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CHORDS

Chords are basically several notes played together, but how do u know how to choose what notes to play, so that your chord would sound the way u want it?

First off, u gotta know scales & intervals, if u dunno what those are please go to the general theory and scales pages & come back here later.

Just as scales, chords have a root note; in order to be able to create any chords with that root note, u gotta know the major scale of that root note and its intervals.

Now, the most basic chord has three notes ( also called a triad ): 1(tonic), 3rd & 5th.
If u would take the C major scale, the notes would be: C E G
If u would take Db major scale, the notes would be: Db F Ab

Ok this is the most basic chord ( excluding powerchords, 1 & 5th ).

Now this is a major chord, if u would like to have a minor chord, u just have 2 flat the 3rd, so taking the above scales, u would have:

C Eb G
Db Fb Ab

U can have as many notes as u want, or as many as u can play at a time :), in a chord, depending on your instrument. Those notes can be the basic notes that form a triad, or can be other notes, that can make the chord most interesting.
Remember when i told u that notes above the original octave are used to form complex chords in the scales & modes page? if not go here

If yes read on :)

So u probably remember that a 9th is a 2nd above the original octave
10th = 3rd
11th = 4th
12th = 5th
13th = 6th
14th = 7th

In complex chords, only the 9th , 11th & 13th are used cuz even if there are 3rds, 5ths, or 7ths above the original octave they're called 3rd, 5th & 7th anyway.

U can add these notes, so the chord will sound more interesting.

U can add a 7th, a 9th an 11th or a 13th.

U should have one of each of these notes when u add a new one (not absolutely necessary), so that means if u have an 11th, u should also have a 7th & a 9th before it. U can also alter ANY note, regardless if it's in the triad, or any of the added ones, so the chord will get more interesting.

Here's a chart with all the possible chord types:
 

Major	1		3		5
minor	1		3b		5
sus2	1	2			5
sus	1			4	5
b5	1		3		b5
o (diminished)	1		b3		b5
5/8	1				5			8
+	1		3		#5
b6	1		3		5	b6
-b6	1		b3		5	b6
6	1		3		5	6
-6	1		b3		5	6
o7	1		b4		b5		bb7
Q(3)	1		4				b7
7	1		3		5		b7
-7	1		b3		5		b7
7sus2	1	2			5		b7
7sus	1			4	5		b7
7b5	1		3		b5		b7
half-diminished	1		b3		b5		b7
7+	1		3		#5		b7
D  ( delta )	1		3		5		7
-D	1		b3		5		7
Dsus2	1	2			5		7
Dsus	1			4	5		7
Db5	1		3		b5		7
Do	1		b3		b5		7
D+	1		3		#5		7
-D+	1		b3		#5		7
7/6	1		3		5	6	b7
9/6	1		3		5	6			9
-9/6	1		b3		5	6			9
9	1		3		5		b7		9
-9	1		b3		5		b7		9
b9	1		3		5		b7		b9
-b9	1		b3		5		b7		b9
#9	1		3		5		b7		#9
D 9	1		3		5		7		9
-D 9	1		b3		5		7		9
Db9	1		3		5		7		b9
-Db9	1		b3		5		7		b9
D#9	1		3		5		7		#9
ALT	1		3		b5		b7		#9
ALT	1		3		b5		b7		b9
ALT	1		3		#5		b7		b9
ALT	1		3		#5		b7		#9
11	1		3		5		b7		9	11
-11	1		b3		5		b7		9	11
#11	1		3		5		b7		9	11
-#11	1		b3		#5		b7		9	11
D11	1		3		5		7		9	11
-D11	1		b3		5		7		9	11
D#11	1		3		5		7		9	#11
-D#11	1		b3		5		7		9	#11
13	1		3		5		b7		9	11	13
-13	1		b3		5		b7		9	11	13
13#11	1		3		5		b7		9	#11	13
-13#11	1		b3		5		b7		9	#11	13
D13	1		3		5		7		9	11	13
-D13	1		b3		5		7		9	11	13
D13#11	1		3		5		7		9	#11	13
-D13#11	1		b3		5		7		9	#11	13

WOW, isn't that a huge pile of chords for u to toy with ? :)

As u've probably noticed there are certain simbols that tell u what kind of alterations are inside  a chord:
 

Symbol	Name	Altered notes
-	minor	b3
+	augumented	#5
o	diminished	b3, b5
D	delta	7
7	dominant 7th	b7
half-diminished	half-diminished	b3, b5, b7
o7	diminished 7th	b3, b5 , bb7

If u'll look at the 13 type of chords, u'll see that u have 7 notes in it, so especially for guitarists ( considering that u don't have a 7 string :), u'll have to get rid of one note, most frequently u can leave the 3rd out.

There's also another way to play complex chords, very well explained in the Guitar Grimoire books series.

If ur instrument is a guitar here u have some charts that'll help u greatly in writing down every chord possible.

There are 5 mother chord shapes, from wich ALL the chords are born, u can see each of the shape clearly as an open chord, at the beginning of the fretboard or in the 12th space( u should look at them as a 6 note chord ). U can see the 3 basic notes that make each chord highlited in grey, u can also add the other notes to make the chords complex, or alter them so u can get the chords u want.
 

Shape 1: tonic on the 1st & 6th strings, also on the 4th

Shape 2: Tonic on the 5th & 3rd string

Shape 3 : Tonic on the 4th string & on the 2nd string

Shape 4: Tonic on the 2nd & 5th string

Shape 5: Tonic on the 3rd, 1st & 6th strings

Notice how the 5 shapes flow from one into another shape 1,2,3,4,5 then 1,2, again, a never ending circle, through an octave ( fret 0-12, 12-24 ) each chord shape is present once, resuming when the octave's finished.

If u want to print these charts, besides printing the JPEG file itself, here u have  a file with them in Microsoft Excel format, also, here u have a file with blank fretdrawings, so u can print these out & make ur own chords.

INVERSIONS:

Most commonly the lowest note in a chord is also the root, but that's not a rule at all, the lowest note might also be the 3rd, the 5th, the 6th, the 7th, the 9th, the 11th, or the 13th, each giving the chord a unique sound. If the lowest note is the 3rd u got the 1st inversion, if the lowest note is the 5th u got the 2nd inversion & so on. The more far away will get the root of being the lowest note, the more it'll loss it's "bossy" character over the others, but that will make the chord sound even more interesting.

The same chord may be 2 different chords, depending on the context & on what note u choose to be the the root, but i don't fully understand that concept myself, so this is all about chords for now :)