Chords and Harmony
Notes sounded together make a chord, and a run of chords underneath a tune is what most songs are built on. A few chords, repeated in an order, carry a whole song.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Say what a chord is and how it differs from a melody
- Hear when the chord under a song changes, even without naming it
- Explain that many songs run on three or four chords in a repeating order
- Give one example of a chord change that sounds like an ending and one that sounds unfinished
1 · Read
A chord is three or more notes played at the same time. That sets it apart from a melody, which is notes played one after another. The simplest chords hold three notes: a root, a third and a fifth. The root is the note the chord is named after.
Build C major on a keyboard. Start on C, skip one white key and play E, skip one more and play G, then press all three together. From C this shape makes a major chord. From D it sounds darker, so the start matters.
A run of chords under a tune is what most songs are built on. Learn three or four chords and you can play thousands of songs, since most repeat the same small set in the same order over and over. That repeating order is the chord progression, the frame the whole song hangs on.
Listen under the tune for the shifts. Sing Happy Birthday and mark where the chord changes: each change tilts the feeling though the melody rolls on. The last chord sounds settled, like an ending, while earlier ones sound still on the way.
Chords stack notes together, a few in repeating order carry whole songs, and the last one sounds like home.
The rewritten readings were written for this dataset.
More to read
Building a major chord
A melody unfolds one note after another. A chord combines notes sounded together, commonly three or more. A basic three-note chord has a root plus a third and a fifth. Its name comes from the root.
For C major, play C, E and G together. From C, pass over D to reach E, then pass over F to reach G. This white-key pattern does not make a major chord from every starting note. For any root, count four semitones up to the third, then three more to the fifth.
Once you know several chords, arrange them beneath a melody. Their sequence helps shape the song's harmony.
Guitar finger maps
A guitar chord diagram tells you where to place your fingers. Imagine the guitar upright, with its headstock above the fretboard. The diagram uses that orientation. Its lines represent strings and frets; dots mark the places to press.
Thousands of songs use just 3 or 4 chords, though they do not all use the same ones. Many repeat a short sequence of chords. Practise reading each diagram and learning a few chords at a time. A small chord collection lets you begin playing many songs.
Hearing harmony in Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday makes a useful beginner song because a basic accompaniment uses easy chords. Before playing, learn its chord progression: the sequence of chords. Your singing supplies the melody while the guitar changes its accompaniment at particular points.
Notice how a new chord changes the sound beneath the continuing tune. Listen as you play. Earlier chords can create a sense of movement, while the final chord feels at rest.
Following piano chord symbols
Chord symbols help you accompany songs without reading a fully written score. A chart lists chord names using letters, sometimes with numbers or other signs. Root letters and added signs identify each chord and its type, such as major or minor.
Rather than specifying every note, the chart identifies the harmony and indicates chord changes. You can play chords in one hand and the melody in your other hand. This notation lets you concentrate on the accompaniment beneath the tune, though knowing symbols alone does not teach every song.
Start with G and practise changes
Many beginner songs need only a small set of chords. G major is one place to start. Press the thickest string, low E, at fret three with your ring finger. Put your middle finger on the neighbouring A string at fret two. Use your pinky to press the thinnest string, high E, at fret three. Leave the remaining strings open and strum all six.
Learn another two or three common chords. Practise moving between them in a repeated sequence. That sequence, called a chord progression, forms the song's harmonic framework.
2 · Watch
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8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.