.
We're going to start on the G.
A whole step gives us A.
Another whole step gives us B.
(05:52):
Half step gives us C.
Whole step to D.
Whole step to E.
Whole step to F sharp.
And half step back to G.
Okay.
This could be a good time forsome of you to pull out your
keyboard or piano images.
That way you can understandwhere that F sharp came from.
(06:15):
Again, remember that all thepitches that come out on any
instrument, doesn't matter ifit's piano or guitar like I'm
playing, They all bow down tothat formula.
So the sharps and flats come outbased on the whole steps and
half steps.
You can see that readily on apiano where you have the black
(06:37):
and white contrasting keys.
So let's start our first triadwith G as a root.
So if you remember, we start onthe root note G.
We skip A and take B.
We skip C and take D.
And when we put those together,we get G, B, and D, which it
(06:58):
turns out is a major triad.
But what makes it major, minor,augmented, or diminished?
Well, in order to understandthat, I need to introduce a new
concept, which is calledintervals.
An interval in music is just thedistance between two sounds.
(07:22):
I am so excited to be able to doan entire episode dedicated to
intervals in the near future.
But for now, we just want tounderstand a couple of intervals
and the way they sound.
Happily, there are a couple ofintervals you've already
understood, which are the halfstep and the whole step.
(07:44):
The two smallest movements fromone sound to another sound.
in our Western system.
So recall the half step, whichis moving either one note up or
one note down, either direction.
So let's say I'm starting on aD.
(08:04):
I can go up a half step, whichwould be one fret on a guitar or
one key on a piano.
Or I can go down a half step,which is going down one fret on
a guitar.
Or So a half step up soundslike...
And a half step down soundslike...
SPEAKER_01 (08:23):
The
SPEAKER_00 (08:27):
next interval is a whole step.
So starting on that D again, ifI go up a whole step, it sounds
like this.
If I go down a whole step, itsounds like this.
But Kevin, why are you doing allthat?
It seemed like a bunch of stuff.
I don't even need to know.
No, you do need to know it.
(08:48):
As a musician, this is veryimportant to understand the
building blocks that make up allthe different sounds in music.
But what I'm leading to is howwe create the four triads.
So let's build them.
Let's start with the good oldmajor triad.
So we already built the firstone in G major, G, B, and D.
(09:10):
But how is it constructed tomake it sound major the way it
sounds?
Well, here it goes.
When we start on G and we takethe skipping triad methods and
we go to the third note in thescale B, it happens to be two
whole steps away from G.
So from G to B...
(09:31):
is two whole steps of distance.
And that gives you what we callin intervals, a major third.
A major third is exactly twowhole steps of distance from one
pitch up to the next pitch.
And that is exactly what givesus that happy pitch.
(09:54):
bright, uplifting sound that wecall major.
It's simply the interval, thedistance between the two pitches
when you create a major triad.
So that explains the soundbetween the first and the third
within the triad.
But what about between the thirdand the fifth of the triad?
(10:18):
Well, when it comes to a majortriad, which is what I'm
sticking with right now, yourdistance between your third and
your fifth is a whole step plusa half step.
And that sounds like this.
The third is B and the fifth isD.
When you put them together, theysound like this.
(10:38):
And that interval is what wecall a minor third.
A minor third is exactly onewhole step plus one half step of
distance between two intervals.
notes.
So now, just for comparison'ssake, let's build both the major
(10:59):
third and the minor third off ofthe same pitch G, which is our
key, right?
We're in G major, but we're justgoing to use this to compare the
sounds back to back.
A major third would sound likethis.
And a minor third would soundlike this.
(11:22):
So again, back to back.
Major.
And then minor.
So see how the major is a littlemore uplifting and brighter?
And the minor is a little darkerand a little sadder, right?
(11:43):
It's literally one half step ofmovement in the sound that is
the difference.
What, Kevin?
You gotta be kidding me.
Only one half step in between amajor and minor sound?
Yep, that's correct.
One half step of differencemakes the whole sonority
completely different andcompletely in a different
(12:06):
expressive realm of emotion.
So now you've learned officiallyyour first two intervals in
music, which is a major third,which is two whole steps between
two notes, and a minor third,which is just a whole step and a
half step between two notes.
The reason we're going overthese is because these are the
(12:28):
intervals that make up all fourtriads in the Western system.
Basically, we're just exhaustingthe permutations or the
possibilities.
So let's compare the sound ofthe four triads in our system,
major, minor, diminished, andaugmented.
So when we start with major, itstarts with a major third
(12:52):
interval between the first twonotes, followed by a minor third
interval between the second pairof notes.
So in other words, I start on aG, a major third from there, or
two whole steps up gives me a B,and But from B to D, I have a
whole step and a half step.
If you recall, that's a minorthird, which sounds like this.
(13:17):
So you have a major third onbottom and a minor third on top.
And when you put them together,you get a major triad.
So a minor triad is actuallyexactly the opposite.
It has a minor third onbottom...
and then a major third on top.
(13:39):
So when you put those together,you get a minor triad.
So then what are the other ones?
Well, a diminished triad isgonna be two minor thirds
stacked on top of each other.
So G to B flat is a minor third,and B flat to D flat is a minor
(14:01):
third.
And when you put those together,it sounds like this.
And then finally, the augmentedtriad is going to have two major
thirds stacked on top of eachother.
So G would go to B.
And B would go to D sharp thistime.
(14:25):
And when you play those threetogether, you get an augmented
triad.
So now here's what they allsound like when they're right
next to each other.
Major triad.
Minor triad.
Diminished triad.
(14:45):
Augmented triad.
And those are all four triads inour system.
Phew! Okay, that might have beena lot to process in a small
period of time, but I realized Ineeded to go over that because
we are about to expand our chordknowledge, our knowledge of
(15:08):
chords and how we can createextended chord harmony, as well
as just different chordprogressions in general, other
than the one we went over in theprevious episode, which was the
1-4-5.
So now I'm going to double backa little bit to what I talked
about previously about howtriads, these four triads we've
(15:30):
been talking about, are reallythe foundation of all the chords
that we make in our system.
Well, what does that mean?
Well, I'm going to give you alittle comparison here.
Everybody enjoys a bowl of icecream every now and then.
Yes, they do.
So imagine that these fourtriads we get are like a bowl of
(15:52):
vanilla ice cream.
It's delicious.
We like it.
We would love to enjoy a bowl ofice cream if that's what's put
in front of us.
But wouldn't it be better withsprinkles on top, with caramel
on top, or even chocolate syrup?
So think about this.
(16:13):
The basic triads are going to beyour vanilla ice Out of all the
chords and basically yourextended harmony or your
expanded chords that we're aboutto go into are going to be like
putting sprinkles or caramel orchocolate or really anything
that you choose on top of a bowlof vanilla ice cream.
So let's get into it.
(16:34):
So our first extended harmonychord beyond just the vanilla
triads will be called a seventhchord.
A seventh chord is a four-notechord that includes the three
notes of the vanilla triad plusone more note on top.
(16:56):
And the note on top is decidedby the same rules that we use to
get all the other notes of thetriad, the skipping method,
where you just skip notes.
So basically, we're justskipping one more.
So think about it like this.
If you think of a root triadfrom a scale and the scale
(17:16):
degrees, you start on the firstnote one, then skip one and take
the third, then Then skip andtake the fifth.
And now we're going to skipagain and take the seventh.
So when I put all thosetogether, it sounds like this.
(17:37):
And that is what we call a majorseventh chord.
So for example's sake, let'sjust start on a different root
note and build another majorseventh chord for your
understanding.
So now I'm just going to starton A.
which is this pitch.
Then my third is C sharp.
(17:59):
My fifth is E.
And then my seventh is G sharp.
And when you put all thosetogether, it sounds like this.
So that first G major 7 soundslike this.
And then the A major 7 soundslike this.
(18:20):
And for example's sake, anotherone, a D major 7 would sound
like this.
So if I put all those together,you might get something like...
(18:41):
Really kind of a translucent,dreamy sound.
I always tell my students tothink about a cherub on a cloud.
You're kind of drifting off intosome kind of daydream where
you're no longer payingattention to whatever's in front
of you and just kind of enjoyinga relaxing ride on a cloud.
(19:06):
And this is what I was talkingabout, about adding sprinkles or
chocolate on top of the bowl ofvanilla ice cream, right?
It just gives it more flavor, alittle something extra, and it's
the same in music.
You have the same bass chord onthe bottom, but that one extra
note on top that we call aseventh just gives it a little
(19:30):
bit more flavor.
There are actually multipletypes of seventh chords as well.
So we just demonstrated a majorseventh chord.
There are also minor sevenths.
There are also dominantsevenths.
There are diminished sevenths,half diminished sevenths.
There's a lot of different kindsof them, and I'm not going into
(19:52):
all of them today.
Just Understand the concept.
The idea that you have thisvanilla triad that's three
pitches, and when you addanother note using the skipping
system, you get yourself aseventh chord.
The name of it and how it comesout in sound really just depends
on what key you're in, whattonality you're in, and what
(20:15):
you're basing your chord off of.
And just to explain how thiscarries on, if you take a triad
and add a note, you get aseventh chord.
If you take a seventh chord andadd another note on top, you get
a ninth chord.
If you take a ninth chord andadd another note on top, you get
an 11th.
And if you take an 11th chordand add another note on top, you
(20:36):
get a 13th.
And that's where it stops,because there is no such thing
as a 15th.
You're back to the octave, whichis back to the beginning of the
triad.
And those numbers, 7th, 9th,11th, 13th, those are all based
on scale degree above the rootof the chord.
So, recap, a triad is 3 notes, a7th chord is 4 notes, a 9th
(21:01):
chord is 5 notes, an 11th chordis 6, and a 13th chord is 7.
So, if you're used to reading alot of chord charts, like me,
because I'm a guitarist atheart, even though I play seven
instruments...
If you're used to reading achord chart, you're used to
seeing things like sevenths andninths.
(21:23):
They're pretty normal.
You might also see things likesus, S-U-S, or A-D-D, add,
things like that, and they havedifferent meanings.
So let's go over those two now,because those are very common.
The first one I referred to,where you might see a chord that
says like G-sus-4, that'sS-U-S-4, is called?
(21:47):
A suspension cord.
A suspension chord is a chord inwhich the major or minor third
is omitted and it's replacedwith a fourth or a second.
Again, those numbers arereferring to scale degrees.
So the lack of major or minorthird in the chord gives it this
(22:08):
sort of free and open sound inthe middle, but the addition of
the second or the fourth in itsplace adds a little bit of
musical tension because thatnote is right next to one of the
other notes in the chord.
To make sure that it's clear,what I'm saying is you're taking
the triad and you're getting ridof the middle note of the three
(22:30):
and you're replacing it with adifferent scale degree, two or
four.
So again, remember, a root triadwould be 1, 3, and 5.
We're going to replace the 3 inthe middle with a 2 or a 4.
And then you'll call it a sus 2or a sus 4 chord.
(22:50):
Let's demonstrate.
So again, I'm going to start inG major.
And our scale degree 1 is G.
Then scale degree 3 is B.
And scale degree 5 is D.
And then that gives us a majortriad.
So again, what we're going to dois we're going to get rid of the
middle one and replace it with atwo or a four.
(23:13):
And tell you what, the mostcommon one is a sus4.
So I'm going to go ahead anddemonstrate that.
So one, two, three, four.
The fourth scale degree is whatgives the chord its name.
Now I'm going to play the rootnote, the fourth note, and the
fifth note.
And that sounds like this.
(23:36):
So you can tell it has thisinteresting airy sound, but it
also has a little bit of tensionthat a normal triad doesn't.
And that tension really wants tobe resolved.
So when I say resolved, it meansit wants to go back to a
comfortable consonant placebecause it is a dissonant sound.
(23:59):
So listen to it again.
So Now listen to it if I move itto a point of resolution, which
would just be moving the 4 backto its original place of 3.
One more time.
One more time.
(24:22):
So you can tell it gives thismusical tension that we talked
about in a previous episode, butwithin the same chord frame.
So instead of actually changingchords to achieve musical
tension, you're doing it withinthe chord by replacing that
middle note with a two or afour.
(24:43):
So now let's hear what that sus2sounds like.
So you can imagine now the sus2is replacing the middle note,
the third, with a scale degree2.
So let's see how that works.
Scale degree 1 is G.
Scale degree 2 is A.
(25:03):
And then scale degree 5 would beD.
When you put them together, itsounds like this.
So again, you get this sort ofhanging tension feeling from it,
as if it needs to go somewhereand be resolved, like this.
(25:25):
And all I did was resolve thesuspended note back to its
original note, which is thethird scale degree of the
original triad.
So our last extended harmonyexample in this episode is going
to be what we call an add chord.
An add chord is when you takethe original vanilla triad and
(25:49):
you just add another scaledegree, not based on the
skipping method that we're usedto adding.
So we're used to like addinganother one for seven or nine
where you're adding and you'recontinuing to stack.
But in this case, it's just theoriginal triad plus another note
that's added somewhere in themiddle of it or on top of it.
(26:13):
So let me explain.
If you have a ninth chord, likewe've been explaining in this
episode, you'll have scaledegrees one, three, five, seven,
and nine, all stacked on top ofeach other to make a ninth
chord.
But if you have a add ninechord, you're going to have
scale degrees one, three, five,and then you're just going to
(26:34):
have a floating added nine ontop of that.
So in other words, the sevenththat was there in a ninth chord
won't be there because that ispart of the skipping method.
But when it comes to adds,you're just taking the triad and
you're just adding another notesomewhere.
So to demonstrate, a G9 chordwould consist of a G...
(27:00):
which is a 1, a 3, which is a B,a 5, which is a D, a 7, which is
an F sharp, and a 9, which is anA.
And you would play all of thosetogether at the same time.
(27:22):
So that is a G9 chord, but if Iwanted to play just a G chord,
add nine then i would just havethe notes of the triad one three
and five and then i would justadd the nine on top of it and so
that would just sound like thisSo a sus chord or suspension
(27:46):
chord replaces the middle noteof a triad with one of its
neighbors.
But an add chord is going toinclude all three notes of the
triad and just add another note,whether it's in the middle.
It could have been one of thoseneighbors you add, or it could
have been something on top ofit.
You know, add two, add four, addsix, add nine.
(28:10):
All of those would include theoriginal three triad notes
you're just adding that oneextra addition on top of it time
to recap episode five we learnedabout the four main triad types
major minor diminished andaugmented and the intervals that
(28:34):
go with it so We defined what aninterval in music is and talked
about the major and minor thirdsand how they compose all four of
our triads.
We learned about extendedharmony like seventh chords,
(28:54):
ninths, elevenths, thirteenths.
And in the end, we also learnedabout suspension chords and add
chords and how those are used inchord progressions.
Coming up, we've got anotherepisode with more chord
(29:17):
progressions coming.
And we're going to mix and matcha lot of these concepts that
we've been building up to now tocontinue to understand chord
progressions.
Thanks again for tuning in tothe Harmonious Blacksmith,
y'all.
I really do appreciate yourtime, and I can't wait to
(29:41):
continue this music theoryexploration with all of you.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.