What Is Voice Leading, and How Can Common Tones and Small Intervals Create Smoother Chord Changes?

A chord progression is more than a sequence of harmonic blocks. It is also a collection of individual musical voices… read more

What Is Chord Voicing, and How Can the Arrangement of Notes Change the Sound of a Chord?

Two musicians can play exactly the same chord, using exactly the same notes, and produce remarkably different results. One version… read more

What Is a Thirteenth Chord, How Is C13 Constructed, and Why Are Some Chord Tones Omitted?

Thirteenth chords represent the highest commonly used extension in traditional tertian harmony. They are built by continuing the… read more

What Are Eleventh Chords, Why Do They Often Omit the Third, and What Is the Difference Between 11 and ♯11?

Eleventh chords extend the structure of a ninth chord by adding another note: the eleventh above the root.

They… read more

What Are Ninth Chords, and What Is the Difference Between Cadd9, Cmaj9 and C9?

Ninth chords extend the four-note structure of a seventh chord by adding another note above it. They are among the most widely used extended… read more

What are chord inversions, and how can changing the lowest note of a chord create smoother progressions?

A chord is not defined only by the notes it contains. The order and octave in which those notes are played… read more