As you know from this past lesson, a dyad is a 2-note combination.

People still debate over whether it should officially be called a “chord” or if it’s just an interval. (Those who want to keep it just an “interval” believe that chords start at three or more notes).

But who cares what you think of them as — they can enhance your playing! :-)

This post can’t be too long because I need to get back on the freeway down to Long Beach. My grandma is still in the hospital and when it seems like she is recovering, something else happens to knock us backward. Pray for her.

So here are my top 5 favorite dyads to play…

1) Power chords

I talked about “power chords” in this previous lesson.

They are intervals that span a fifth. An example of a power chord is from “C” to “G.”

You can use them to power up most chords because if you think about, they all possess that perfect fifth interval (except for diminished and augmented chords).

When playing extended chords like sevenths, ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths, some people use power chords on their left, therefore, freeing up their right hand to focus on the upper tones in the chord.

2) Tritone

You can find extensive information on tritones in these two lessons.

I call them the little cousin of the power chord.

If you know your power chords and can lower your fifth tone a half step, then you know your tritones! That’s all they are!

They are an interval of a flatted fifth. So instead of playing “C” to “G,” you play “C” to “Gb.”

These are also found in dominant 7 chords. For example, a C dominant 7 chord has these notes: C + E + G + Bb. Do you notice the tritone from “E” to “Bb?” (Don’t worry, over time you’ll start recognizing them quickly).

Try experimenting with certain tritones on your left hand and various dominant, major, and even minor chords on your right hand. You’ll be amazed at what you come up with.

3) Ditone

I remember a few years back when gospel musicians started throwing this “fancy” word around. LOL :-)

It’s basically the Greek way to say “major third.”

But I like the use of “ditone” because it relates it to the tritone, which has a similar function.

Basically, ditones have 2 whole steps between them. “C” to “E” is an example of a ditone.

“Tritones” are their bigger sisters (they have 3 whole steps between them).

Essentially, anywhere you play a tritone, try its little brother and you’ll get a different feel.

In fact, you can combine them: C + E + Bb

Notice the ditone between “C” and “E” and the tritone between “E” and “Bb.”

(I know… I know… looks like a dominant 7 chord to me too! But there are little nuances like this that make all the difference.)

Like this chord…

C aug 7 (#9)

…you can easily voice this chord a million different ways but notice the use of the ditone at the bottom — then the tritone interval between the “E” and “Bb” — and even the use of a quartal chord up top. See this past lesson for more info on quartal chords.

4) Major 7 interval

Sometimes, you don’t want a power chord on your left. Like when you’re playing some type of extended major chord (major 9, major 11, etc), maybe you just want to play “C” and the higher “B” on your left hand and the rest of your chord on the right hand.

This lesson from last month really illustrates what I’m talking about.

But the idea is to try it any time an extended major chord is necessary.

5) “b7″ interval

The last dyad you should get used to is the b7 interval. It’s basically the same as the major 7 interval, except you lower the 7th a half step. So instead of “C + B,” you’ll play “C + Bb.”

You’d use this one just like the tritone and ditone… same function.

Notice on the chord above that “C to Bb” is the outer shell that results from putting a ditone “C + E” together with a tritone “E + Bb.” Similar to the major 7 interval, you’d simply play a b7 interval when you want to use less notes and keep the sound open.

Until next time —

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Most people just classify chords by name and chord quality (major vs minor, augmented vs diminished).

But today, I want to show you another world. Here’s how to think of chords by the number of notes they contain.

This will be short and to the point.

Triads

Music theorists still argue over whether a chord officially starts with 2 or 3 tones played at the same time. It seems like 3 is more accepted. But for the sake of knowing, I’ll give you the name of a two-note combination at the end of this post.

But, for now, let’s start with the popular “triad.”

Any time you have a collection of three notes played together, you’re playing a triad.

Most basic chords fall under this category.

• major triad (e.g. - C major: C + E + G)
• minor triad (e.g. - C minor: C + Eb + G)
• diminished triad (e.g. - C diminished: C + Eb + Gb)
• augmented triad (e.g. - C augmented: C + E + G#)

So any time you hear, “give me a _______ triad,” that’s only asking for a 3-toned chord. Don’t give the composer or music director more than that! After all, in some arrangements, less is better.

Tetrads

Then next, there is what we call “tetrads.”

These are chords using four notes. Seventh chords are essentially tetrads.

• major seventh (e.g. - C major 7: C + E + G + B)
• minor seventh (e.g. - C minor 7: C + Eb + G + Bb)
• diminished seventh (e.g. - C diminished 7: C + Eb + Gb + Bbb)
• augmented seventh (e.g. - C augmented 7: C + E + G# + Bb)

Pentads

Chords using five notes are called “pentads.” Yes, that sounds like the pentatonic scale from this lesson (5-tone scale).

(In fact, there’s such a thing as tritonic and tetratonic scales too! But let’s save that for another lesson.)

Ninths are a form of pentads.

For example, C major 9 is C + E + G + B + D. Five notes!

Again, it’s just a general term for a chord with 5 notes.

Hexads and Heptads

And lastly, “hexads” and “heptads” are the names given to 6 and 7-toned chords, respectively.

An example of a hexad is an eleventh chord and an example of a heptad is a thirteenth chord.

Other classifications

I also promised to give you the name of a 2-toned combination, even though its merit as a chord is questionable…

We call those “dyads.” Others choose to just reference them as “intervals.” Power chords and tritones fall under this category.

And for extra credit, a “monad” is a single note. The “chromatic scale” comes to mind, which is basically composed of twelve monads.

So there you have it! A really fact-filled, reference post for today!

So if you ever hear me referencing any of these, you should now know what they mean!

Until next time —

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This post won’t be long. In fact, it’ll be real simple.

If you’ve always wondered how to make your chords sound full, here’s a strategy you can start implementing right away.

If you already do this, then you’ll enjoy this as a review.

Power chords

It’s basically made up of a perfect fifth interval. Some refer to it as a dyad since it’s really only two notes (the more commonly used big sister, “triad,” is a three-note chord).

Yup, it’s pretty much that simple.

And if you know your intervals, you’ll understand that a fifth is simply the distance between the root and fifth tone of a scale.

C major
C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

So, to play a power chord, just play the “1 + 5.”

But to make it even better, double up on your root by playing octaves.

1 + 5 + 8 (a.k.a. - “1,” but the octave)

Where do you use power chords?

Typically, you can use them on your left hand to “power” up your chord.

Since they make use of the perfect fifth interval, which is found in major, minor, and dominant chords, they are pretty flexible.

C major
C + E + G on right /// C + G + C on left

C minor
C + Eb + G on right /// C + G + C on left

C dominant 7
C + E + G + Bb on right /// C + G + C on left

But keep in mind that since you’re already playing C and G with your left hand, you can get more creative with your right hand:

C major 7

E + B + E on right /// C + G + C on left

*Remember this chord from yesterday’s lesson?

Taking power chords even further

You don’t have to stick with the “1 + 5 + 1″ all the time.

I recommend being flexible with the third tone of the power chord (the “octave 1″).

For example, if you’re playing a C major 7 chord on the right hand (C + E + G + B), instead of playing “C + G + C” on the left, you can play “C + G + B” on the left, which emphasizes the major 7th interval.

Or if you’re playing a C minor 7 or C dominant 7 chord, you can play “C + G + Bb” on the left to emphasize the flat 7th interval.

However you choose, power chords can be a wonderful addition to your playing, especially if you’re just doing one fingered bass notes right now.

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Until next time —

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