Contents
1. Basic Chord Structure
In the previous section you studied the minimal harmonic structure; two tones harmony. But in practice, 3 tones or more are stacked regularly.
It’s interesting to explore combinations! But there are so many combinations available that some guidelines to narrow down the candidates will help you. That’s what music theory does.
Along the Scale, Skewer Like BBQ
The most basic scale in popular music is major scale.
So the chords using only some of these seven tones will be the very fundamental repertoire. In other words, those that don’t accompany any accidental ♯/♭ are the chords you can easily use in a song.
Tertian Stack
As to stacking tones, there is a “golden rule”: The most basic form is to stack 3 tones by skipping every other tone like C–E–G.
Just skewer tones like BBQ! By skipping tones, each tone is spaced by 3rd interval, which produces consonant (≈pure, clear, stable) sound.
Chords in 3rd interval is called Tertian harmony and chords consisting of 3 tones are called Triads.
Tertian Tetrad
Some genres prefer more complex sounds so in those music 4 tones are stacked in general.
They sound less consonant but somehow mature and have beautiful profundity. Chords consisting of 4 tones are called Tetrads. Above all, Jazz favors tetrad sounds so much that Jazz theory is entirely based on tetrads, almost virtually ignoring triads.
However, in other genres such as Classics, Pop, rock, techno, EDM, hip-hop etc, triads are also used along with tetrads so they should not be underestimated. Tetrads are difficult in understanding their naming system as well. LMT therefore starts with learning triads first.
Stack by 4th?
I said “golden rule” but there’s no rules in music. What if you stack tones by 4th interval like C–F–B–E?
They sound quite peculiar! It doesn’t mean that these are “wrong” sounds. They’re fascinating too.
“One Summer’s Day” by Joe Hisaishi is a song used in a Japanese anime movie “Spirit Away“. Its intro part (-0:38) is mostly written with 4th interval stacks, creating a mystic atomopshere. This is superbly beautiful, yet a very advanced kind of harmonies. It is recommended that you first master the 3rd interval harmonies and then extend it to 4th interval harmonies. So I’ll introduce them again later, in chapter V.
Summarizing the above, the most basic form of chords is; stack 3 tones in 3rd interval.
Scientific Basis?
A supplementary note is; recognizing tertian stacking as fundamental is merely a format of Western music, and following it is not about being the “right” or “correct” approach. While there may be hypotheses based on frequency ratios of tones or whatever, ultimately, elucidating aesthetics and pleasure requires waiting for further advancements in neuroscience.
In fact, listening to traditional music from different countries reveals that they have styles entirely different from Western tertian style.
Here is an example of a traditional Japanese instrument playing basic chords. It’s an instrument called “Sho”, something like a harmonica made of small bamboo pipes. And as you can hear, its sound is quite intricate. When transcribed onto sheet music and played on the piano, it looks like this.
The number of tones is large, and the strong turbidity is produced by the neighboring tones sounding together. However, these are the “basic” chords in Sho.
Of course, this is by no means “wrong music”, and in the Western world as well, you’ll encounter such chords abundantly in jazz or contemporary classical music.
It is important to know that the tertian triad is the foundation of theory and the basic format of Western music. However, it’s akin to starting a cooking class with simple salt and pepper. Just as you’re free to add your favorite seasonings at home, you’re free to try any chords you like.
