Want to play diatonic chords? You’ll need to master the major scale. This article explores all possibilities for making diatonic harmony.

The word diatonic means “strictly within a key.” Diatonic harmony is all about using only the notes of a particular scale to create chords. This is one of those situations where limiting your options can open up creative freedom. In other words, if you restrict yourself to seven notes, your inspiration can blow wide open!

But diatonic chords are about more than just knowing which notes to use. Each degree of the scale has a specific harmonic function because of its relationship to the “one chord,” otherwise known as the root or tonic.  This article looks at diatonic harmony in the major scale. 

The major scale. 

The major scale is a series of seven notes with specific distances between them. The degrees of the scale are from one to seven. You can apply their intervallic pattern of tones and semitones to create a major scale starting on any note. This is the formula, with examples in A, E, and F major:

If you’re a little rusty, you can Quickly Learn Piano Notes and Chords for a speedy review.

The tonic = Imaj7.

The tonic is the scale’s root note and how it gets its name. For example, in A major, it would be A. This is sort of the axis on which all the other notes turn. The note feels like arriving home in the context of a song or melody. 

If you’re playing an utterly diatonic song, you should be able to identify this chord quite easily. If the song has key modulations, the feeling of arriving home keeps changing like some nomadic ex-pat. When you build diatonic chords on the tonic, you have a major triad or a major 7 chord.

The supertonic = iim7.

This is the second degree of the major scale. It is known as the supertonic because of its proximity to the tonic. Its sound is recognizable because it leads intuitively to the five chord. This creates the famous chord progression of ii–V–I. 

The supertonic is always minor or minor 7 in its diatonic context. In the key of A, it’s Bm7. 

The mediant = iiim7.

The mediant is the third degree of the major scale. In Latin, this word means ‘middle,’ and it has this name because it is the middle note of the major tonic triad. 

For example, this note is C# in the key of A. If you build a chord on the mediant, it will also be minor or minor 7. It is closely related to the tonic and the dominant, as it shares two notes. 

Check it out:

The subdominant = IVmaj7.

Don’t get too excited. There is nothing kinky about this. It’s just another name for the fourth degree of the major scale. 

The subdominant gets its name because it has a gravitational pull towards the tonic, just not quite as strong as the dominant’s. Another reason is that it is a fifth below the tonic, making it a long-lost dominant cousin. 

A prevalent progression is IV–V–I. The transition from the four to the five creates a gradually increasing tension, which resolves when it arrives home at the tonic. 

The dominant = V7.

If you believe that the world is balanced between good and evil, you could say that diatonic harmony sits in a balance between the five and the one, or the dominant and the tonic. 

Nothing can resist the tension created by the dominant–it just screams to be taken home to the tonic. It is a powerful musical tool that has become so familiar to the Western ear that if you were to sing a dominant chord to any average non-musical person, they would surely be able to sing, or at least sing in the direction of resolution to the tonic. For example, in the key of A, the dominant chord is an E7 (which has a flat seven and is known accordingly as dom7).

There is an apparent reason for the dominant’s tension: the semitone movements that happen in the transition from the five to the one chord. 

The third degree of the dominant chord resolves to the one of the tonic chord (e.g., G# to A), and the flat seven of the dominant chord resolves to the third degree of the tonic chord (e.g., D to C#).

The submediant = vim7.

This is the sixth degree of the major scale. We call it the submediant because it is a third below the tonic (like the subdominant is a fifth below the tonic). This gives it a mediant-like relationship to the tonic in certain contexts. 

The submediant, or relative minor of the tonic, shares two out of three notes in the chord. Think of it as the tonic’s gloomy teenage brother. Or bitter old uncle. (Or whatever.)

The leading tone = vii(halfdim).

If you thought the dominant was tense, you might not be able to handle the leading tone. This is the seventh degree of the scale, and it’s like a dominant chord on steroids. 

Its tension is arguably stronger than the dominant’s because the root note of this chord is a semitone below the tonic (the third degree of the dominant chord), making it irresistibly close to resolution. 

It is always a half-diminished chord, which is extra dark because it has a flat third, fifth and seventh note. This is a great chord if you feel like you’ve used the five chords a few too many times. 

Don’t be a goody-two-shoes.

Understanding the inner workings of functional and diatonic harmony is super important as a foundation. But make sure you don’t become afraid of breaking the rules. 

What makes music beautiful is the moments that take you by surprise. Don’t be the chord police–stay true to your internal artist and make sure you use technical knowledge to strengthen your creativity, not quash it. 

For an interactive teacher conveniently app-sized–try out Simply Piano.

FAQs

The post What are Diatonic Chords? appeared first on Learn to Play an Instrument with step-by-step lessons | Simply Blog.

Playing music in odd time signatures can be challenging–especially if you have no idea what they are or how they work. Luckily, this blog post looks at time signatures and what makes them odd.

You can recognize odd time signatures in songs when they are tough to count or dance to–it’s like they’re skipping a beat. 

Odd time signatures enable artists to harness their imagination’s depths, creating unconventional and unique music. They can be tough to grasp at first. But once you get the hang of them, they’re a piece of cake.  

So let’s take a closer look at odd time signatures, their components, and their impact on music.

What is a time signature?

Time signatures determine the song’s rhythm. 

In sheet music, they appear as two numbers, one on top of the other. For instance, the simplest and most common time signature is 4/4. 

We use them to measure or organize songs by dividing them into smaller sections. This helps musicians with timing and makes the song easier to remember. 

Time signatures consist of two elements, a beat and a measure or ‘bar‘.

Beats & measures

In musical notation, the beat represents a basic unit of time. We organize beats in bars or measures. There are many types of beats, such as half beats, quarter beats, and eighth beats, to name a few.

The time signature’s top number is the number of beats in a bar, and the lower number refers to the type of beat that you’re playing. For instance, 5/8  is five eighth notes per measure. As you can see, songwriters have countless variations to play within musical notation.

So what’s the deal with an odd time signature?

Odd time signatures.

Also known as asymmetric, unusual, complex, or irregular time signatures, a song has an odd time signature when you can’t evenly divide the beats into the bar. For example, they appear in sheet music as 5/4, 11/4, 5/8, and even 23/16.

It’s always nice when things fit perfectly into their framework. However, in the case of music, a particular number of beats can produce intricate and pleasing sounds. 

Odd time signatures are found in all types of music, including pop, electronic, and traditional, and they’re also popular in progressive rock and metal music.

Different types of odd time signatures.

When it comes to odd signatures, you can create almost anything you want. Although, some interesting examples could clarify the beat’s layout.

• 11/4—This signature contains eleven beats that are a quarter note each. We can break the beats down into 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2. You can also switch the beats to look like 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc.
  
• 5/4—With five beats per measure, this time signature resonates at a frequency of a quarter note each. You can break this signature down into 1-2-3, 1-2, or 1-2, 1-2-3.
  
• 7/8—In this case, the signature has seven beats per measure, eight notes each 12-12-12- 1, or 123-12-12. 

As you can see, you can use time signatures–especially odd ones–in interesting and unique ways. 

How is odd time different from other signatures?

There are many different approaches that you can use regarding time signatures. 

A signature is odd because the number of beats does not fit evenly into a measure. Their distribution must be in unique patterns, creating an unconventional rhythm.

Music has a host of other time signatures, and each offers a distinct rhythm. In a simple or normal time signature, you can divide beats into two equal sections of notes. The most common forms are 4/4, 2/4, and 3/4. 

Compound signatures are similar to their simpler peers; only the beats break down into three equal parts. The introduction to Game of Thrones uses a 6/8 time signature. Some other common forms include 9/8, 12/8, and 3/8. 

Another interesting way to write music–perhaps more peculiar than the odd time signature–is the changing, or polymetric time signatures. Using a changing time signature, you can play with beats and measures, establishing a new rhythm as the song progresses.

Popular songs with an odd time signature.

Part of understanding odd time signatures is identifying their sound. Here’s a list of songs that harness irregular beats to capture their listeners’ attention, love, and praise.

• The Ocean by the timeless rock band Led Zeppelin. The song’s musical time signature operates within a 7/8  framework. 

• MGMT, a famous indie rock band, composed Electric Feel, which uses a 6/4 rhythm.

• Pink Floyd’s hit, Money, with a time signature of 7/4.

• You by Radiohead uses a changing time signature, mixing some simple and odd time signatures! The rhythm changes between 6/8 and 5/8.

Cool stuff right?

The more you practice listening to songs that use odd time signatures, the easier they are to identify, giving you a clearer idea of how they work.

However, like any skill, it takes time and practice. 

Learn how to play the songs you love in various musical time signatures with JoyTunes. Our app Simply Piano guides you through a custom lesson plan that helps you progress one step at a time.

You’ll be playing your favorite songs in no time!

FAQs

The post How To Play Music in Odd Times appeared first on Learn to Play an Instrument with step-by-step lessons | Simply Blog.