Chords
From “The Elements of a Key¨ in Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers
A Chord is a smaller grouping of notes within a key. Chords usually have three or four notes in them, all of which will be in the key (if our chord progression fits entirely in the key, which is an option we have. […])
So, chords are derived from keys or a scale (refer to 20240903174948-Being_“In_Key”), being an even smaller selection of keys from those present in the given key or scale.
Ambiguity of “key¨
It should be apparent that the term “key¨ in music theory can be rather ambiguous. There is the key as in the mechanical sound producer of a given instrument, in this case the standard Western classical piano keyboard . And then there is the key of “in the key of.¨ One way to disambiguate further is to start talking about the former as the associated perceived sound frequency those (mechanical) keys produce, i.e. their “pitch,¨ henceforth using the musical alphabet and its accidentals to talk about pitches rather than (mechanical) keys. This should be no problem in translating this information in a way that helps us navigate our instrument as long as our instrument is “in tune.¨ The latter, on the other hand, i.e. key qua “in the key of,¨ can then continue to be called a “key.¨
music music_theory musical_key key musical_chord chord scale musical_scale
bibliography
- “The Elements of a Key.” In Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The Producer’s Guide to Harmony, Chord Progressions, and Song Structure in the MIDI Grid., 1st ed., 49. Minneapolis, MN: Slam Academy, 2018.