AP Music Theory Mr. Silvagni Chords AP Music Theory Mr. Silvagni

What is a Chord? A chord is a group of three notes Chords in western music are known as tertian harmony because they are stacked in thirds Like intervals, chords can be related to the major and minor scales

Types of Chords There are four main types of triad (3-note) chords Major chord – major third/minor third Minor chord – minor third/major third Augmented chord – major third/major third Diminished chord – minor third/minor third

Triads in Major Scale

Triads in Minor Scale

Seventh Chords Seventh chords add another third on top of a triad Major 7th – major triad/major 7th Dominant 7th – major triad/minor 7th Minor 7th – minor triad/minor 7th Minor-major 7th – minor triad/major 7th Half diminished 7th – diminished triad/minor 7th Fully diminished 7th – diminished triad/diminished 7th Augmented-major 7th – augmented triad/major 7th

Seventh Chords in Major

Seventh Chords in Minor