Help me understand these piano chords. Looking for in depth answers and explanations please.?

Question

Lets keep it simple and stay in the key of C. Also as a side note, if you can NOT use abbreviated chords in your explanations that would be great. For example, I'd rather you say C dominant 7 rather than just C7. Thank you.

In the way I'm going to explain my problem I will be saying one sentence, and it wont necessarily be a question but don't assume that I understand what I'm saying and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. The next sentence will be related to the previous so as to make it easy for you to read and understand.

It seems to me that music theory is all a bunch of patterns, at least when it comes to learning chords anyway. But the patterns doesn't always seem to follow.

By that I mean if a triad is major, the 3rd is major, if the triad is minor, the 3rd is minor.

When a chord calls for an augmentation, you raise the note the chord asks you to raise by one half step. Such as C augmented, you raise the 5th one half step.

Couldn't that be called C major augmented 5th?

Unless maybe it means when a chord doesn't specify the actual note you should augment, the musician should automatically augment the 5th as a rule.

When a chord calls for a diminished note, you lower the note the chord asks you to lower by one half step. Such as C diminished, you lower the 3rd and the 5th by one half step.

Couldn't that be called C minor diminished 5th?

Unless maybe it means when a chord doesn't specify the actual note you should diminish, the musician should automatically diminish the 3rd and the 5th as a rule.

But if diminished is the opposite of augmented, C augment has only one raised note, and C diminished has two.

Shouldn't they both have one or two notes to raise or lower? Why doesn't C augmented raise the 3rd and the 5th like how a C diminshed lowers the 3rd and the 5th. Or why doesn't C diminished lower only the 5th like how a C augmented only raised the 5th?

I understand the concept of having double flats or sharps in a key signature such as the key of G#.
G#, A#, B#, C#, D#, E#, F##, G#.

Why is a diminished 7th chord have a Bbb? Why can't it just be called C diminished 6? Or C diminished add 6? What chord is a C, Eb, Gb, and B?

Why is it when a minor chord has an extended interval such 7th, 9th, 11th, or 13th, you only minor the 3rd and the 7th. Such as C minor 9th. You minor the 3rd because its a C minor, but why do you minor the 7th? And why isnt the 9th minored? Shouldn't it be C, Eb, G, B, Db?




I realize its a lot to ask and a lot for you to explain, but your time and effort would mean so much to me. Thank you.

Answer 1

No, C diminished would not be a C minor diminished; there is no such animal. An augmented chord is a major chord with the 5th raised a half step; there is no reason to designate the 5th. IF it is not designated that a chord is a minor, then it is a major. I have never heard of C7 being called a dominant 7th; you might say something like that in musical analysis but otherwise there is no reason for it. I have never seen a key signature with a double flat or double sharp in it; there is no reason for that either. C, Eb, Ab, and B is a confused chord. There is no reason to say "C minor diminished 5th." "Minor diminished" makes no sense. A diminished chord is not the opposed of an augmented chord.

Answer 2

You should be at least Grade 5 on the piano before you start playing the organ. The pedals are played by the feet, and add the bass notes. Organ music is written in 3 lines, and is more difficult that piano music to read. You also have to think about registration (the stops you use), and remember there is no 'sustain' pedal on the organ. The technique is very different to playing the piano.

Answer 3

A melody or series of notes is augmented if the lengths of the notes are prolonged; augmentation is thus the opposite of diminution, where note values are shortened.

See more on Augmentation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmentation_%28music%29



Explanations on Major, Minor, Diminished, and Augmented chords: http://www.ukuleletricks.com/major-minor-diminished-augmented-chords-explained/



In regards to the C, Eb, Gb and B chord: In the key of C minor both E and B are flat. In C harmonic minor B is natural. The chord you indicate is the root chord, C minor. adding B natural creates Cmin/maj7 which is a unconventional chord. It could also be notated as Gaug/c which is G, B, D# with a C root note. Since it uses an Eb as opposed to D# I would consider it to be a C minor chord with an added major 7th. (As stated in this yahoo answers question: https://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=20091127133040AAgYKvu).



Double Flats (bb) and Double Sharps (##): In music theory, a theoretical key or impossible key is a key and scale which exists in theory and practice, but whose corresponding key signature make its notation impractical. Such a key is one whose key signature would contain one or more double-flats or double-sharps.



Double-flats and double-sharps are used in music as accidentals, but they are never placed in the key signature (in music that uses equal temperament), due to notational convention and because reading the music would become unnecessarily difficult.



For example, the key of D♭ minor is not conventionally used in notated music, because its corresponding key signature would contain a Bdouble flat (submediant). An equal-tempered scale of D♭ minor comprises the same notes as the C♯ minor scale. Under equal temperament the scales sound exactly the same; such key pairs are said to be enharmonically equivalent. So the theoretical key of D♭ minor is usually practically notated by a key signature of C♯ minor.

(More on that here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theoretical_key).



Keep in mind, I am not as musically talented as my boyfriend. He's much more gifted than I could ever hope to be, but I do hope that this answer would be deemed a little more than sub-par for his needs. (Sub-par or subpar: Not measuring up to one's standards or expectations).