C

1
C H O R D s
GCSE Music
2
Triads

• Any set of notes played together is a chord
  although most will be known as discords, because
  they sound dissonant.
• Triads are nice sounding chords. They follow the
  play a note miss a note pattern. They are made
  up of the first, third and fifth notes of the key
  notes scale.

C MAJOR CHORD C Key Note / Root / First E
Third G Fifth
3
Triads

• Triads use both major and minor thirds
• The fifth note is the same in both major and
  minor chords. Thus, the fifth note is known as a
  perfect 5th.

Major 3rd 4 semitones
Minor 3rd 3 semitones
C major chord
C minor chord
4
7th, Diminished and Augmented Chords

• A 7th chord can be made by adding the 7th note
  above the root to a normal triad. The interval
  between the root and the 7th can be either major
  or minor.
• Diminished chords use 2 minor thirds (move the
  fifth note down a semitone from the minor chord)
• Augmented chords use 2 major thirds. (move the
  fifth note up a semitone from the major chord)
• Cmaj7 C E G B
• C7 C E G Bb
• Cdim C Eb Gb
• Caug C E Ab

5
Chords and harmony

• Each note of a scale can become the root of a
  chord. E.g. in C major

D
E
F
G
C
G
A
B
A
G
C
B
D
E
E
F
E
A
G
B
C
C
D
F
F
F
F
F
Chord I Tonic
Chord II Supertonic
Chord III Mediant
Chord IV Subdominant
Chord V Dominant
Chord VI Submediant
Chord VII Leading Note
Chord I Tonic
F
Chord I, IV and V are MAJOR. They are also called
the PRIMARY CHORDS the most important chords
of the key.
Chords II, III and VI are MINOR. Chord VI is also
called the RELATIVE MINOR.
Chord VII is DIMINISHED it is unusual sounding
and sound like it should lead on to another chord.
6
Inversions

• When a chord has the root at the bottom, this is
  called ROOT POSITION
• When a chord has the third at the bottom, this is
  called FIRST INVERSION
• When a chord has the fifth at the bottom, this is
  called SECOND INVERSION

G
C major chord in root position
E
C
C
C
C major chord in first inversion
G
E
C
C major chord in second inversion
E
G
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Ways of playing chords

• The most basic way is to play block chords where
  all the notes are played together and held until
  the change of chord.
• You can also play chords rhythmically, to any
  rhythm at all. Again, you would play all the
  notes together here.
• Another way is to play broken/arpeggiated chords
  where you play the notes of the chord seperately.

8
Decoration

• Decorative notes are extra notes played
  occasionally that do not fit with the
  accompanying chord.
• AUXILIARY NOTES one note that is either a
  semitone or a tone above or below the notes
  either side of it, which will always be the same
  and always belong to the accompanying chord.

Diatonic decoration belongs to the key
Chromatic decoration does not
C
3
4
9
Decoration Continued

• PASSING NOTES link notes which belong to the
  accompanying chord. Normally theyre found on
  weak beats if on strong beats, theyre known as
  accented passing notes.

C
2
2
2
This ones accented because its on the beat
10
Decoration Continued

• APPOGGIATURAS Like an auxiliary note except that
  the note before is usually quite far away and not
  the same as the note after, which is always just
  above or below the appoggiatura (known as the
  resolution). The resolution will be form the
  accompanying chord.
• They normally fall on strong beats.

C
4
4
appoggiatura
resolution
11
Decoration Continued

• SUSPENSIONS series of three notes the
  preparation, suspension and resolution.
• The preparation note will belong to the chord
  accompanying it.
• The suspension is THE SAME as the preparation,
  however a new chord is played at the same time as
  it which no longer includes the note.
• The resolution note is either above or below the
  suspension and does fit with the new chord,
  resolving the dissonance.

G
C
3
4
12
Phrases

• A phrase could be described as a musical
  sentence.
• In traditional, Classical music a phrase will
  probably be four bars long.
• Some pieces of music will make it clear where the
  phrases are by using phrase marks (a long curved
  line above the stave that will probably last for
  a number of bars.

13
Cadences

• A cadence consists of the penultimate and
  ultimate chords of the phrase they could be
  seen as the punctuation mark at the end of the
  phrase i.e.
• . PERFECT / PLAGAL Cadence. Both of these make
  the music sound complete or finished. A Perfect
  cadence goes from Chord V to Chord I (G to C in C
  maj). You will find Perfect Cadences are
  EVERYWHERE! Especially in Pop Music.
• A Plagal Cadence goes from Chord IV to Chord I (F
  to C in C maj). It sounds different to the
  Perfect Cadence, despite having the same effect
  and is often used in hymns.

14
Cadences Continued

• , Imperfect Cadence. These are used to end
  phrases, but not to end whole pieces because they
  sound more like a resting spot in the piece than
  an ending. An imperfect cadence will usually go
  from either Chord I, II or IV to Chord V (C, Dm,
  or F to G in C maj).
• , or perhaps ! Interrupted Cadence. These sound
  unusual because they start on Chord V and go
  anywhere except Chord I, which is where the
  listener expects it to go (G to anywhere that
  isnt C in C maj).

15
Cadences Continued

• So

16
Modulation

• The key a piece of music starts in is referred to
  as the home key.
• However, modulations can occur, moving the piece
  into a different key.
• This key change is only temporary and most pieces
  of music will end in the same key they started in.

17
Modulation Continued

• Modulation by pivot chord
• A pivot chord is both in the home key and the key
  the music modulates to.
• E.g. G major is Chord V in C major and Chord I in
  G major, so it can be used to pivot between the
  keys.
• On a score, you can tell where key changes are
  because there will either be added accidentals,
  or a changed key signature.

18
Modulation Continued

• Abrupt Modulation
• This is where there is no pivot chord, or any
  preparation at all.
• It is often used to modulate between two key a
  semitone or a tone apart.
• Related Keys
• It sounds best to modulate to keys which are
  related to the home key e.g. IV, V and VI

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Texture

• In Monophonic music, there is just one tune and
  no harmony.
• In Polyphonic (or contrapuntal) music, more than
  one tune is played at once.

4
4
4
4
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Texture Continued

• In Homophonic music, the parts move pretty much
  at the same time e.g. a melody with chordal
  accompaniment.
• In Heterophonic music, there is one tune and all
  the instruments play slightly different
  variations of it.

4
Violin I
4
4
Violin II
4
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Texture Continued

• There are other ways of using texture as well.
  E.g.
• Solo
• Duet
• Trio
• Quartet
• Unison all instruments playing the same notes
• Tutti all instruments playing at the same time
• Doubling 2 parts playing exactly the same notes
• Descant high counter melody (often found in
  hymns)
• Octaves