Behind every track that moves you, sticks in your head or makes you want to strum a guitar, there's often one thing: well-chosen chords. Major, minor, suspended, enriched... they lay the foundations, support the melody and set the mood. In short, they tell the story in the background.

What are the essential chords to know when starting out? How do you build them, recognize them by ear and make them sound right? And above all, how do you choose the right chords to convey a musical emotion?

Understanding chords in music

What's the point of a chord in a composition?

A chord is what gives the tonalitymood andemotional intent to a piece of music.

A simple chord sequence can make a melody softer, tenser, brighter or more dramatic. It can create movement, balance... or deliberately break it all up to surprise the ear.

When writing a piece, improvising or accompanying other musicians, chords are there to structure the music, carry the melody, and often make people feel something even before a word is sung.

💡 Did you know? In a scaleeach chord occupies a position called a degree. The I ( or tonic) gives the starting point. The IV (subdominant) brings movement. V ( dominant) creates tension, often followed by a return to the tonic. Understanding this structure enables you to build coherent chord progressions that naturally support the melody.

What are the different types of chords in music?

Not all chords are alike. Some are simple, others fuller, more open, stranger... It's this diversity that allows each piece to find its own personality.

Here are the main families of chords that we come across most often:

Basic chords: major, minor, diminished, augmented.
Enriched chords: those that add a 7th, 9th, 11th or 13th.
Modified chords: such as suspended (sus), added (add) or altered (alt).
And, of course, the chord progressions that link them together to create a harmonic sequence.

Each chord has its role, its color, its emotional impact. Knowing them means learning to play with the codes - and sometimes to break them.

🎸 O pen and barre chords are also found on the guitar.

Discover 12 apps to identify musical notes at a glance on your scores

Basic chords: major, minor, diminished, augmented

What is a major chord ?

A majorchord is a three-note chord (called a triad) recognizable by its clear, bright sound, often perceived as joyful. It's thechord of the chorus that sticks in your head, of the melody you whistle without thinking about it.

A major chord consists of the following three notes:

The root note: this is the basic note, the one that gives thechord its name.
The major third: 4 semitones above the fundamental.
The right fifth: placed 7 semitones above the fundamental.

👉 Example:

C major chord : C - E - G
G major chord : G - B - D

🎵 This type ofchord can be found in tracks like Let It Be by The Beatles or Don't Stop Believin' by Journey.

What is a minor chord ?

A minorchord is also a triad, but its construction gives a different sonic impression: softer, more nostalgic, sometimes sad or introspective.

The main difference with a major chord lies in the third. The minor third is 3 semitones above the root, instead of 4.

A minor chord is therefore composed of :

The fundamental
The minor third
The right fifth (identical to a major chord )

👉 Example:

A minor chord : A - C - E
E minor chord : E - G - B

🎵 Very present in ballads and introspective songs, minor chords are everywhere: Adele's Someone Like You, Metallica's Nothing Else Matters...

What's the difference between major and minor chord in a song?

Major and minor chords are the first we learn, play and, above all, recognize without even thinking about it. The difference between a major and a minor chord is theinterval between the root and the third: 4 semitones for a major chord , 3 for a minor. These intervals give the chords their full color.

They are used to :

Build fluid, catchy chord progressions (e.g.: C - A minor - F - G)
Create contrast between verses and choruses, or between two moods
Anchoring a tonality: a piece in C major will often use major chords related to this tonality, but may slip in a few minors for nuance.

What is a diminished chord ?

The diminishedchord is the one that shakes things up. It sounds a bit strange, but that's exactly what makes it interesting. A diminishedchord is made up of three notes spaced in minor thirds:

Fundamental
Minor third (+3 semitones)
Diminished fifth (+6 semitones)

👉 Example: B diminished (B - D - F)

🎵 This type ofchord is rarely used to "settle" into a song. Rather, it's there to prepare, to transition, to add a passing tension before returning to something more stable.

Example of a sequence:

E minor - E diminished - D minor

What is an augmented chord ?

The augmentedchord gives the impression that something is about to happen. Its construction is based on a major third and an augmented fifth, creating a tense yet open effect.

Fundamental
Major third (+4 semitones)
Augmented fifth (+8 semitones)

👉 Example: Raised C (C - E - G♯)

🎵 Often used for :

Reinforce a climax or highlight
Coloring an end cadence
Surprising the listener with unexpected tension

These two types of chords are often used in :

Jazz, for cadences full of movement
Blues, to glide from chord to chord with relief
Classical or film music, to create suspense or dramatic tension

Enriched agreements: seventh agreements and extensions

What's the purpose of a seventh chord ?

Seventh chords (or tetrads) add a fourth note to the basic triad (root + third + fifth). This additional note, the seventh, introduces subtle or marked harmonic tension, depending on its type.

The result? A richer, tenser, sometimes more intimate harmony.

This little addition makes it possible to :

Prepare a resolution (in a cadence, for example)
Linking two chords more fluidly
Adding relief to a progression that's a little too tame

Its construction varies according to the type of third (major or minor) and the type of seventh (major or minor), giving several chord personalities.

A seventhchord is composed of :

The fundamental
The third (major or minor)
The perfect fifth
The seventh (minor or major)

👉 F amous examples:

Do7 on Sweet Home Chicago(traditional blues)
FaMaj7 on Something by The Beatles (melancholy pop)
Minor 7 in Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry (smooth reggae with a warm groove)

Extended agreements: ninth, eleventh and thirteenth

Want to take your harmonic colors even further? Widely used in jazz, soul, funk and film, extended chords enrich the basicchord with additional notes to create richer atmospheres.

An extended chord is :

A triad
a seventh
one or more extensions :
- Ninth (9) = the 2nd note an octave higher
- Eleventh (11) = the 4th note an octave higher
- Thirteenth (13) = the 6th note an octave higher

👉 Example (from C) :

C9 = C - E - G - B♭ - D
Do11 = Do - Mi - Sol - Si♭ - Ré - Fa
C13 = C - E - G - B♭ - D - F - A

✅ These kinds of chords may look complex on paper, but they're perfect for creating a mood, supporting a solo, or simply giving a deeper texture to a passage.

When should you use an extended chord in a song?

To replace an overdue seventh chord
For jazz, soul or funk improvisation
To close a piece with something more expressive or open-ended

🎵 Examples of scores:

Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma
Michelle from the Beatles
Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder

Modified agreements: suspended (sus) and added (add)

Their name may sound technical, but they're commonly used in pop, rock, funk and acoustic music. Suspended (sus) and added (add) chords are used to add depth to a simple chord . ****Et good news: they're simple to understand, easy to play, and highly effective for enriching the harmony of a piece without turning everything upside down.

chord sus2, sus4: what's the difference?

A suspendedchord (abbreviated sus) is a chord in which the third note is replaced by another note. As a result, thechord sounds neither major nor minor. It's suspended. Literally.

Two main variants:

sus2: the third is replaced by the major second
sus4: it is replaced by the right fourth

👉 Examples of suspended agreements:

D over2 = D - E - A
D sus4 = D - G - A

How to use a suspended chord

Sus chords are widely used in pop, rock and acoustic music to create movement, break a classical pattern, or prolong the wait for a resolution.

Often, a suspended chord returns to its "normal" chord , with third. For example:

👉 D sus4 → D

👉 La sus2 → La

🎵 Heard in :

Pinball Wizard by The Who (Dsus4, Asus2...)
Every Breath You Take by The Police
Full of contemporary folk and pop intros

What is a chord add9 or add11?

An addedchord (abbreviated add) is a major or minor triad to which an extra note (9th, 11th or 13th) has been added. But unlike extended chords, they don 't include a seventh.

👉 Examples of add chords:

C add9 = C - E - G - D
G add11 = G - B - D - C

🎵 Very present in :

Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Cadd9, Gadd9)
Ballads, pop-folk, or any soft, airy guitar suite

✅ Tip for guitarists: add9s are often easier to play than true ninth chords, but give almost the same ambience.

How do you read chords on sheet music?

You don't need to read music theory to spot a chord on a score. In most pop, rock, jazz or variety songs, chords are noted above the lyrics or staff, in abbreviated form.

Two notation systems coexist: Anglo-Saxon notation (C, D, E...), often used in grids, tablatures and digital tools, and French notation (Do, Ré, Mi...), more present in certain pedagogical or classical collections.

Since both are frequently in circulation, especially on scores found on the Internet, knowing how to read both will help you gain autonomy, whatever the medium.

Reading chords and scores can also become a game of listening and logic. Discover music teacher Maxime Proix's advice on how to teach youngsters to read music using pedagogical approaches.

The correspondence between letters and musical notes


Letter	French note
C	Do
D	Ré
E	Mi
F	Fa
G	Soil
A	Visit
B	If

💡 Example: Am = A minor / C = C major

Symbols to recognize on sheet music

The suffix or symbol indicates the type ofchord: m for minor, 7 for seventh, dim for diminished, sus for suspended, add for added, etc.


Symbol	Type ofchord	Example (FR notation)
(nothing)	major chord	C = C major
m	minor chord	D m = D minor
7	Dominant seventh	G7 = G - B - D - F
maj7	Seventh major	FaMaj7 = F - A - C - E
m7	Minor 7	A m7 = A - C - E - G
Sun	chord decreased	Si dim = Si - D - F
aug / +	chord augmented	C aug = C - E - G♯
sus2	suspended chord 2e	D over2 = D - E - A
sus4	suspended chord 4e	D sus4 = D - G - A
add9	chord with 9th added	C add9 = C - E - G - D

Summary of chord types in music


Type ofchord	Structure	Character / Use	Example (FR notation)
Major	Fundamental + major third + perfect fifth	Clear, cheerful, stable	C major = C - E - G
Minor	Fundamental + minor third + perfect fifth	Melancholy, gentle, introspective	A minor = A - C - E
Seventh (dominant)	Triad + minor seventh	Tense, prepares for resolution	G7 = G - B - D - F
Major 7 (Maj7)	Major triad + 7th major	Soft, jazzy, dreamy	FaMaj7 = F - A - C - E
Minor 7 (m7)	Minor triad + 7th minor	Warm, groovy	A m7 = A - C - E - G
Decreased	Successive minor thirds	Unstable, dramatic	Si dim = Si - D - F
Increased	Major third + augmented fifth	Tense, mysterious	C aug = C - E - G♯
Suspended 2 (sus2)	Fundamental + 2nd major + fifth	Floating, open	D over2 = D - E - A
Suspended 4 (sus4)	Fundamental + 4th right + fifth	Tense, calls for a resolution	D sus4 = D - G - A
Added (add9, add11...)	Triad + added note (without 7th)	Simple but colorful	C add9 = C - E - G - D
Extended (9, 11, 13)	Triad + 7th + 9th/11th/13th	Rich, expressive, jazz/soul/funk	C13 = C - E - G - Bb - D - F - A

Understanding chords isn't just a matter of theory or solfeggio. It's about learning to play with colors, to set a mood, to tell a story with three notes (or more). And the good news is: the more you practice, the more instinctive it becomes.

📲 Want to have everything to hand, whether you're in rehearsal, on stage or in music class? The Newzik score reader lets you read, annotate and organize all your digital scoresincluding your chord grids. A real plus for musicians who juggle paper, app and improvisation.

The different types of chords in music: the secret of harmonies