Music Chord Lessons

Music Chord Lessons involve learning about a few key areas of music structure.

To learn music chords is usually taught piece meal and disjointedly. Our philosophy of a music chord lesson is in learning the overall structure of the types of chords and then building on that foundation to expand your chord knowledge and skill.

Learning Music Chords Prerequisites

There are a couple of prerequisites to being able to master the lessons of chords. That is you must understand intervals as defined by either note steps or separation of notes. See music note interval lesson.

The second is in having at least a basic understanding of key signatures and scales for building the chord systems.

Creating Music Chords Basics

Chord-C-minor Treble Clef
Chord-C-minor Treble Clef

There are four triad music chords that are made up of a combination of half steps. The note spacing is defined by the intervals or half steps. It is the first step in understanding how chords are built. The basic chord triad is built with a combination of 3 or 4 note half steps or otherwise defined as minor or major third intervals.

Learning the chord triad combinations is essential to understanding the pattern of chord construction.

Once you’ve achieved basic building blocks you’ll need to learn how to work the inverted patterns. Each of these patterns has a recognizable combination.

We find that this is usually taught on an as you go basis. That sets up a learning system that tries to give you what you need now without ever giving you the full picture. It’s a wonder that music students struggle so much to learn these concepts.

This section of the workshop in Lesson-10-Creating-Chords-Basics provides the structure on how you can quickly learn the basics and apply them to your music skill set today.

Creating-Chords-Harmonic-Systems

C Major Diatonic Harmonic System
C Major Diatonic Harmonic System

Moving past the typical 3 note chord structure you will learn to put the system of chords together. These systems are based on an understanding of major scales or minor scales. Also these chords are related to how those scales are defined within a key signature.

By combining your knowledge of chord triads and scale systems you’ll become aware of the harmonic systems in both the major and minor key systems.

By knowing the chord systems you can understand how to easily and quickly analyze songs and learn them quicker. You’ll also have the base knowledge to begin composition.

This section of the workshop in Lesson-11-Creating-Chords-Harmonic-Systems

Chord Progression Lessons

When you learn the basic structures and systems of chords you will not need to go look for any specific power chord lessons, which refer to the use of major chords. What you will be able to do is understand Chord Progressions which are made up of moving through the chord harmonic systems.

ii7 - V7 - IM7 Progression
ii7 – V7 – IM7 Progression

Chord progressions are the flow of music. On the piano there are simple techniques to learn how to move through these chords by understanding individual note make up and shared chord notes.

Some refer to a piano chord lesson of progression, which is really about understanding how to use inversions to move through chords in closely. Chord guitar lessons use a progression method, in that they easily move from chord to chord, but fail to provide the student with understanding of how progressions work in context.

These concepts are also applicable to groups of instruments. Thus, a chord progressions lesson is useful to the band. Several monophonic instruments played together can make a chord. So your movement of individual notes by these players can achieve chord progressions.

This section of the workshop in Lesson-12-Creating-Chord-Progressions provides tips and techniques to help you play and understand the chord structures and use.

Sevenths Chords

Chord C7 treble clef
Chord C7 Treble Clef

One of the frustrations that many music students have is that of seventh chords. There are seven kinds of sevenths and all are built on the basic 4 triad chords. Our lesson on the Secrets of Sevenths brings all the knowledge together to make you a master of understanding sevenths.

The use of triads, inversions, the seventh interval, and harmonic systems are covered in an intense lesson in order for you to start mastering the concept and use of 7th chords.

Full Chords Workshop

Chords Workshop
The Creating Chords Workshop covers all basic lessons in understanding chord structures in all keys. In addition it covers all chord lessons including harmonic systems and chord progressions. As well it includes the secrets of sevenths lesson.

Add the Keys and Scales Workshop to complete our chord study.

Keys and Scales Workshop
The key signature and music scales workshop takes you through learning all major and minor key signatures and scales in all keys. The scales lessons cover major and 3 minor scale types as well as over six other types of scale styles like blues and jazz.

Workshop Bundle Keys, Scales, Chords

Choose the Workshop bundle with Chords. These are often worked together to move you faster down the path to music knowledge.

Workshops: Keys-Scales & Chords Bundle
Workshops: Keys-Scales & Chords Bundle
Get both the Key Signature - Music Scales workshop and the Chords workshop together with two added bonuses of the Piano Scale Fingerings and the Secrets of Sevenths. Best intermediate combination for getting all the keys, scales and chords down cold. With Learn a Song, and the Notation Ebook.

Top of Music Chord Lessons

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This