Quartal Harmony (Chords in Fourths)

Quartal Harmony for Guitar

Useful chords for modal situations

Most chords are built in thirds. This is the way that diatonicStrictly speaking, any structure comprised of seventh notes. But almost always used to describe 7-note scale structures, usually the major scale or the minor scale, but sometimes other modes as well. harmony works.

But if you'd like to be adventurous, there are other ways to construct chords.

One useful chord voicing involves using fourthCan be any type of fourth (including perfect fourth an augmented fourth). However, fourths are usually perfect so it may also be used as shorthand for perfect fourth, depending on context.s to build chords.

The resulting chords sound airy and unresolved. They are particularly useful in modal music.

Constructed in this fashion, chords in fourths tend to work against the conventions of harmony. Rather than creating movement that we associate with typical chords, they tend to have a floating and ambiguous sound.

These chords are also useful for creating large harmonies from an entire scale system.

For instance, if you’re playing a groove in a D Dorian mode, you can likely use any of these voicings over the entire vamp.

What will be presented here

We'll take a look at chords built in fourths using the strings 123, which would be quite useful for decorating improvisational riffs and commanding attention. We'll also look at the same voicings on strings 234, which would be quite nice for an accompaniment. And 345, which may also work for an accompaniment. We'll exclude strings 456, as in this register the chords may sound muddy and have little practical use.

Diatonic Voicings for C Major and Its Modes

Strings 1, 2 and 3

Useful for improvisation.

Strings 2, 3 and 4

Useful for accompaniment, also sometimes in improvisation.

Strings 3, 4 and 5

Useful for accompaniment.

Key Tasks