Introduction to Chords

Fundamentally, a chord is the sound of two or more notes being played at the same time.

They are notated based on their root, which is the fundamental note of the chord. It is usually the lowest note of the chord but that is not always the case

After the root, its name depends on the other notes of the chord and this tells us the "flavor" of the chord

C Basic Chords

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C Basic Arpeggios

When played one note at a time, it is called an Arpeggio or Broken Chord

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Inversions

A chord can be inverted which means to have its root position re-arranged. It is useful for voice leading, making transitions smooth or simply because you want that particular sound. It can be notated as (Original name)/(Lowest note).

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