Sharp Chords Theory
Like the term "flat chords" this is another popularly misunderstood phrase.
Sound of a sharp chord
Sharp chords have no consistant character, as they can be either major or minor.
The Sharp Chord Notated
A sharp chord will always have a # symbol, after the letter name. For example C#. (This would be C sharp major, C#m would be C sharp minor).
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C# notated
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Theory - how sharp chords are worked out.
C# minor chord
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A sharp chord can be any type of chord, starting on a sharp note. (For example C# major, C# minor, or C# diminished etc.) Here we have C# minor. |
There's a lot of confusion surrounding this term. Let's deal with some popular urban myths about "sharp chords".
1. Sharp chords are chords where all the keys are sharp.
NOT TRUE - For example, in C# minor the middle note (E) is not sharp. However, most major sharp chords contain all sharp notes, such as F# (F# - A# - C#) and C# (C# - E# - G#).
2. Sharp chords are major chords, flat chords are minor chords.
NOT TRUE -
C# minor is not a major chord! It's easy to make this mistake. To switch from a minor chord to a major chord, we have to raise the middle note by one step. When we do this, we may often land on a sharp key. For example, if we turn D minor (D - F - A) into D major (D - F# - A), the middle note has gone up from F to F#. However, the names of chords are referred to by their root notes (the bottom note of the chord) not the middle note.
TOP TIP:
Sharp chords are not as common as chords based on white keys such as D major and A major. To learn some sharp chords, look for patterns which are consistent between them, and practise them together. For example, on the piano F#m (F# - A - C#) G#m (G# - B - D#) and C#m (C# - E - G#) all have the same pattern in the hand of black - white - black. As a simple exercise, practise playing four C#m's in the right hand, followed by four F#m's and then four G#m's. Try doing this exercise a few times a day to make the chords more familiar. Once this is done, look for other chords which have similar patterns (such as all white key chords, or white - black - white chords) and practise these together as well.
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