How to Form Chords

Although chord finders are valuable tools on the Internet, what do we do when we're sitting at the piano and don't have access to the computer, trying to figure out chords? Here's a breakdown on forming many chords you'll use in your piano playing. Yes, there are augmented chords, and there are 9, 11 and 13 chords. I have chosen a few basic ones to start with.

Major

Minor

Dominant 7th

Sus4

Sus2 and add9

Diminished

Major Sevenths

Major Chords

Starting from the root note, count up FIVE semi-tones (5 half steps). Always use the root note when counting. This will bring you to the second note in the chord. From and including this note, count up FOUR semi-tones (4 half steps). This will bring us to the final note in the chord.

Example: C Major - C is the root note in this chord. Count up 5 semi-tones from the C: C=1, C#= 2, D=3, Eb=4, E=5. Then, count up 4 semi-tones from the second note in the chord: E=1, F=2, F#=3, G=4. Play the C, E and G together and you have a C Major chord. By using this 'FIVE then FOUR' rule, you can work out any major chord.

Minor (m) Chords

For minor chords, simply reverse the rule for working out major chords. Instead of counting 5 then 4, count 4 then 5.

Example: C Minor - C is the root note in this chord. Count up 4 semi-tones from the C: C=1, C#=2, D=3, Eb=4. Then, count up 5 semi-tones from the second note in the chord: Eb=1, E=2, F=3, F#=4, G=5. Play the C, Eb and G together and you have a C Minor chord. By using this FOUR then FIVE rule, you can work out any minor chord.

D'Accord iChords is a harmony (chords) transcription software. It recognizes chords on audio files (MP3, WMA*, WAV and Audio CDs) or and presents them on a virtual guitar.

With iChords you will be able to see the chords of any song, without having to search for tablatures and sheet music. Experienced musicians can save time when transcribing "by ear" using iChords to make fast harmonic transcriptions.

iChords is very easy to use, after opening a song file the software automatically processes and extracts the chords!

iChords is based on D'Accord's unique audio processing technology. It provides the best results in terms of chord recognition. The software itself runs as a Windows Media Player plugin, offering a convenient interface for musicians and enthusiasts.

Karaoke Downloads

Karaoke downloads are a great way to get backing tracks for your favorite songs. However, you should be careful while downloading karaoke music. Some tracks will be midi files that come with lyrics attached. The midi files are generally free but are mostly illegal, and there is disparity in how they sound. Also, these files will sound better if the sound card is properly configured with good sound fonts. So, it is advisable to download mp3 songs. The following are the most common and best karaoke downloads.

• AV DVD Player - Morpher 1.0.56 can convert DVD video and audio and can edit subtitles for movie, record audio, capture images and copy or delete VCD.

• Busker 3.0 can copy a song by dragging chords, symbols and notes and make an exact replica of the songbook. You can choose any instrument or genre and play.

•MagicScore School 4.0 is a specific notation software that can be of great use to music enthusiasts, teachers, students, schools, etc. This program gives the music aficionado a plethora of options, including editing, printing, input, etc.

•Intelliscore Polyphonic MP3 to Ringtone Converter 6.3 IntelliScore can convert MP3 to MIDI, WAV to MIDI and CD to MIDI for live performance. It can make MIDI files, transcribe music and get chord names from polyphonic MP3 and WAVE files.

•Lyrics4You 1.3 is special entertainment software. It can play as well as display karaoke lyrics with audio file formats like MP3, OGG, MIDI, WAV, KAR etc. It is a simple way to record. Lyrics4You 1.3 can also play back voice over the song.

• Karaoke Jockey 2.10s folksKJ is a MIDI Karaoke player with special features like automatic melody detection for MIDI and KAR files, customized photo albums and display of digital photos.

•Karaoke-to-Text-with-Chords 2.2 can take out lyrics from karaoke files and verify chords for MIDI and Karaoke songs.

D'Accord iChords is a harmony (chords) transcription software. It recognizes chords on audio files (MP3, WMA*, WAV and Audio CDs) or and presents them on a virtual guitar.

With iChords you will be able to see the chords of any song, without having to search for tablatures and sheet music. Experienced musicians can save time when transcribing "by ear" using iChords to make fast harmonic transcriptions.

iChords is very easy to use, after opening a song file the software automatically processes and extracts the chords!

iChords is based on D'Accord's unique audio processing technology. It provides the best results in terms of chord recognition. The software itself runs as a Windows Media Player plugin, offering a convenient interface for musicians and enthusiasts.