Root (chord)

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Root (chord)

In music

Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
the root (basse fondamentale) of a chord

Chord (music)

In music and music theory a chord is a set of two or more different note that sound simultaneously. Most often, in European-influenced music, chords are tertian Sonority that can be constructed as stacks of thirds relative to some underlying musical scale....
is the note or pitch

Pitch (music)

Pitch represents the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound. It is one of the three major auditory system attributes of sounds along with loudness and timbre....
upon which that chord is perceived or labelled as being built or hierarchically

Tonality

Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchy pitch relationships are based on a Key "center" or Tonic . The term tonalit? originated with Alexandre-?tienne Choron and was borrowed by Fran?ois-Joseph F?tis in 1840 ....
centered upon. This feeling of centeredness is aurally perceivable for those who grew up with European music, and its verbal labelling is a basic skill for the musically trained.

When the root is the bass note

Bass note

The bass note of a chord or sonority is the lowest note played or notated. While the bass note is often the root or fundamental of the chord, it does not have to be, and sometimes one of the other pitches of the chord will be the root....
, or lowest note, of the expressed chord the chord is said to be in root position.

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Encyclopedia

In music

Music

Chord (music)

Pitch (music)

Tonality

Bass note

Normal form

Normal form is a term that may refer to:* Database normalization#Normal forms* Normal form game* Normal form In formal language theory:* Beta normal form...
. Often the root is not the lowest pitch played in a chord, in which case the chord is inverted

Inversion (music)

In music theory, the word inversion has several meanings. There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and inverted voices....
.

Conventionally, the name of the note which is the root is used to denote the chord, thus a major chord built on C is a C Major chord

Major chord

In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a Root , a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major Triad ....
. Starting with Rameau

Jean-Philippe Rameau

Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theory of the Baroque music era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French author of music for the harpsichord of his time, alongside Fran?ois Couperin....
, the analysis and theory

Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
of tonal music

Tonality

Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchy pitch relationships are based on a Key "center" or Tonic . The term tonalit? originated with Alexandre-?tienne Choron and was borrowed by Fran?ois-Joseph F?tis in 1840 ....
usually treats the roots as the defining feature of chords and much information can be gained from a progression of roots even if chord inversions are unknown. Also, if the key

Key (music)

In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a certain key, such as in the key of C or in the key of F-sharp....
is known then the chord qualities are known for each root in simple music.

In a root progression, the most familiar form of labelling chord progression

Chord progression

A chord progression is series of chord s played in order. Chord progressions are central to most modern music and the principal study of harmony....
s, chords are labelled by their root, rather than bass if different, as above. This is in contrast to an older pre-tonal conception of chords as sonorities wherein root position or first inversion triads are simply considered alternative and fairly equivalent ways of "filling in" the consonance between octaves, C (E G) C or C (F A) C. See: Figured bass

Figured bass

Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate interval , chord s, and nonchord tones, in relation to a bass note....
.

Basis in physics & mathematics

Although the concept of root is cultural, it does have some basis in the physical properties of waves. When two notes of an interval

Interval (music)

In music theory, the term interval describes the relationship between the pitch of two notes.Intervals may be described as:*vertical if the two notes sound simultaneously...
from the harmonic series are played at the same time, people sometimes perceive the fundamental note of the interval. For example, if notes with frequency ratios of 7:6 (a septimal minor third

Septimal minor third

In music, the septimal minor third , also called the subminor third is the musical interval exactly or approximately equal to a 7/6 ratio of frequencies....
) were played, people could perceive a note whose frequency was 1/6th of the lower interval. The following sound file demonstrates this phenomenon, using sine waves, pure and simple waves for which this phenomena is most easily evident.

This concept formed the basis for the method by which the composer Paul Hindemith

Paul Hindemith

Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and Conducting....
used to determine and identify roots of chords in his harmonic system which he used both to write music and to analyze the music of other composers.

Root (chord)

Basis in physics & mathematics

See also