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 If
we were to write a song based on the C scale
(above), the first and the last chord of
the song would be C in most cases. Another
way of saying this is if a song has a root
note of C, the song would start with a C
chord and end with a C
chord.
If
you have some "sheet music" with
chords on it, you would notice that the first
chord of the song is based on the root note
and the last chord of the song is also based
on the root note (in most cases). There are
exceptions to this musical rule and we will
study those later. If you don't know what
sheet music is, it is a single song published
for the general public so that they may learn
and enjoy playing a song that they have heard
(such as on the radio, on a cassette, CD,
or in a movie).
So
what is a C chord? A chord is a set of notes,
usually played with your left hand. As your
left hand is playing a chord, your right hand
is playing the melody. Chords are shown either
in the bass clef as notes or they are shown
above each measure in the treble clef. In
the later case they are sometimes referred
to as the "guitar chords."
These
chords have a pattern. The pattern is chosen
by the composer. And, the pattern usually
repeats throughout the song. A simple chord
pattern (referred to as a chord progression)
would be:
I-IV-V-I
or (in the example above C-F-G-C)
Remember,
a song usually starts on the root and ends
on the root. The chords in between can be
many and very different as long as they
return to the root. This method of song
writing gives the song a feeling of beginning
and ending. If I were to write you a song
in C and used the 5 chord G to end the song,
you would tell me without really knowing
anything about music that the song sounds
incomplete. "Why didn't you finish
this song?," you would ask.
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