Chord Colors on One Root

1. Four familiar foundations

Keep one root and change the color around it. These are all C chords, not chords confined to the key of C major. Play each for two beats, then use the two-beat rest to release, name the next chord, and hear it inwardly. Begin with one hand; the first four pages show the same quality in each hand, one octave apart. Fingers are suggested placements, not a legato prescription.

The sequence is a listening exercise, not a functional progression or an exhaustive list of every possible chord. A simple question gives each pass a purpose: which note changed, and what did it do to the sound?

Try it: alternate just C and Cm, then Cdim and Caug. Name the changed pitches before sounding the chords. Keep the same quiet dynamic so you can listen to quality rather than volume.

2. Suspended and added-note colors

Suspended chords replace the third with another degree: D in Csus2 and F in Csus4. Added-note chords retain the third. Here the added ninth D is placed inside the octave for a compact voicing; its chord-symbol name does not require a wide stretch. Compare Cadd9 with Cmadd9 by listening to E and E♭ beside the D.

Watch out: sus4 and add9 are not interchangeable labels. The suspended version has no third; the added-note version keeps one. After comparing them, return to a plain C-major triad and hear what has disappeared.

3. Sixths and two kinds of seventh

A sixth chord adds A to the major or minor triad; it does not imply a seventh. In Cm6, the sixth is still A♮. Then compare the major seventh B with the dominant seventh B♭ above the unchanged C-major triad. Let the upper note speak clearly without making it louder than the rest by accident.

Try it: play C–C6–Cmaj7–C7 slowly, then reverse the order. Preserve each chord’s notes rather than guessing from the top note alone. You can practice only two colors today and add the others when their names feel familiar.

4. Minor and diminished sevenths

Keep track of the third, fifth, and seventh separately. Cm7 has E♭, G, and B♭; Cm(maj7) raises B♭ to B♮. Cm7(♭5), also written Cø7, lowers G to G♭. Cdim7, also written C°7, lowers the seventh to B𝄫. B𝄫 sounds like A on the piano, but its spelling identifies a diminished seventh above C.

Listening check: can you distinguish the two diminished qualities when someone else plays them? Sing or play the changing seventh alone, then restore the full chord. Similar shapes deserve careful listening.

5. Ninths with room for both hands

The larger colors now belong to both hands together. Neither hand alone plays the complete named chord. LH supplies the root and seventh, except in C6/9 where it supplies root and fifth. RH supplies the third and upper colors. Begin by placing each hand separately, then listen to the complete sonority. These are practical voicings, not every chord tone stacked in numerical order.

Watch out: the numeral 9 normally implies a seventh, while add9 does not. C6/9 contains a sixth and ninth without a seventh. Keep the written voicing as your reference; a chord symbol permits other voicings, but does not make every combination equivalent.

6. Elevenths, thirteenths, and altered dominants

Keep the C root and hear how the upper colors change. Cm11 includes the minor third, fifth, minor seventh, ninth, and eleventh across the hands. C13 here keeps the third, minor seventh, ninth, and thirteenth; the fifth and eleventh are omitted. C7(♭9) uses D♭, while C7(♯9) uses D♯ alongside E♮. The latter is spelled as an altered ninth, even though D♯ sounds like E♭.

Make the cycle your own: choose four contrasting colors, return to plain C between them, then try the same interval recipes on F or G. Write the new notes and test each hand’s span before playing. A teacher can help select voicings that suit the next piece. This is a vocabulary to explore over several sessions, not a test of how many chord names you can memorize at once.