Brainlag MusicNaming a chord when its notes are spread over several staves and clefs, and the cadence at the end of a phrase.
Collect the notes first
Collect every note sounding at that moment, from every stave, then stack them in 3rds to find the root.
Learn the three steps by heart
- Collect every note sounding, from every stave, each read in its own clef.
- Stack them in 3rds to find the root, then name the chord in the key: I, IV, V and so on.
- Look at the lowest note (the bass part) for the position: the root, no letter (a); the 3rd, b; the 5th, c.
In questions 4 and 5 the chord is not written as a neat stack: its notes are shared out between the parts. A note held from earlier still sounds, so count it in.
The rest of this lesson and its 5 practice questions are in Brainlag Music Theory.
Screen 1 of 4, free to read.
- 5 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards