Different Types of Chords

hey peeps,

I am writing and I am terrible with chords. So what sort of chords are beautiful, warm, lush sounding chords? Obviously chords like minor chords are dark sounding, but what is the opposite (besides just your typical major chord, I IV and VII or whatever it is)

thanks,

-Mathieu

Some people find new light in extended chords, like major sevenths and added ninths. In C major your major 7th chord would be C, E, G, B, and your added 9th would be C, E, G, D (or C, D, E, G). There's also minor major 7th (CmM7 = C, Eb, G, B). You can also use suspensions in chords, like a suspended four (Csus4 = C, F, G)

But sometimes it's not what chords you're using but how you build an environment around them. Experiment with different progressions. A lot of composers have a signature chord or progression, and some pieces individually have signatures progressions. Like a I - bVII - bVI is a popular sound, as well as your basic I - IV - V, but there are loads more combinations (permutations, technically) that you could explore, and that's just how you learn - you have to explore and experiment.

I have to agree with James, it's often not what chords you use, but how you use them. I hate to always use him as an example but I'm afraid I have to go with Debussy. He wasn't regarded as original for using a scraggy ton of 7th chords. He was regarded as original because of how he used them in a way in which they did not resolve. There really are not many chords out there that have not been used an extensive amount. So, I'd say, don't worry. It's all in their usage that matters.

But, to better answer your question, I consider the major 7th chord incredibly warm in the lower-mid register of the piano. In the high register, it can sound incredibly cold and frigid. Augmented triads also have a... sort of mystical quality to them. It's hard to describe but they give a very interesting effect. 6th chords also generally have a very optimistic feel to them.

For "lush," I'd go with 6/9 chords (1 3 [5] 6 9) and 13 chords (1 3 [5] b7 [9] [11] 13). Major 9s, too (1 3 [5] 7 9). I guess it's all in the extensions, particularly the 9 and 13 (the 11 can rub against the 3 too much).

I do agree with the concept of context, though. A 7-9+5 chord can sound miserable when played alone (although beauty remains in the eye of the beholder), but when it is used as a dominant in a minor key, it fits perfectly.

of course there are really interesting chord progressions, but a really nice and easy to use chord progression would be:

I V7/V ii V7/iii iii

my personal favorite.