The archive gathers together the posts about tuning chords.
Do you want to know how to tune chords better?
The term does not come from the word cord (i.e., string). Rather, it comes from the Middle English word cord, which means accord. In other words, the notes in a harmony are in accord, meaning they work well together.
Likewise, the term harmony, a synonym of chord, also carries the idea of notes that work well together. Therefore, harmony remains a branch of music theory that deals with how notes combine to create consonant and dissonant groupings.
The notes in a harmony can be played one after the other. However, most often harmony deals with notes that happen at the same time.
When a chord gets played as a block, it remains sensitive to mistuning. Therein lies the problem with harmony, it can be tricky to tune.
Equal temperament remains the standard tuning for instruments like the piano, organ, guitar, and xylophone. It makes compromises in the harmonies in order to keep the total number of notes to a workable amount.
Equal temperament could be thought of as a well temperament that spreads the tuning errors evenly across the whole tuning system. It has the advantage that none of the chords sound really bad. Also, all of the scales remain usable.
However, the equal tempered major thirds are just spitting distance from being out of tune.
A new tuning system, called Supplemented Equal Temperament, creates an enhanced version of equal temperament that has better sounding chords.
Many of the following posts talk about how to tune harmonies using Supplemented Equal Temperament, while other posts deal with singing harmonies in tune.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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How do rock and pop vocalists sing differently from your average joe singers? There must be something different they do, otherwise fans wouldn’t pay millions of dollars to buy their merchandise. Read more to learn how to sing in tune like a rock star. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Sing in Tune Like a Rock Star Read More »
I’m excited to share that I’ve posted my 100th blog article. My goal is to deliver fun, relevant, and insightful content that’s chock-full of soundtracks, vibrant images, and videos. I hope you like what you’ve seen so far. If you have, please visit again. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
The Successful Music Student Celebrates 100 Blog Posts Read More »
Do you have a hard time getting the authentic sound of bluegrass banjo? How you tune impacts how you sound. Read more to learn how to tune like an authentic bluegrass banjo player. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Tune Like an Authentic Bluegrass Banjo Player Read More »
Do you have a hard time singing 7th chords in tune? Most vocalists do. Don’t worry, the sing-along song tracks can help! Read more to learn how.
Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Singing 7th Chords in Tune Read More »
Want the authentic sound that comes with Hawaiian tuning? How you tune impacts the guitar’s sound. Read more to learn how to tune your guitar like a Hawaiian.
Estimated reading time 6 minutes.
Tune Your Guitar Like a Hawaiian Read More »
Want to sing in tune? Knowledge is power. The following post talks about how singers group pitches as they perform. Read more to find out how the fact that a note contains many pitches can impact singing in tune.
Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
A Note Contains Many Pitches: Singing in Tune Read More »
Want to get the authentic sound of country blues guitar? Frustrated that your guitar sounds different from your favorite blues artist? The guitar’s tuning impacts the sound. Read more to learn how to tune country blues guitar to achieve an authentic blues sound.
Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
How to Tune Country Blues Guitar Read More »
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Do you find key changes tricky to sing in tune? The sing-along song tracks will help! Read more to learn about how to sing key changes in tune.
Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
How to Sing Key Changes in Tune Read More »
Tired of using the same old chords in your songs all the time? Want to create excitement in your songwriting? Adding a key change to your song can make your listeners sit up and take notice. Read more to learn about changing keys in your songwriting.
Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Changing Keys in Your Songwriting Read More »
Do you want to know how Alex Lifeson tunes his guitar in the sci-fi rock opera 2112? How does experience with playing the violin or viola impact how guitarists tunes? This space opera may be the only example of a guitarist’s tuning being included as part of the finished product. At the beginning of the section entitled Discovery the hero finds a guitar, then tunes and plays it. Read more to learn about 2112’s guitar tuning.
Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
2112’s Guitar Tuning Read More »