Chord Basics - Yamaha Portable Grand DGX-205 Owner's Manual

Reference

■ Chord Basics

Two or more notes played together constitute a "chord."
The most basic chord type is the "triad" consisting of three notes: the root, third, and
fifth degrees of the corresponding scale. A C major triad, for example, is made up of
the notes C (the root), E (the third note of the C major scale), and G (the fifth note of
the C major scale).
In the C major triad shown above, the lowest note is the "root" of the chord (this is the chord's "root position" ... using
other chord notes for the lowest note results in "inversions"). The root is the central sound of the chord, which supports
and anchors the other chord notes.
The distance (interval) between adjacent notes of a triad in root position is either a major or minor third.
The lowest interval in our root-position triad (between the root and the third) determines whether the triad is a major or
minor chord, and we can shift the highest note up or down by a semitone to produce two additional chords, as shown
below.
The basic characteristics of the chord sound remain intact even if we change the order of the notes to create different
inversions. Successive chords in a chord progression can be smoothly connected, for example, by choosing the appropri-
ate inversions (or chord "voicings").
● Reading Chord Names
Chord names tell you just about everything you need to know about a chord (other
than the inversion/voicing). The chord name tells you what the root of the chord is,
whether it is a major, minor, or diminished chord, whether it requires a major or
flatted seventh, what alterations or tensions it uses ... all at a glance.
● Some Chord Types
293.)
Suspended 4
Perfect 5
Minor/major 7
Major 7
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DGX-205/203, PSR-295/293 Owner's Manual
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Style (Auto-accompaniment) Functions
Major third – four half steps (semitones)
Major chord Minor chord
C
M
Minor 3rd Major 3rd Major 3rd
(These are just some of the "Standard" chord types recognized by the DGX-205/203 and PSR-295/
th
7
C
sus4
th
th
th
Perfect 4 Flatted 7
th
th
7 , flatted 5
C
mM7
th th
Minor chord
Flatted 5
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Minor third – three half steps (semitones)
Augmented chord
C
m
Minor 3rd Major 3rd
th
Minor 7
C
7
th
Major chord Flatted 7
th th
Minor 7
( b5 )
C
7
th
th
7 chord
Flatted 5
3rd
Diminished chord
C C
aug dim
Major 3rd Minor 3rd
C
m
Root note
th
Major 7
C
m7
th
Major 7
Minor chord
th th
7 , suspended 4
, flatted 5
( b5 )
C
C
m7
th
th Flatted 7
Minor 7 chord
3rd
Root
Minor 3rd
Chord type
th
C
M7
Major chord
th
7sus4
th
Suspended 4
chord