Theory Help Please

I have learned some theory and I was wonder who there are so many triad chord variations.............................I was looking at what a "6" chords and I was wondering...............Whats the difference between a "C6" chord and an "Am7" chord?

I have learned some theory and I was wondering why there are so many triad variations...............I was looking at "6th" chords and I was wondering............Whats the difference between a "C6" chord and a "Am7" chord...............They look the same to me.............And if they are it seems that a "6th" chords could be taken out all together and ud stil b able to get the same chords.

It depends on the context in which they are used.

A simple way to understand this is..if you play a C/A bass note/drone..and play the notes C,E,G,A(C6/Am7). With the C in the bass, the chord will sound major(happy), because the chord tones are being heard in relation to C. So, they are being heard as 1,3,5,6 of the C major scale(The formula for a 6th chord). If the A was playing, the chord would sound minor(sad) because it is heard in relation to A. That would be 1,b3,5,b7 of the A major scale(The formula for a m7 chord).

Any single triad/chord can sound different in different contexts. Theory helps put a name to and explain what is being played.

thanx man................I understand................I was thinking of them as the same chord becasue they are when u play them all at the same time............I didnt even counter in howd they would definately sound different when played note at a time...........dumb mistake



Also......I understand some theory but Im not satisfied with what I kno...........Is it really possible to kno all aspects of music theory?..............i dont really think so anymore..............I was planning on memorizing all of the triad variations and write down every chord thats in every major and minor key.................But is that truly possible...............Does the chord genarator on this site even list every single chord variation known???..........

Learning Music Theory is a never ending kind of thing. Still, even learning the basic parts will help you a lot with music. There are certain formulas for chords. That's what 1,3,5 and stuff is. It shows how they relate to the Major Scale. Go here: http://www.thecipher.com/letter-spellings.html#relmajmin , and print out figure 5. These are all of the Major Scales and their relative Minor Scales. Then go here: http://www.jmdl.com/howard/music/quick_crd_ref.html , and print it out. This is a list of the different types of chords and their formulas.

How to use them:

These formulas are used to figure out which notes are in what chord. They are compared to the Major Scale. For example:

C major scale

C,D,E,F,G,A,B (notes)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7 (degrees, respectively(in case they don't line up well))

So, if you took the major triad formula: 1,3,5
You would use the 1st,3rd,and 5th degrees of the scale to make a C major triad/chord. This would be C,E,G

If you use the Minor Formula: 1,b3,5
You would use the same degrees, but you would lower(flat) the 3rd degree one half step, giving you the notes C,Eb,G

As for chord shapes and variations, there is a system called the CAGED system. It helps you to quickly find several shapes for any chord. Do a google search for it. There will be plenty of info there.

right..............I understand how formulas are made and how CAGED works but..........................Does that website really list every single chord variation known in music theory..................or is it just a list of ones used the most?

That has just about all of them. There are inversions of chords, where another chord tone is in the bass other than the root. Also, there are altered chords. Usually they are normal chords with a raised or lowered degree(#/b). Some are shown on that site. The idea is to be able to make the chords yourself. If you know the Major Scale in every key, and you memorize the chord formulas/spellings, you can make any chord you like.

"...memorize the chord formulas/spellings..."

Any pointers on someplace to focus on that? I know quite a lot, and this site has been filling in the gaps but I'd love to have something that goes through every chord name and explains the pattern. Like

major 1-3-5
5 1-5

etc (those are the only two I know off the top of my head :)

Any ideas?

Llynix - One man, one guitar, one website, one ditty a day.

Look at the second link in my earlier post.