Chords in music are the foundation of harmony.⁴ By understanding how chords are built and how different chord types function, musicians can play songs, write progressions, and communicate musical ideas. Here's our guide to the main types of music chords, from basic triads to more advanced harmonic tools.
Key Takeaways
- Chords are the basis of harmony, built from stacked notes.
- Basic chords are triads: major, minor, diminished, and augmented.
- The third defines chord quality (major vs minor).
- Advanced chords add or alter notes to create colour and tension.
- Power and added chords simplify harmony for specific styles.
- Borrowed and approach chords add movement and contrast.
- Listening and practice help recognise chords by sound and function.
Basic Chord Types
What we consider "basic chords" are actually the core of harmony in Western music theory. These chords are built as triads; they contain three notes.² Learn these as you start your journey into the world of chords.
Major Chords
Major chords are the brighter, happier, and more stable sounds that many listeners feel resolve. They include a root note, a major third, and a perfect fifth, resulting in a strong and balanced harmony.² These are often (though not always) used as the starting and ending points in a key.
Minor Chords
Minor chords sound darker and sadder compared to major chords. The only real difference between them and their major counterpart is a single minor third instead of the major chord.² Their contrast against major chords gives us more depth and expressive weight in chord progressions.
Diminished Chords
Diminished chords, with their compressed music intervals, tend to sound tense and unstable. They're built from the root note, minor third, and diminished fifth.² This tension helps them work well as passing or connecting chords.
Augmented Chords
Augmented chords sound bright, but their unsettled sound makes them stand out. They include the root note, major third, and the augmented fifth.² These chords create tension or help music to move more smoothly between chord types.
Advanced Chord Types
Advanced chords are those that replace the third of a chord with another note.⁴ This creates tension or openness. They might seem more complex at first, like uncommon time signatures, but they still follow clear rules.
Advanced chord types expand on basic triads by adding, replacing, or reordering notes. These chords introduce more colour, tension, and movement into music. Suspended, extended, power, added tone, borrowed, and approach chords are commonly used to enrich chord progressions and create expressive variety.
Suspended Chords
These usually start with a seventh, but there are also ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths.⁴ There are examples like Sus2 chords, which use a major second, or the Sus4 chords that use a perfect fourth. These chords resolve naturally into major or minor chords and are great for movement and anticipation.
Sus2: Root, major second, perfect fifth.
Sus4: Root, perfect fourth, perfect fifth.
Extended Chords
An extended chord adds musical notes beyond a basic triad. These usually start with a seventh, but there are also ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths. These chords are rich and offer colour and harmony, particularly in jazz and blues music.
Chord inversions occur when a note other than the root is played as the lowest note of a chord.³ Inversions change how a chord sounds and feels without changing its harmonic identity. They are commonly used to create smoother transitions between chords and more interesting bass movement.
Power Chords
Power chords are simplified chords that only include the root and the fifth.¹ Without a third, they're neither major nor minor chords. These are popular in rock and metal music, where they're used to create a strong, focused sound.
Added Tone Chords
Added tone chords include an extra note, but they don't form a full extended chord.⁴ These include add6 and add9 chords. These are popular chords for acoustic, pop, and folk music.
Borrowed Chords
Borrowed chords come from the parallel key rather than the main scale.⁴ For example, a chord from the minor key might be used in the major key progression. Borrowed chords help provide emotional contrast and harmonic variety.
Approach Chords
Approach chords are used to lead smoothly into a target chord.¹ They often use a half-step or whole step to get there, creating a sense of direction. They're commonly used in jazz and blues to transition between harmonies.
Visual and Audio Examples
Music is a very practical subject, so rather than just reading what we have to say about chords, why not listen to examples? Here are some video examples to help you. Watch these and then consider working with a private music tutor to take your music education further.
Different chord types create different emotional responses. Major chords often sound bright, minor chords sound darker, and diminished or augmented chords can feel tense or unstable. Learning to hear these differences helps musicians recognise chord types by ear and apply them more confidently when playing or composing.
Chord Diagrams for Guitar and Piano
Hearing the Difference Between Chord Types
What Is the Difference Between Major and Minor Chords?
How Can I Use Borrowed Chords in My Compositions?
References
- Berklee Online. “Guitar Chords 101: Triad Inversions Up the Fretboard.” Berklee Online, https://online.berklee.edu/takenote/guitar-chords-101-triad-inversions-up-the-fretboard/. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
- MusicTheory.net. “Triads.” MusicTheory.net, https://www.musictheory.net/lessons/40. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
- MusicTheory.net. “Inversions.” MusicTheory.net, https://www.musictheory.net/lessons/42. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
- MyMusicTheory.com. “Triads and Chords.” MyMusicTheory.com, https://mymusictheory.com/harmony/triads-and-chords/. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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