Move from major to minor on the same root (e.g.If you move the 3rd string in E major up two frets, you get a similar interplay between tension and relaxation. For example, if you raise the 3rd string (G) in the open C major shape to the 1st fret, you get that light-dark transition I mentioned earlier. If you can pick out the dissonant or "darkening" tone in the chord, try moving to it from a fret down or up.In most cases, you won't want to over-do it, so keep it special! Try replacing regular major or minor chords in progressions with a dark chord, especially when you want to create tension.However, you may want to experiment with the following. Just on their own, these chords are provocative enough and would suit music that aims to evoke a feeling of apprehension, doom, foreboding etc.
But I've stuck with standard tuning here as this is the most common tuning and gives you the broadest base of voicings that can work with more familiar shapes. Of course, alternate tunings can help to create voicings that would be unattainable in standard tuning, and I encourage experimentation with these. That's how I discovered the chords below. So experiment with shapes up and down the neck keeping strings open. physically impossible for us four-fingered humans). There's a lesson in this alone - open strings can help you create chord voicings that would otherwise be unachievable (i.e. You'll notice we have many voicing options when we use open (unfretted) strings. Down the line, this could, for example, translate to targeting these tension notes in a solo piece. The purpose of this exercise is to tune your ear to what creates the dissonance, so when you hear it in music, you'll have a better idea of what's going on. You might find that, without the "tension note", the chord is just a regular major, minor or 7th chord. Try changing that note by moving it up or down a fret (or two) and listen to how it changes the colour of the chord.
While there are no "rules" as such, there's a general concept - an awareness of what creates musical tension and relaxation.Īs you play through the chords, see if you can pick out the notes that give the chord its dark sound. by going back to a more harmonious, stable chord), or you can prolong the tension. You can either give them that release (e.g. The listener hears a conflict between the sweetness of harmony and the bitterness of dissonance, which translates to uneasiness and perhaps a feeling of wanting resolution. Similarly, add a major sixth (6 or 13) or major seventh (7) to a minor chord for a colder, more tragic minor sound. moving the octave root up by a semitone) and suddenly that bright and warm major sound gets an injection of tension and darkness. So, for example, throw a minor second (♭2 or ♭9) interval in to a major chord (i.e. It's when we mix harmony with dissonance that things really start to sound devilishly dark. The combination of these two elements creates a feeling of discord, or that something "isn't quite right" - the comfort of harmony being "upset" by the discomfort of dissonance.ĭissonance doesn't quite have the same effect when ALL the notes clash. What the chords in this lesson do is combine harmony with a touch of dissonance (e.g. When notes are played together, they can create both harmony (which translates to a relaxed and light feeling) and dissonance (which translates to tension, heaviness and darkness). Plus, I invite you to share your own dark chords and show you how. You can then find the diagrams further down if you need them. Watch the video below to play along with the chords featured. The chord chart in this lesson is unlike others, as it focuses specifically on chords that take you to the darker side of musical expression!
Tension and release has been used in music for hundreds of years to stir up complex emotions and take the listener on a journey.Įxploring the darker sounds of your guitar will help to tune your ear to this difference in emotional response. Darkness and tension in music is just as important as light and uplifting sounds, as the two complement each other in a kind of "yin and yang" way.Ĭreating a feeling of uneasiness or foreboding in your listeners (and yourself) might seem a bit sadistic, but it can actually be cathartic and make the move into lightness all the more profound and satisfying. Music, like language, can be used to convey a wide range of emotions.
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