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

2. 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

3. 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

4. Triads in Major Scale

5. Triads in Minor Scale

6. 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

7. Seventh Chords in Major

8. Seventh Chords in Minor