INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC:
CHORDS

CHORDS LESSON

Directions:

Print the Chords reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions.  Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt

An interval is the distance between one note and another.  For example, the distance between C and E is the interval of a major third.  We call this the interval of a major third because E is the third note of a C major scale.  A chord is three or more different notes sounded simultaneously.  Chords in their most basic form are called triads.  A triad is a chord that consists of three notes.

Chords come in four types: major, minor, diminished, and augmented.  Chords with four notes or more are simply extensions of these basic forms and have names such as sixth, major seventh, and dominant seventh.  Major chords consist of the root, third, and fifth degrees of the major scale.  Minor chords consist of the root, flatted third, and fifth degrees of the scale.  Diminished chords consist of the root, the flatted third, and the flatted fifth.  Augmented chords consist of the root, the major third, and the sharp fifth.

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