Music Theory: Chords with Two Notes
Playing two notes together is generally called an interval. Two-note chords are built from intervals, which help define the tonal space between notes. All chords are built from a series of intervals, so understanding how two-note chords work can give you a basic foundation in chord-building theory.
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Identification
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By nature, a chord is three or more notes played together or in sequence. A two-note cord is more frequently called an interval.
Intervals Explained
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In Western music, there are 11 notes arranged in a pattern of half steps and whole steps. Each note has an interval relationship to every other note in the scale. Every chord is made up of one or more intervals.
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Interval Names
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The distance between C and D is a whole step. On the piano keyboard, you can identify a whole step by moving two chromatic spaces up or down. One chromatic space is a half step. A set of notes with seven chromatic steps between them is identified as a 5th.
Size
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A two-note chord can be as large or as small as you want. The smallest interval unit is a half step, also known as the chromatic step. You can expand the interval to be as large as your keyboard or instrument can handle.
Octave
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In Western music, an octave is the interval that occurs when you play two of the same note names spaced one major scale apart. An octave interval gives a powerful boost to the root when played as a two-note chord.
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