Help with chord theory
Hello! Are there any good musicians that can help me figure out the name of a chord? I'm not very good at music theory yet and in order to be better able to write down all the tunes that are in my head, I've been using the Internet to learn all the different types of chords. So far, I have learned about major tonic triads and how to turn them into minor triads, diminished triads, augmented triads, sevenths, sustained seconds, sustained forths, but none of them sounds like the chord I have in mind so I am still stumped as to what it is. Here's the thing I am thinking of:
If you play a basic major triad such as G, but then move the 1st degree down to an F sharp, what do you now have? Does that chord have a name? Is it a variation of G? If so, I can't find out its name anywhere. Perhaps it can't still be G if I have changed the root note from a G to something else.
Have I in fact turned it from a tonic G major triad into a dominant B minor triad?
Is that what I've done?
Hmm...
*confused*
Comments
Yes, to me its a B minor, notated as Bm/F#.
In reply to Yes, to me its a B minor, by schepers
Thank you for the reply but I don't think it's a normal Bm. Could it be a Bm Dom?
Or is it some sort of variation of an F sharp tonic triad?
Edit: Oh, I see. Does "Bm/Fsharp" indicate to the musician that they should play a Bm but have the bottom note be an Fsharp? i.e. a chord written as A/B where A is telling them the chord and B telling them its root position?
If so, would the same naming system apply to other keys?
Say I wanted to play an F major triad and then moved the root F down to an E, I think (correct me if I'm wrong) I'm turning the F tonic triad into an A minor chord played in a higher up position than usual.
Would this be written as "Am/E" to indicate that the Am should be started on an E?
Is there no actual name for these sorts of chords?
Thanks for any help :)
In reply to Thank you for the reply but I by Resopmoc
Could they be "slash chords?"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_chord
In reply to Thank you for the reply but I by Resopmoc
Yes, but it's still a B Minor, commonly called a second inversion. Read up on chord inversions, chord progressions and figured bass.
In reply to Chord's by underquark
Thank you :)
At least now I know what to google.
In reply to Thank you :) At least now I by Resopmoc
*comes back from research*
If I keep my G major triad but add on the F sharp to the bottom as well and have both there (instead of replacing one with the other) am I correct in thinking that's called a G Major Seventh Inversion? If so, please can somebody tell me how to abbreviate it?
I cannot find out anywhere. I have found out that "G major seven" would be written as "GM7" and is not to be confused with "Gm7", which means "G minor seventh" but how does one abbreviate "inverted?"
Thank you
In reply to *comes back from research* If by Resopmoc
First, realize that chord naming is more an art than a science. Not every combination of notes can be given a name using standard chord symbol notation, and some combinations of notes can be known by several completely different names. Understanding how to label chords requires an understanding of how the chord is functioning, not just looking at the notes. Attempts to put names on chords just by looking at the notes and not understanding how the chord fits in will often produce very bad results. So I wouldn't be in a huge hurry to name all your chords until you gain some broader perspective allowing you to understand - you'd be better off showing the music to an experienced musician who could then tell you the most appropriate names to use.
That said:
There is no chord symbol for "inverted". You indicate inversions by using a slash followed by the bass note. but that only applies if it's an actual bass note. If it's just the bottom note of the chord in the right hand of the piano, you don't notate that fact at all. Yes, that means someone reading the chord symbol might not play it with F# on the bottom. If you need him to play those exact notes in that xact order, you simply write out the notes for him. Chord symbols are not meant to tell someone exactly what notes to play in what order, but rather, to give the player flexibility to decide that for himself.
So, Bmi indicates B-D-F#, played *in any order* as long as the *bass* note is B. Bmi/F# indicates B-F-F# played *in any order* as long as the *bass* note is F#.
A chord consisting of G-B-D-F# is Gma7. If you wish to have the F# played *in the bass*, then it said to be in third inversion and is notated Gma7/F#. But again, you don't use that notation unless you really wan that F# in the bass. Merely arranging the notes in, for example, the right hand on the piano, with an F# on the bottom does *not* constitute reason to add the "/F#".
BTW, note I use "mi" and "ma" instead of "m" and "M". This is the way many publishers do things these days., in large part because it is often hard to tell the difference between "m" and "M". Some use "maj" for major and "-" for minor. Lots of different ways people do this. If you read the Handbook section on chords, you'll see MuseScore provides a way of allowing different abbreviations via chordname styles, but you have to pick one set and stick to them for the duration of the score.
In reply to First, realize that chord by Marc Sabatella
Thank you for your comments, Marc, especially:
"I wouldn't be in a huge hurry to name all your chords until you gain some broader perspective allowing you to understand - you'd be better off showing the music to an experienced musician who could then tell you the most appropriate names to use."
Agreed! I am currently composing something that is WAY over my head and beyond my capabilities. I think I need someone to arrange it for me. The problem is, I've got the melody and I can hear the chords in my head but don't know what they are. I wanted to be able to find out what they are so that I can make a lead sheet with chords and give it to somebody and ask them to write an appropriate accompaniment. If I don't specify the chords beforehand, they might invent their own and make it sound different to the way it sounds in my head. Anyway I have just done a massive crash course in chords today, so I think now I will have a rest!
Thank you
Posercom xx
In reply to Thank you for your comments, by Resopmoc
What I would recommend is writing out the exact notes you hear and then depending on the arranger to figure out what the implied chords are and how notate them and go from there.
Or, if you do put chord symbols on it, make your best guess, but tell the arranger you don't know if you have labelled the chords correctly. If he's reasonably competent, he should probably be able to figure out what was really meant.
It completely depends on context.
If what you describe is actually the movement you want, it could be a B/F# or a it could be a G major 7 over the 7. There is no one thing. It all depends on context.
Notation is an attempt to describe a gesture in another language, and, as such, will always be somewhat indefinite.