Song Chords

Listeners will remember the lyrics and the melody of your song before they remember the chord structure. Nevertheless, when songwriting, it is imperative that your song have a good chord structure because the chords create the mood of the music. Although your listeners may not consciously notice the chords that they are listening to, they will feel them.

Of course, when you write a song, you should make sure that the mood created by your song chords should match the mood that is created by your lyrics.

A chord is a group of three or more notes that are played at the same time.

Each chord type creates a different feeling, depending on the intervals between the notes within the chords.

Following are some chord types and the effects that they will have on people who listen to your song:

Triads

Triads are chords that consist of three notes. Unless they say otherwise, when someone refers to a "chord", they are probably talking about a triad.

Major Triad

A major triad (usually just called a major chord) consists of a tonic, root, or base note (the note from which the chord gets its name), a note that is four half steps (a major third) above the base note, and a note that is seven half steps (a perfect fifth) above the base note.

The C Major Triad (usually called a C chord) consists of the notes C, E and G.

Major triads are very common in popular music. They will give a song  a light, happy, upbeat feeling.

Minor Triad

A minor triad is similar to a major triad, except that the second note is a half step lower than it would be in a major chord.

Usually, a minor triad is simply known as a minor chord.

Within a minor triad, there is a base note, a minor third (three half steps above the base note) and a perfect fifth.

The C Minor (Cm) chord is made up of the notes C, E flat and G.

Minor chords create a dark mood. In a song, minor chords are associated with feelings of sadness and longing.

7th Chords

7th chords consist of four notes - a major or minor triad plus a note that is a seventh (seven notes on the scale) above the base note.

A 7th chord creates a dissonant sound and will give a song a jazzy feel.

Dominant 7th Chord

Unless they specify otherwise, when someone refers to a 7th chord, they are talking about a dominant 7th chord.

A dominant 7th chord consists of four notes - the notes of a major chord plus a note that is a minor seventh (ten half tones) above the base note.

The C7 Chord (the dominant seventh chord that uses C as the base note) is made up of the notes C, E, G and B flat.

In a song, a dominant 7th chord creates a mood that is happy, but not as cheerful as a major 7th.

Major 7th Chord

A major 7th chord consists of four notes - the notes of a major triad plus a fourth note that is eleven semitones (a major seventh) above the base note.

The C Major 7 chord (Cmaj7) contains the notes C, E, G and B

Major 7th chords will create a very upbeat feeling in a song.

Minor 7th Chord

The minor 7th chord creates a sense of sadness and reflection. It does not evoke a  happy mood in a song.

A minor 7th chord is made up of a minor triad plus a note that is a minor seventh (ten half tones) above the base note.

The C minor 7th chord (Cmin7) consists of the notes C, E flat, G and B flat.

Suspended Chords

A suspended chord consists of a triad in which the second note (normally either a major third or a minor third) is replaced with another note.

In a song, suspended chords create a feeling of variety and movement and a sense that something needs to happen in order for resolution to be achieved.

In a suspended 2nd chord, the second note is replaced with a major second (two semitones above the base note.)

In a suspended 4th chord, the second note is replaced with a perfect fourth (five semitones above the base note.)

A C suspended 2nd chord (Csus2) is made up of the notes C, D and G.

A C suspended 4th chord (Csus4) is made up of the notes C, F and G

Diminished Chords

Diminished chords are minor triads in which the third note, normally a perfect fifth, is a diminished fifth (six half steps above the base note.)

They sound very dissonant and will create a very dark mood in a song.

Diminished Triad

A diminished triad consists of a base note, a note that is a minor third above the base note and a note that is a diminished fifth above the base note.

A C diminished chord (Cdim) is made up of the notes C, E flat and G flat.

Diminished 7th

A diminished 7th chord is made up of a diminished triad plus a fourth note that is a diminished 7th (nine half tones above the base note).

A C diminished 7th chord (Cdim7) contains the notes C, E flat, G flat and A.

Half Diminished 7th

A half diminished 7th chord is also called a minor 7th flat 5.

It consists of a diminished triad plus a minor 7th (10 semitones above the base note).

A C half diminished 7th chord is made up of the notes C, E Flat, G flat and B flat

Augmented Chords

Augmented chords will make a song sound dark and ominous. They create a sense of tension and instability.

An augmented chord consists of a major triad in which the third note, normally a perfect fifth, becomes an augmented fifth (eight half tones above the base note).

A C augmented chord (Caug) consists of the notes C, E and G sharp.

Power Chords

A power chord, also known as a fifth chord, is made up of two notes - a base note and a perfect fifth. These notes may be repeated at different octaves. In particular, the base note may be repeated one octave up.

Because a power chord consists of only two notes, it is not a true chord.

Essentially, a power chord is a triad with the major third or minor third missing.

Power chords are very common in rock music, where there is often a lot of distortion.  A true chord would sound very dissonant when played with heavy distortion.

The C power chord (C5) consists of the notes C and G.

In an inverted power chord, the notes are switched, so that the perfect fifth is lower than the base note.