Understanding Harmony: Chords and Their Functions in Music

Understanding harmony allows composers to create music by combining chords effectively.

### Understanding Harmony: The Building Blocks of Music Composition
* 🎶 Everyone can hum a tune, but not everyone can become a composer, as composing requires understanding the **fundamental elements of music**: **melody, rhythm, and harmony**.
* 🎼 Harmony is often seen as a secret among musicians, and to grasp it, one must first understand **chords**, which are created by **stacking notes** on a staff or notation program.
* 📊 Chords can be built on the seven notes of the scale—**Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si**—and can be represented using **Roman numerals** to indicate their **starting notes**.
* 🎹 A triad, which consists of three stacked notes, has a **root note that is essential for the chord's identity**, while the third note and any extensions add **color and stability**.
* 🎵 Chords can be categorized into three main functions: tonic, subdominant, and dominant, with the tonic providing **stability**, the dominant creating **tension**, and the subdominant leading into the **dominant**.
* 🔄 The typical chord progression **I-IV-V-I** exemplifies this functional harmony, showcasing a structure that moves from **tonic to subdominant to dominant** and resolves back to **tonic**.
* 🎤 While learning to create chords and harmonies from the do-re-mi scale is foundational, composers must also be **adaptable**, considering **vocal ranges** and the possibility of **starting from different notes** to suit their musicians.
* 🎧 Finally, contemporary composers, like Nana from Yorushika, often experiment with progressions that **start on the subdominant**, encouraging **new approaches to avoid clichés** in songwriting.

작곡 사실 별거 없음 (1) ㅣ [화성학]

김요팬

Harmony is a key element of music, created by stacking notes to form chords.

Chords can be combined horizontally to add color to melody and rhythm, and are built on the notes of the scale using Roman numerals.

The triad, formed by stacking three chords, has a root note that is crucial for its structure, while the third note above the root plays an important role in shaping the chord's feeling.

Understanding Chord Structure and Function

The root note is essential for expressing the feel of a chord, while the notes above it, called extensions, provide stability and can be omitted.

Chords can stack upwards to the thirteenth, but higher notes can be tricky for beginners to handle.

Classifying chords by their functions into tonic and subdominant is an effective way to understand their roles in music composition.

The Role of Tonic, Dominant, and Subdominant in Music

The tonic, main chord of the first degree, provides harmonic stability by starting and ending the music, creating a sense of comfort for the listener.

The dominant, or fifth chord, builds tension and drives the song forward, while the subdominant (fourth chord) leads into the dominant, creating tension towards it.

The subdominant can also return directly to the tonic, providing stability if the song's flow doesn't require the dominant.

Understanding Chord Progressions and Musical Scales

The I-IV-V-I chord progression is common in music, creating a repetitive structure that resolves tension.

The do-re-mi-fa-sol-la scale is a musical scale that can be started from different notes to change the vocal range.

Understanding the rules of creating the scale allows for flexibility in songwriting and harmonies.

The Unique Chord Progression of Yorushika

Yorushika's composer, Nana, favors progressions that start on the subdominant rather than the tonic.

This unique approach is common among contemporary composers.

Trying this chord progression in your own music may help you create a more original sound.