Name that chord

Dovdimus Prime · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:06 pm Post subject: Name that chord

Hi all

Can anyone tell me if there is a common name for the chord produced by putting two perfect fourths on top of each other?

It seems to be cropping up in something I'm doing at the moment so I thought we should get better acquainted...

Mucho thankyous

Dovdimus

play · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:35 pm Post subject:

I believe chords built out of 4th's are called quartals.

seraph · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 2:01 pm Post subject: Re: Name that chord

zynthetix · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:53 pm Post subject:

So a quartal is two perfect fourths stacked on top of eachother that feature the same root pitch? (as in C-F with a C-F in the octave above it?)

aquanaut · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:37 pm Post subject:

C-F-Bb-Eb is an inversion on the 9th of a Bb dominant chord and is a substitute for it. The nice thing about those is that you will never encounter the major third of the Bb chord (Bb-D-F-Ab), rather the minor third and it takes a while. The common resolution is Eb maj7, or E7, Bb-7 or Cmaj7( when you go downward with fourth starting with C you get a G dominant chord). If you don't wish to resolve D-7b5 is nice too but a bit of a cliché.

Dovdimus Prime · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:59 am Post subject:

play · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:10 am Post subject:

Dovdimus Prime · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:29 am Post subject:

Cool, thanks for this guys.

Very Happy

mosc · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:52 pm Post subject:

When I was studing music theoryand composition back in the 60s, quartal harmony was a popular trend. The music with these chords seems to have a consonant quality, but no strong tonal center. In those days, writing in a sing key was passe, but so was the jagged totally keyless 12 tone music.

seraph · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:04 pm Post subject:

aquanaut · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 12:04 am Post subject:

There is a lot a of possibilities with those chords. If you look at Csus4 as a subV, you can go anywhere:

C,F,Bb-->B,Eb,Bb.
subV/I--->I (In B Major)

C,F,Bb--->Db,F,B--->C,E,B
V---------> SubV/I--->I (In C major)

C,F,Bb--->E,Ab,D--->Eb,G,D
subV/V--->subV/I---->I (In Eb major)

C,F,Bb--->D,G,C---Gb,Bb,F
subV/VI-->subv/vi--->I (in Gb major)

i like this one
C,F,Bb--->D,G,C--->Db,F,C
???VII---->subv/I--->I (in Db major)

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

It's all dependent on context though, isn't it? Such a chord is ambigious, and you can really only tell what it is by what went on before and after. Like the word "to" can be (grammatically) a preposition in certain contexts, and in others it's a sort of word that goes in front of a verb's infinitive form. Examples:
He went TO Spain
TO be or not TO be.....

Dovdimus Prime · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 4:17 am Post subject:

Really? I thought a chord was named independently of its context. For example, a major triad is a major triad regardless of whether it's I, IV or V within the key.

[Shows ignorance.] Embarassed

mosc · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:45 am Post subject:

**Paul "Happy" Hindemith**

seraph · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 9:17 am Post subject:

seraph · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 9:23 am Post subject:

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

Anyway, I like that type of chord; It tells you to go further. Very Happy

arcticbeard · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:53 pm Post subject:

just play what sounds good, dont analyse it too much

C E G, = c major, or is it an e minor with aug 5th, inversion????

thats my point.

elektro80 · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 4:19 pm Post subject:

Music theory is a troubling science. It is a mix of consistent and interesting factual information.. and then it suddenly drops out into acidic dreams.

Learning some music theory can be REALLY smart. -But at some point traditional music theory kinda falls short and it resembles physics before Einstein hit the stage.

seraph · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 11:37 pm Post subject:

arcticbeard · Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 12:52 am Post subject:

My Idea on music theory is learn it if you want, but only to realise what not to play, ie dont play what youve learnt. I got heavily into scales & chords & trying to name this & that, I found I was spending more time doing that than making music.

When you walk thro' the woods, you see a beautiful flower, is it any more beautiful because you know its name?????????

(wow I just made that up!!!!!!!)

btw way do bears really do that????

elektro80 · Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 4:16 am Post subject:

mosc · Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:29 am Post subject:

arcticbeard · Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:25 am Post subject:

oh balls, I knew someone would say something like that, I guessed it would either be mosc or elektro, for a minute there I thought you were gonna agree with me LOLOLOOOLOLOL. Very Happy

mosc are you really Gandalf the wise ?????

arcticbeard · Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:30 am Post subject:

isn't it bizarre that most modern music contains only 12 tones & we can express so many emotions with just these 12 tones, it kinda makes it a more efficient communication than writing, so.....

cmajor, gmajor, fsharp major, bdominant

(im happy with sad undertones)