Color Coded Music Chords
Upgrade Your Instrument And Start Playing The Simplest Guitar Chords Using Chord Cards That Work With Many Other Musical Instruments
There Are A Bunch Of Easy Guitar Chords And Easy Ukulele Chords To Begin With And Many More Chord Cards To Play On Your Instrument
From Guitar Chords For Beginners And The Basics Of Guitar Chords, To Playing More Complex Chords, These Colorful Chord Cards Rule
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Play Harmonies
with Natural Note Chords
When you play three (3) or more different notes at the same time, it is called Harmony or playing chords. Chords can be played one after another in a rhythmic manner to create a song. Let’s practice chords with only the solid-colored notes. Begin by playing three (3) solid-colored notes at the same time to form a triad (a three-note chord). See the slideshow below of all seven (7) natural note triads with their corresponding names and Roman numeral functions in the key of C: (C Major) and a: (A minor). Chords are built from the bottom up, as with scales, but in 3rds. For triads, first comes the Root note, then the 3rd of the chord, and last the 5th. It doesn’t matter in what order these chord notes are stacked as long as they all sound when you play.
Now You Can Play All Seven Triads
Using Only The Solid Colored Natural notes in music
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It is also important to understand that the lowest sounding note in any chord will always determine which Chord Inversion (INV) you are playing (either in Root POSition, 1st INVersion, or 2nd INVersion for triads, and higher up as chord structures grow to contain more notes). Again, you don’t need to know what the chord structure is or the scales they originate from in order to make music. When you play only chords with solid-colored notes, and someone else plays a melody with the same solid-colored notes (being in tune with each other), you will sound musical together. This rule also applies to playing chords with the “stripes” as detailed in the next lesson; however, for the “solids”, open strings on stringed instruments are natural notes, so include them in your playing and strum away. This creates chords with four (4) to six (6) natural notes that sound rich and complex and still remain playable without fully understanding their chord structure and function in a musical key.
Play Harmonies
with Sharp & Flat Notes
There are two (2) chords to learn when it comes to the two (2) striped note Pentatonic Scales from the scales lesson page. One chord is Major, and the other is minor. Without hitting any open strings, practice playing them one after the other in a rhythmic pattern to create a song. Any three different “striped” notes will form a chord, but only these two chords and their inversions, are Major and minor.
Remember: You’ll develop finger “muscle memory” as you practice and slide these fingering patterns to play other similar chords along your instrument’s neck or keyboard.
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Natural Notes – are the seven (7) white piano keys on a keyboard (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G)
Sharp & Flat Notes – are the five (5) black piano keys (A#/Bb, C#/Db, D#/Eb, F#/Gb & G#/Ab)
Enharmonic Spelling – a note that is equivalent to some other note but named differently
Octave – the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency
Semitone – smallest interval in music (Halftone or half step) equal to a 12th of an Octave
Wholetone – a Major 2nd (also called a whole step) is a 2nd spanning two semitones
Interval – difference in pitch between two near occurring notes measured in semitones
Root Note – musical note at base of a scale or chord that serves as the home base name
Minor Scale – seven notes spaced apart by whole (W) and half (H) tones: (W-H-W-W-H-W-W)
Major Scale – are seven notes spaced apart by whole and half tones: (W-W-H-W-W-W-H)
Musical Key – a group of pitches, or scale, that forms the basis of a musical composition
Melody – a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity
Pentatonic Scale – a fundamental form of a musical scale with only five notes per octave
Muscle Memory – procedure to consolidate a motor task into memory through repetition
Harmony – the process by which individual sounds are joined together into compositions
Chords – any harmonic set of three (3) notes that are heard as if sounding simultaneously
Chord Inversion – the relationship of a lowest sounding note to other notes in that chord
Color Coded Chord Cards
Available Here Built On The Note C Natural
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To play any one of the musical chords listed below on a musical instrument that has Musical Colors sticker guides installed, scroll to the chord you wish to play by clicking the left or right arrows, clicking on one of the thumbnails shown (desktop only), or by swiping left and right. Once you arrive at the chord of your choosing, begin at the bottom root note of the chord (marked R), and continue to locate the stacked notes of the chord on your instrument, so that you can grab and play simultaneously all the notes shown (although preferable to be included, notes which are inside a greyed out rectangle do not necessarily have to be played in order to sound the chord in question).
Chords are listed below with their written and spoken chord names (including its long hand interval sonority construction), the first column shows the chord note degrees (intervals) for every musical note found in the chord, the second is the actual notes associated with that chord in root position without inversion, then their corresponding Musical Colors color coded designations, any alternate musical note letter names in the fourth column, and lastly the “quality” or sonority (M, m, +, or º) for the bottom triad (i.e. the first 3 bottom notes shown inside a light grey vertical rectangle bottom right of each card including any sharp or flat alteration, and sometimes including additional 2nds or 4ths within the triad) and the final continuing Major, minor, Augmented, diminished and Perfect intervals (M, m, +, º and P) that build the chord stacked on top one by one measured rom the same root note.
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TRIAD CHORDS ON C
24 Chords With 3 Notes Each Including 4 Note Add Chords
The Major triad chord forms the foundation of numerous songs and is among the first you'll master. It consists of three notes (the Root, its Major 3rd, and Perfect 5th), creating a harmonious triad, and is commonly associated with a cheerful, happy sound. Can also be seen as an Augmented flat 5, minor Sharp 3 or diminished Sharp 3 Sharp 5 chord.
Minor triad chords play a crucial role in music, offering diverse sounds and moods. Often associated with sadness or melancholy, minor chords derive their darker tone from a flattened 3rd, adding depth to musical expressions. Can also be seen as a diminished Sharp 5 or Major flat 3 chord.
The Major flat 5 triad chord is versatile and serves as an effective substitute for any dominant chord. It's notable in 12 Bar Blues, where Dominant 7th chords are prevalent. By using the Tritone, the chord adds richness and harmonic interest to progressions. Can also be seen as a diminished Sharp 3 chord.
The Minor Sharp 5 triad chord is an altered form of the minor chord. It's also referred to as m+5 which uses a plus sign instead of a sharp. This chord is identical to a minor triad except that the fifth is raised one step. Can also be seen as an Augmented flat 3 chord.
The raised 5th in an Augmented triad chord introduces dissonance against the root note, resulting in a tense, unstable sound. This built tension sets the stage for resolution in the subsequent chord, making Augmented chords valuable as passing chords in jazz, rock, and pop progressions. Can also be seen as a Major Sharp 5 or minor Sharp 3 Sharp 5 chord.
The Augmented sharp 3rd triad chord also functions as a minor 6/4 chord in second inversion built from the 3rd.
The Augmented Sharp 5 triad chord.
The Augmented Sharp 3 Sharp 5 triad chord also functions as a Major 6/4 chord in second inversion built from the 3rd of this altered chord.
The tension created from a Diminished triad chord offers a satisfying release when a progression reaches its target chord. This imparts a slick but scary sound (because of the use of the Tritone) and injects a compelling sense of movement into your composition. Can also be seen as a Major flat 3 flat 5 or minor flat 5 chord.
The diminished flat 3 triad chord.
The diminished flat 5 triad chord behaves like a minor add4 chord without a fifth.
The diminished flat 3 flat 5 triad chord.
Within classical music, the Suspended 4 triad chord plays a 4th instead of the 3rd, introducing tension that subsequently resolves to the 3rd after a few beats. Typically applied to major triads or V7 chords, in jazz, sus 4 chords often diverge from resolving to the 3rd. Can also be seen as a Major Sharp 3 chord.
The Suspended 4 flat 5 triad chord can also be seen as a Major Sharp 3 flat 5 chord.
The Suspended 4 Sharp 5 triad chord can also be seen as a Major Sharp 3 Sharp 5 chord.
The Suspended 2 triad chord can also be seen as a minor flat 3 chord.
The Suspended 2 flat 5 triad chord can also be seen as a diminished flat 3 chord.
The Suspended 2 Sharp 5 triad chord can also be seen as a minor flat 3 Sharp 5 chord.
The Major add 4th chord acts like a Sus4 chord but includes the 3rd, increasing tension in the chord.
The minor add 4th chord acts like a Sus4 chord but includes the flat 3rd, increasing tension in the chord.
The Major 6th chord.
The Major 6th flat 6 chord.
The minor 6th chord.
The minor 6th Sharp 6 chord.
SEVENTH CHORDS ON C
17 Chords With 4 Notes Each Including 5 Note Add Chords
The Dominant 7th chord can also be seen as an Augmented 6th chord (i.e. a German 6th or Italian 6th by omitting the 5th.
The Dominant 7th flat 5 chord can also be seen as an Augmented 6th chord or French 6th.
The Dominant 7th Sharp 5 chord.
The Major 7th chord.
The Major 7th flat 5 chord.
The minor 7th chord.
The minor seventh flat 5 chord can also be seen as a diminished 7th Sharp 7 chord.
The minor 7th Sharp 5 chord.
The minor Major 7th chord is also known as the minor add sharp 7 chord. It is also called the tonic minor chord, and it often occurs at the end of a minor jazz tune as the final tonic chord. Can also be seen as a minor 7th Sharp 7 or Major 7th flat 3.
The Augmented Seventh Chord can also be seen as a Major 7th Sharp 5 chord.
The Augmented 7th Sharp 3 chord.
The Augmented Major 7th chord.
The diminished 7th chord.
The Dominant 7th add 6th chord.
The Dominant 7th add 4th chord.
The Major 7th add 4th chord.
The minor 7th add 4th chord.
NINTH CHORDS ON C
17 Chords With 5 Notes each Including 6 note Add Chords
The Dominant 9th chord.
The Dominant 9th flat 5 chord.
The Dominant 9th flat 9 chord.
The Dominant 9th flat 5 flat 9 chord.
The Dominant 9th Sharp 5 chord.
The Dominant 9th Sharp 9 chord.
The Dominant 9th Sharp 5 Sharp 9 chord.
The Dominant 9th flat 5 Sharp 9 chord.
The Major 9th chord.
The minor 9th chord.
The Augmented 9th chord.
The Dominant 9th add 4th chord.
The Dominant 9th add 6th chord.
The Major 9th add 4th chord.
The Major 9th add 6th chord.
The minor 9th add 4th chord.
The minor 9th add 6th chord.
ELEVENTH CHORDS oN C
6 Chords With 6 Notes each And no other Add Chords
The Dominant 11th chord.
The Dominant 11th Sharp 11 chord.
The minor 11th chord.
The diminished 11th chord.
The Augmented 11th chord.
The Augmented Major 11th chord.
THIRTEENTH CHORDS ON C
13 Chords With 7 Notes each and No Other Add Chords
The Dominant 13th chord.
The Dominant 13th flat 5 chord.
The Dominant 13th flat 9 chord.
The Dominant thirteenth flat 5th flat 9th chord is a tertian chord built from 6 stacked 3rds. This jazzy chord is versatile and tends to be unclear when inverted so usually played in root position.
The Major 13th chord.
The Major 13th flat 5 chord.
The Major 13th flat 9 chord.
The Major 13th flat 5 flat 9 chord.
The minor 13th chord.
The minor 13th flat 5 chord.
The minor 13th flat 9 chord.
The minor 13th flat 5 flat 9 chord.
The diminished 13th chord.