So I'm talking about how it sounds, not how it is on paper. Like in the C major chord, the root note is C, but why? And I wanna know sonically (if thats a word) why that's the root note, not teoretically. Like, if you hear a chord and you don't know what that chord is, how do you identify what the root note is BY EAR? Thank you
Why is the root note... the root note?
- Thread starter Kalash47
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rhythmgj
Character in Spades...
You develop the skills with practice, then apply the theoretical knowledge that you aren't interested in. A C in a C chord is the root because the scale it's based on is the C Major scale. It "sounds" like the root a) because it in fact _is_, and b) because even if you invert (change the position) of the C in the chord, you would still gravitate towards playing a C in the bass; it is the tonal center of the chord.
GJ
GJ
scrapheaper
Moderator
Unless you're born with the gift of perfect pitch, no-one can tell just straight away without trial and error
You can tell the relationship between chords though, in instrumental aural exams you get told one chord and have to work out some of the others
You can tell the relationship between chords though, in instrumental aural exams you get told one chord and have to work out some of the others
rhythmgj
Character in Spades...
Not exactly, scrap. If you have good _relative_ pitch, you can tell the root note, or any other in the scale, with a reference pitch or pitches. But it takes practice. Perfect pitch would be me telling you to sing an A# (no reference), and you just doing it from memory/off-the-cuff (and displaying the ability to do this with various pitches consistently).
GJ
GJ
But I'm not talking about identifying what notes are in a chord just by listening to it. I'm just asking what makes the root note in a chord, sound wise? Like, does it stand out more than the other notes?
To put it differently, the C chord's got the notes C, E and G in it. Why does C get to name the chord?
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rhythmgj
Character in Spades...
Because the C Major chord (or minor chord, or any other chord starting with that note as the root; there are several) is based on the C Major scale. C D E F G A B C. The first note is called the root or "tonic." Each note following has a name based on its position in the scale; 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and octave (the next same note, in this case C). So C1, D2, E3, F4, G5, A6, B7, C8 (octave). When you spell a simple major triad, you use the 1, 3, and 5 notes (or root, third, fifth). In the C scale, these are C-E-G. C is the root of the chord, the tonic of the scale, and it doesn't matter whether you change the order to E-G-C, or G-C-E (which are called "inversions"), the three notes still spell a C chord and the root is still C.
Why it sounds that way? Because of how music works, and the physics involved ("Because God says so, Davey"). Why do we _call_ them by those names? Because people spent several centuries working out the concepts and rules of Western music theory. To a degree, the names are arbitrary, you could call "C" "Gleepdorp," and a "scale" a "Kommundaluklanna-buldanna" ("A rose by any other name"). But those decisions have been made for us, and its probably best not to try and reinvent the wheel when so many people worldwide accept the rules of a language system (in this case, music) "as-is."
GJ
Why it sounds that way? Because of how music works, and the physics involved ("Because God says so, Davey"). Why do we _call_ them by those names? Because people spent several centuries working out the concepts and rules of Western music theory. To a degree, the names are arbitrary, you could call "C" "Gleepdorp," and a "scale" a "Kommundaluklanna-buldanna" ("A rose by any other name"). But those decisions have been made for us, and its probably best not to try and reinvent the wheel when so many people worldwide accept the rules of a language system (in this case, music) "as-is."
GJ
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scrapheaper
Moderator
Well, although you can play it with C in the bass (root position), E in the bass (1st inversion) and G in the bass (2nd inversion), the C in the bass is the most commonly used version.
Also, there are other C chords- C minor, C diminished, C augmented, C7 etc, but the only note they have in common is C.
Also, the post above ^ that C major is the chord that comes from the C major scale, which starts on C and chord sequences in the key of C major conventionally start with a C major chord in root position (with the C at the bottom)
also @rhythmgj I was trying to explain about relative pitch with my comment about aural exams but I think your explanation is better
(p.s. you use a C major scale as a scale starting on any note- look up modes of the C major scale. In each case the 'root' of the scale is a different note)
Also, there are other C chords- C minor, C diminished, C augmented, C7 etc, but the only note they have in common is C.
Also, the post above ^ that C major is the chord that comes from the C major scale, which starts on C and chord sequences in the key of C major conventionally start with a C major chord in root position (with the C at the bottom)
also @rhythmgj I was trying to explain about relative pitch with my comment about aural exams but I think your explanation is better
(p.s. you use a C major scale as a scale starting on any note- look up modes of the C major scale. In each case the 'root' of the scale is a different note)
scrapheaper
Moderator
It's a very complicated question
I guess the short answer is the root is the most important note (but the other notes are important too for different reasons)
I guess the short answer is the root is the most important note (but the other notes are important too for different reasons)
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