Success Music Studio

Chord

 

people, chord, guitar

 

 

The archive gathers together the posts about tuning chords.

 

 

Chord

 

Do you want to know how to tune chords better?

 

Chord Defined

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.

 

Tuning Chords

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.

 

How to Better Tune Chords

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

 

Back to the Successful Music Student Blogs page

 

Learn How To Get A Killer Sound For Your Band - supplemented equal temperament minor keys - synth, guitar, and lead singer - Is Playing the Piano a Suitable Activity for Autistic People

Learn How to Get a Killer Sound for Your Band

Do you want your band to sound better? Have you ever been frustrated that your guitar or keyboard sounds out of tune when you play chords? Learn how to get a killer sound for your band by retuning your keyboards and guitars using Supplemented Equal Temperament. Supplemented Equal Temperament works with equal tempered instruments. It also works with variable pitch instruments such as voices, violins, and winds. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.

sing in tune with synth settings - man singing while playing a synth - Can Somebody Explain Why Power Chords Sound Powerful?

Sing in Tune with Synth Settings

Does your choir have pitch issues? Retune your synth to make examples of good sounding chords. After years of hearing pianos tuned to equal temperament, many singers cannot sing harmony accurately. The piano is a bad model for how well-tuned chords should sound. Read more to learn how to sing in tune with synth settings! Estimated reading time 4 minutes.

How to Micro Tune the Keyboard to Make the Chords Sound Awesome - a Red Keyboard - Can I Learn to Play Piano with a Mini Key Keyboard - What Does Intonation Mean and Why Is It Essential in Music

How to Micro Tune the Keyboard to Make the Chords Sound Awesome

Does it ever bother you that the piano chords sound out of tune? The guitar is not the only instrument that can be retuned. Retuning the keys to Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET) yields chords that sound better than equal temperament – the standard piano tuning. In SET, the triads sound incredible. Learn how to micro tune the keyboard using SET for awesome chords! Estimated reading time 4 minutes.

How to Color Code Guitar Tab to Empower LD Achievement - Guitar Tab and Coffee Cup

How to Color Code Guitar Tab to Empower LD Achievement

Tablature creates a picture of the guitar neck. However, many LD students become confused by tab despite its visual appearance.
In other words, they become dazzled by the shimmer created by the contrast of the black and white lines of the notation. Color-coding the strings helps reduce the confusion that students experience, assisting them in effectively reading the score. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

Color Coding Musical Accents - writing well crafted songs - Picture of Sheet Music on a Piano - Do My Hands' Sizes Affect Learning Performance on the Piano - Teaching Music Teachers - Vintage Sheet Music - What Purpose Do Accidentals Serve in Reading Sheet Music - What Does it Mean for Me to Interpret a Piece of Music - Is Playing the Piano a Suitable Activity for Autistic People - How Long Do You Take to Memorize a Piece of Piano Music

Color Coding Musical Accents Using the Shape Note Advantage for Accurate Special Needs and LD Performance

We approach accents differently than other types of articulations. It is not just about using color to make the accents pop off the page. Using shapes creates a guide for when to play louder. Consequently, for accents we take our example from shape notes. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

How to Color Code Music to Get LD Students to Perform Accurate Alternate Picking - Man Plucking the Guitar

How to Color Code Music to Get LD Students to Perform Accurate Alternate Picking

Even among typical learners, students find alternate picking and strumming challenging. It is one of the few color-coding strategies I use with every student. Using color-coded arrows as a guide to alternate picking effectively shows students how to accurately execute the picking patterns. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.