Level 1 · Lesson 2
Chords
Build a triad, enrich with a seventh, master inversions.
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Pause Culture · Les Accords
J.S. Bach (1685–1750)
It is said that Bach would get up at night to resolve on the piano a tritone left unresolved by his sons. The dissonant chord created such tension in his ear that he could not slee…
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À retenir : A chord is not merely a stack of notes — it is a force seeking rest.
Building a triad
A chord is born from a simple idea: stacking thirds. Start from a root, move up by a third, then another. Two stacked thirds produce three pitches — a triad. What differentiates the four types is the size of each third.
Root
Chord type
CC – E – Gstable
C
root
Tierce majeure (4 demi-tons)
→
E
third
Tierce mineure (3 demi-tons)
→
G
fifth
Fifth: juste (7 demi-tons)
La triade la plus lumineuse. Sa quinte juste lui donne une assise solide — couleur brillante, affirmée, ouverte.
The 4 triad types
| Type | Structure (thirds) | Fifth | Stability | Example (on C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | Tierce majeure (4 demi-tons) + Tierce mineure (3 demi-tons) | juste (7 demi-tons) | stable | C = C–E–G |
| Minor | Tierce mineure (3 demi-tons) + Tierce majeure (4 demi-tons) | juste (7 demi-tons) | stable | Cm = C–Eb–G |
| Diminished | Tierce mineure (3 demi-tons) + Tierce mineure (3 demi-tons) | diminuée (6 demi-tons) | unstable | Cdim = C–Eb–Gb |
| Augmented | Tierce majeure (4 demi-tons) + Tierce majeure (4 demi-tons) | augmentée (8 demi-tons) | unstable | Caug = C–E–G# |