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How Many Notes Does it Take to Make a Chord?


SpondonBassed

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1 hour ago, Hellzero said:

If you want the scientific explanation of a chord, here it goes : any sound produced by anything is made of natural harmonics, if you take the first 6 natural harmonics and delete the repeated ones, there stays only 3 natural harmonics which are in musical theory intervals of thirds, so it's the root followed by the third (minor or major) and the fifth. And according to a guy called J-S Bach that's the reason why a (perfect) chord is made of 3 "notes".

Pah! - What does he know?

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6 hours ago, leftybassman392 said:

...Second, if it's all the same to you I'll wait until somebody gives me a convincing reason why it has to be three notes. Just telling me it is won't do the trick I'm afraid.

If you'll excuse the 'analogy', it's a little bit like asking 'Why does a triangle have to have three sides..?' It's defined that way, and, in most music theory (not all, I'll admit; dissent is the spice of academic life, after all...), a chord is defined as being three or more notes heard together. Why does an interval have to be between two notes..? Because that's what an 'interval' is. Why does unison have to have only one note..? It's its definition, that's all. Same with chords, I'd say; may be wrong. o.O

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36 minutes ago, EssentialTension said:

I just named it. I don't at all imagine I am the first.

I think you named a Laptop.

 I remember reading somewhere that on the official Mancini score, it was written as ‘NC’ on top of the notes.

Ebsus4 (-5)/A is a version I have seen written chord wise before.

 

 

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11 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

It might have looked like I was trying to discredit your earlier reference to this book.  I am sorry if it appeared so.  That was not my intent.

I am now thinking laterally about it.  If you try to draw a shape (call it a chord for this example) using only two straight line segments (notes, if you will) you will not have enough lines to make a two dimensional drawing of a shape.  You can imply some of the dimensions of the intended final shape but until three or more lines are present, you wont know whether you are looking at two sides of a triangle or a quadrangle or a pentagon.

THIS is the one that convinces me. Written terms I can understand, visualise, and agree with. You have won the thread, sir!

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11 minutes ago, skankdelvar said:

Why is an elephant large, grey and wrinkly?

Because if it was small, white and round it would be an aspirin.

Go to bed and take two elephants wouldn't sound quite right, though, would it? (unless you're into that sort of thing, of course)

Edited by FinnDave
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3 hours ago, Hellzero said:

If you want the scientific explanation of a chord, here it goes : any sound produced by anything is made of natural harmonics, if you take the first 6 natural harmonics and delete the repeated ones, there stays only 3 natural harmonics which are in musical theory intervals of thirds, so it's the root followed by the third (minor or major) and the fifth. And according to a guy called J-S Bach that's the reason why a (perfect) chord is made of 3 "notes".

That's not an explanation of a chord. It's an explanation of the natural harmonic series - or a bit of it at least. And according to that self-same J-S Bach, Well Temperament (the father of the Equal Temperament system we all use today and which essentially ditches the natural harmonic series in favour of a mathematical series based on fractional powers of 2) was a better thing for musicians to use. Didn't I say that already in this thread? I'm sure I said that already. Yes. Definitely.

Edited by leftybassman392
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Ok, I give up, for now on a chord is a single note that is not played. That way everybody will be happy and we won't have to take elephant in pills to go to sleep.

After all, classical music and rules are just made to be ignored so keep on driving backwards on the wrong side of the road totally drunk and at twice the speed limit.

That would be fun, no ?

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2 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

After all, classical music and rules are just made to be ignored so keep on driving backwards on the wrong side of the road totally drunk and at twice the speed limit.

That would be fun, no ?

It probably is until you hit an elephant...

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2 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

If you'll excuse the 'analogy', it's a little bit like asking 'Why does a triangle have to have three sides..?' It's defined that way, and, in most music theory (not all, I'll admit; dissent is the spice of academic life, after all...), a chord is defined as being three or more notes heard together. Why does an interval have to be between two notes..? Because that's what an 'interval' is. Why does unison have to have only one note..? It's its definition, that's all. Same with chords, I'd say; may be wrong. o.O

Hmmm - where is it defined as "three or more" notes?

Saying "unison" and "interval" have names doesn't really matter, as three notes has a name too, ie. a "triad".

I'm not sure that the triangle analogy is correct, though it does lend itself to supporting the "3 or more" perspective; you could equally come up with other things like "how many eyes do you need to perceive depth".

Edited by prowla
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24 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Ok, I give up, for now on a chord is a single note that is not played. That way everybody will be happy and we won't have to take elephant in pills to go to sleep.

After all, classical music and rules are just made to be ignored so keep on driving backwards on the wrong side of the road totally drunk and at twice the speed limit.

That would be fun, no ?

Well there's a mature, considered response. Nice going.

Would this be a bad time to tell you that I have a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy? That I have made some study of this kind of material over a number of years? And that I have written articles on the history of musical scales in Ancient Greece (that made fairly extensive use of harmonic theory) on this very forum?

Fact is, I actually know a few things about this subject myself. You have spent the last few pages being arrogant, patronising and dismissive. I understand what you are saying - have done from the outset actually - and I disagree with you.

I'm out.

Edited by leftybassman392
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14 minutes ago, prowla said:

Hmmm - where is it defined as "three or more" notes?...

In most dictionaries, for instance...

Definition of a 'chord' in music ...

... and in many music theory sources ...

Chords defined ...

Although I could have referenced several that allow two notes as chords, too. Choose your camp..?

14 minutes ago, prowla said:

...I'm not sure that the triangle analogy is correct, though it does lend itself to supporting the "3 or more" perspective; you could equally come up with other things like "how many eyes do you need to perceive depth".

It's quite rare for an analogy to hold true in every respect, being a comparison of similar features, but not implying they be identical. How many bristles are need to define a toothbrush as a toothbrush before it gets so bald as to no longer count as one..? Hmm... o.O

Edited by Dad3353
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1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

It's quite rare for an analogy to ...

Before I forget, a two sided triangle is a V (depending on which way it's pointing, obvs). If it were a little V pointing upwards it might be one of those things that indicate the absence of the letter S in French words like Hôtel. 

But you'd know that. :hi:

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