Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
common chord

common chord

4.4
A set of three notes played together, the main note and two higher notes, making a major or minor sound
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːmən kɔrd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acorde común
  • A common chord consists of three notes.

Examples

  • Learning to play a common chord is essential for beginner guitarists.

  • The song begins with a simple common chord on the piano.

  • A common chord can be major or minor, depending on the intervals between its notes.

  • The song begins with a common chord progression.

  • Learning to play a common chord is essential for beginner guitarists.

  • A common chord can be either major or minor, depending on the notes involved.

  • The song begins with a simple common chord played on the piano.

Synonyms

triad
vscommon chord
  • Specialized
4 7.0

A chord of three notes played together, usually root, third and fifth

has the same musical meaning, naming that three-note major or minor chord

Surface Forms

common chord singular
common chords plural

Morphology

common + chord

The phrase is compositionally clear—'common' (typical/frequent) + 'chord' (group of notes) lets a learner infer a chord that is ordinary or standard. However, the precise musical sense (specifically a triad: root, third, fifth; major or minor) is technical domain knowledge not predictable from the constituents alone, so the meaning is only partially deducible by a B1 learner.

Etymology

Common chord may come from the idea of a basic three-note harmony. Think of a three-legged stool made of a root, a third, and a fifth that gives a steady, familiar sound used in many songs, so the term now means the basic 'major' or 'minor' chord.