#CHROMATIC CHORDS HOW TO#
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Major 9/11/13 Chords: This chord takes a standard maj7 chord and adds 9th, 11th or 13th intervals above.

This chord is arguably less dissonant, as the interval is a minor 7th (the reverse of a major 2nd) but it still creates a nice sounding chord with the addition of a spicing up your harmony. In C, the 7th chords on D, E and A are minor 7ths by default.

Minor 7 Chords: Similar to a major 7th chord, you can find minor 7th chords naturally and diatonically in the major scale.

This means if you’re just starting out with your use of dissonant chords then this is a pretty safe choice. In the context of the chord, the sound is noticeably pleasant, but still adds a bit of interest to your harmonic writing. For example, in C major the notes C, E, G and B are diatonic to their key, but still have a major 7th interval (which is the equivalent of a minor 2nd but reversed) and is highly dissonant.

Major 7 Chords: In a standard major scale you’ll be able to make two maj7 chords, on chord I and chord IV.

#CHROMATIC CHORDS FULL#

In the example below, I’ll talk you through some diatonic chords which are still full of dissonance. This gives you a tritone and two minor 2nd clashes in one chord, but it’s still diatonic. Now just play an E, F, C and B all at once. Think about it: if you pressed down every white note on a piano, it would sound pretty dissonant, but technically it would still all be diatonic to C major. This means you have the option of some extremely dissonant clashes within a diatonic scale. The once illegal tritone (augmented 4th/diminished 5th) is found between F and B. Similarly, the even more dissonant minor 2nd exists between E and F as well as C and B. The major 2nd connects C and D, D and E, F and G, G and A, A and B, so playing any of these notes together will create diatonic dissonance. In a C major scale, for example, there are 3 types of dissonant intervals available.

You can remain completely in your home key and create some seriously dissonant chords. We often associate dissonance to chromaticism, but this doesn’t always need to be the case. If you’d like to check out a similar guide, but with a focus on chromatic melodic content, then click here. Then I’ll move onto the use of chromatic chords these may or may not be dissonant, but will always borrow chromatic notes from non-diatonic keys. This is relatively simple to get used to. A B minor chord used in the key of C would not be dissonant, but would be chromatic as it borrows an F# from another key.īelow, I’ll talk you through dissonant chords that happen to be diatonic to keys. This makes things a little confusing.Ī chord such as the B diminished mentioned above is both diatonic and dissonant due to it being made up of notes from the same scale, but including the dissonant tritone interval. When playing dissonant (an ‘irregular’ sounding) chords, they might not be chromatic.

Any note used that lives outside of the scale you’re using is a chromatic note. In terms of playing chromatic melodies, this is simple. This means various modes and the natural minor scale also fall into this category. If you want to get really technical, to be diatonic is to be found within a scale that uses 5 whole steps and 2 half steps with the 2 half steps separated from each other by either 2 or 3 whole steps. A C major triad, for example, is just as diatonic to the key of C major as a B diminished chord is, because both are made up exclusively of notes from the C major scale. For example, a C major scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B) could create melodies or chords using only notes from this scale and they will be diatonic no matter how they sound. This essentially means that within a scale, you’ll make your chord or melody up using notes that exclusively exist within this scale.

Check out these major chord variations if that is what you’re looking for.

#CHROMATIC CHORDS HOW TO#

Whether you’re trying to pick up a grasp of how to play standard triadic chords or learning some beginner melodies to play on guitar, they’ll typically be diatonic to one key. Most of our guides here at BeginnerGuitarHQ are based on diatonicism.

9 A Few Examples Of Cluster Chords In Music:.

7 A Few Examples Of Major/Minor Alterations In Music:.

6 Alternating Between Major And Minor Chords.

5 A Few Examples Of Chromatic Dissonance In Music:.

4 Chromatic Dissonance In Guitar Chords.

3 A Few Examples Of Diatonic Dissonance In Music:.

Chromatic chords