Post 2: Electric Boogaloo

WEEK 2 - Research, Research, Research!

I’ve decided to spend this week researching different chord types so as to aid my reharmonization efforts. I’ve learned there are 4 types of chords.

• Tertiary
• Quartal
• Secundal
• Clusters

I will be discussing the first category today, as it's the most common type and the type I have the greatest understanding of.

Tertiary harmony is the most common type. It is built on thirds, hence the name. A third is defined as a distance of 3 between notes.

C to E is a third, there are 3 notes between them; C, D, and E

Thirds come in two main types: major and minor. The major third is larger than the minor, having a distance of 4 semitones.

Major third; C, Db, D, Eb, and E

The minor third is a hair smaller, at 3 semitones.

Minor third; C, Db, D, and Eb

Intervals can be inverted, meaning the highest note is moved down an octave. Thirds invert to sixths.

C to E inverts to E to C.

Of course, chords are a lot more than just two notes. We can build chords by stacking thirds on top of each other.

C Major: C, E, and G C Minor: C, Eb, and G

The name of a chord is determined through the intervals contained within it. The C major chord contains the root, the third, and the fifth. This third is major, so it is a major chord. Likewise, the C minor chord contains the root, the minor third, and the fifth. The third is minor, so it’s a minor chord.
We can add extensions to chords to add more spice, or color. The most common of these is the seventh chord.

C7: C, E, G, and B
Cm7: C, Eb G, and Bb

The C7 (C Seven) is made of two major thirds stacked on the root and fifth. The Cm7 (C Minor Seven) is made of two minor thirds stacked on the root and fifth. These chords are most commonly seen in jazz music, which is one my influences. I plan on writing something jazzy for a typical trio or quartet during this project. There are other extensions as well, like adding the sixth (C6, CEGA), suspended chords (Csus2/4, CDFG) and further adding of thirds, creating ninths (C9, CEGBD), elevenths, and so on.
Finally, I will speak on inversions. Just like an interval can be inverted (see above), chords may be inverted as well.

C in 1st inversion: E, G, and C.

In the 1st inversion, the root (C) is shifted up an octave, leaving the third (E) as the lowest note. The 2nd inversion is when the fifth (G) is shifted down an octave, making it the lowest note.

C in 2nd inversion: G, C, E

Seventh chords may be inverted in similar ways, and as you add more and more notes the inversions multiply.

To close...

This week's research has been fruitful, with my gaining lots of knowledge in the realm of tertiary harmony. There will be a score on MuseScore with all the chords and topics neatly arranged, for those of you interested.