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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Do you want to sound like your favorite vocal artist? What exactly is harmony, and how does it affect singing in tune? Harmony is tone color, read more to learn how this fact impacts singing (or playing) in tune.
Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
Harmony is Tone Color Read More »
Frustrated with your out of tune synth chords? Do you want your brass, woodwind, and string programs to sound better? It’s not only the program you select which controls how your synth sounds, the tuning has an impact as well. I created Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET) to produce chords that sound better in tune than equal temperament (the piano’s tuning). Read more to learn how SET minor keys work.
Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
How Supplemented Equal Temperament Minor Keys Work Read More »
Do you have a hard time singing minor keys in tune? According to Hagerman and Sundberg, minor thirds are almost as hard to tune by ear as major seconds, and much harder than major thirds. However, sing-along song tracks can help! Read more to learn how to harmonize in minor keys.
Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
How to Harmonize in Minor Keys Read More »
Have you just bought a parlor guitar and thought it’d be cool to learn parlor guitar style? The guitar’s tuning impacts how it sounds and what styles will sound good on it. Read more to learn how to play and tune parlor guitar style. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
How to Play and Tune Parlor Guitar Style Read More »
Have you tried retuning your synth, but gotten frustrated by the limited number of keys? Do you want your keyboard’s chords to sound stronger when playing brass, string, and organ sounds? Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET) is a new and powerful tuning system that allows your chords to sound stronger and more in tune. Kurzweil’s PC3K synth also makes it a breeze to switch keys while using SET. Read more to learn how to change keys in Supplemented Equal Temperament. Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
How to Change Keys in Supplemented Equal Temperament Read More »
Does singing in tune seem like a mystery with no clues? Knowledge is power. Read more to find out how a harmony’s length impacts singing in tune. Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
A Harmony’s Length Impacts Singing in Tune Read More »
Do you find minor harmonies harder to tune than major? Frustrated that you don’t sound as good as other singers? How well you tune impacts how good you sound, including the strength of your vocal tone. Read more to learn about singing major and minor harmonies in tune. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Singing Major and Minor Harmonies in Tune Read More »
Do you want your ukulele to sound like the Hawaiian players? How you tune impacts your ukulele’s sound. Read more to learn how to tune your ukulele like a Hawaiian. You will also learn the song “Aloha ‘Oe (Farewell to Thee).” Estimated reading time 6 minutes.
Tune Your Ukulele Like a Hawaiian Read More »
Have you ever wondered what you could do to better sing in tune? Knowledge is power. Read more to find out how vibrato impacts singing in tune. (Also, the post uses a video of Bohemian Rhapsody to illustrate the main point.) Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Vibrato Impacts Singing in Tune Read More »
Are you tired of your band sounding out of tune? Can’t get the classic rock sound when jamming with your group? Read more to learn how to jam like a rock star with open E tuning. You will also learn the song “Gimme Shelter.” Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Jam Like a Rock Star with Open E Tuning Read More »