Common Chord Functions in Music

In the process of learning songs and practicing jazz standards, there are some common progressions that can be summarized. Here are the types of chords listed from simple to complex. I believe these seven types constitute the basic elements of most songs. If it's pop or rock music, the first four types might be enough.

Each of these seven chords can be individually explained and they can be substituted for each other. Sometimes it depends on what the creator thinks sounds good, so even if you know these, understanding the application still requires familiarity with the songs.

As for the scales corresponding to each chord, that's another big topic.

Tonic Chord
A chord composed entirely of notes from a specific key, such as 1, 2m, 3m, etc.

Subdominant Chord
The root note is composed of notes within the key, but the chord is a dominant seventh chord. It is used to create a special sound and is usually resolved to the tonic chord.

Sub-V (bII7/bV7)
Similar to the subdominant chord, but resolving down a half step. It can be used in conjunction with the subdominant chord.
Borrowed Chords
Borrowed from the parallel minor key's tonic chord. Common examples include 4m, b6, b7, etc.
Modal Interchange
Less common, but one of the more famous examples is bII, borrowed from the parallel Phrygian mode.
Diminished Chord
The diminished chord has many special functions. The most common is connecting two whole-tone progression chords, such as 2m to #2dim to 3m. In addition, the diminished seventh chord can be seen as a dominant seventh chord flattened nine half steps, such as Bbdim7 = A7b9 (without the root note).
Auxiliary Chord
Less common, but usually attached to a half-step near the tonic chord for a brief modulation. For example, in Horace Silver's "Strollin'," the progression is 1maj7, 1maj7, b3m7 b67, 2m7 57.

by < Daniel Chen >

- Guitar Teacher of Fusian Music

- Graduated from Berklee College of Music

- See more in Fusian Music Website

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幾種常見的和弦功能

幾種常見的和弦功能在抓歌、練爵士標準曲過程中，其實可以歸納出一些常見的脈絡，以下就和弦的種類從最簡單到複雜列出來，我認為這七種算是構成了大部分歌曲的和弦要素，如果是流行、搖滾的話也許到第四種就很夠了。這邊提到的七種和弦，每一種都能夠單獨提出來介紹他背後的意義，而且都有辦法互相代換，有時候就是看創作者認為怎麼樣才會好聽而決定，所以即使知道了這些，對於怎麼應用還是需要透過認識歌曲來達成。至於每種和弦對應的音階，又是另一個大主題了。順階和弦泛指某個調中完全用調內音組成的和弦，例如：１、２ｍ、３ｍ等。副屬和弦根音由調內音組成，但和弦是屬七和弦的和弦，用來製造特別的聲響，通常解決到目標的順階和弦。 Sub-V（廣義降二代五）與副屬和弦功能相似，但往下半音解決，搭配副屬和弦可以連動。小調借用和弦借用平行小調的順階和弦，常見的例如：４ｍ、ｂ６、ｂ７等。其他調式借用和弦較少見，比較有名的有ｂ２，借用平行的Phrygian調式。減和弦減和弦有許多特殊的功能，最常見的就是兩個全音順階和弦中間的連接，例如２ｍ到＃２dim到３ｍ。另外減七和弦也可以看成往前半音的屬七和弦降九，如Bbdim7 = A7b9 (不彈根音) 輔助和弦（Auxiliary Chord）較少見，一般會依附在順階和弦附近半音，作短暫轉調，例如： Strollin’ by Horace Silver ，1maj7、1maj7、b3m7 b67、2m7 57 by < Daniel Chen > - Guitar Teacher of Fusian Music - Graduated from Berklee College of Music - See more in Fusian Music Website

Bassist Berklee Audition Experience in Taiwan

Warm-up On the day of the audition, I arrived at the place about 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled warm-up time. As I walked in, a bearded guy holding a Fender guitar sitting at the entrance stood up and warmly greeted me, asking if I was here for the audition. I confirmed, and he found my name on the sign-in sheet and checked it off. He asked me a few basic questions, like "Is this your first audition?" After a brief chat, he showed me where to put my things and said I could rest there until he took me to warm up. I sat on the sofa in the lobby downstairs and practiced for about 10 minutes with what I had brought. Then he stood up and said, "Let's go! I'll take you to warm up." He helped me carry my equipment and examined my bass guitar before saying, "This is a really nice one." We walked to the practice room on the second floor, where we had 15 minutes to warm up. During this time, I practiced the sight reading content that I would be te...

淺談抓歌

抓歌是訓練相對音感的最好方法，同時也是培養獨立完成歌曲的第一步，藉由抓歌，也能夠領略、推測、欣賞作曲家／編曲家的想法，以下幾點步驟，將會從吉他手的思維分享如何抓歌。聽根音確認調性首先必須確認調性，一般來說，歌曲結尾有最高的機率是調性中心，歌曲開頭則有大約６０％的機率，因此，從頭尾確認歌曲調性是必要的，經由夠多的實作經驗之後，最終要能夠判斷大調或小調、是不是從歌曲的１級開始。確定段落前奏、主歌、副歌幾小節？建議練習時用紙筆寫下小節數，並以４小節為一單位換行。聽根音推測和弦到這裡開始聽根音確定每個小節的和弦，抓歌初期先假設所有抓到的根音都是順階和弦（diatonic chords），因此，只要抓到根音，就可以確認和弦的屬性（major minor dominant）。另外，遇到調外根音時，先記錄下來。跟著音樂彈彈看照著推測得順階和弦演奏看看，這裡就需要用耳朵判斷，如果某個小節聽起來不對，就試試看同根音不同屬性的和弦。與其他人交流、討論（對答案）最後可以跟朋友、老師討論仍然有疑問的地方，大家的意見都能激發不同的想法，當然網路上有譜的話也可以參考看看，不過網路資訊有時候會錯誤，最後還是要靠耳朵去分辨。在練習過許多次之後，相信相對音感會有顯著的提升，同時也能發現，大部分的歌曲進行都是類似的（尤其是流行歌），遇到沒看過的和弦則是用學過的樂理去推測他，好的耳朵＋抓歌經驗＋樂理知識，最終三管齊下，便能抓出幾乎全部的歌曲，不用依賴別人的譜。

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