Not including the various voicings inversions & notes.
Trying to collect all of them google is not helping.
so far i have.
major
minor
sus2
sus4
aug
dim
6
m6
7
m7
maj7
9
m9
maj9
mmaj9
11
m11
maj11
mmaj11
13
m13
maj13
mmaj13
add9
madd9
6add9
m6add9
7add11
m7add11
maj7add11
mmaj7add11
7add13
m7add13
maj7add13
mmaj7add13
7b5
7#5
7b9
7#9
7#5b9
m7b5
m7#5
m7b9
9#11
9b13
6sus4
7sus4
maj7sus4
9sus4
maj9sus4
Pub quizz: So How many chords are there?
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- KVRAF
- 26033 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
what is a chord?
you mean a tertial sonority?
Do you limit to the 13th arbitrarily? four-note chords? seven-note chords?
how many permutations can you get using 12 tones stacking thirds? what's the point.
What will you learn by counting how many? How much time will you waste with it?
It's strictly a math problem, formulate your limits and calculate permutations; if you have to decide there is a limit, that's how you'd find out about *your* limit in terms of quantity.
you mean a tertial sonority?
Do you limit to the 13th arbitrarily? four-note chords? seven-note chords?
how many permutations can you get using 12 tones stacking thirds? what's the point.
What will you learn by counting how many? How much time will you waste with it?
It's strictly a math problem, formulate your limits and calculate permutations; if you have to decide there is a limit, that's how you'd find out about *your* limit in terms of quantity.
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- KVRian
- 1000 posts since 25 Feb, 2008 from Sydney, Australia
A long time ago, i foolishly tried this, and i had a large page that i would add chord names/formulas to as i discovered them and learned to use them.
1 page soon became 2, and 2 pages became 4 etc etc.
It became very nebulous when i got to the actual chord definitions.
ie do i include Majadd9(no5) as a chord (CDE) ???
It just spins off into infinite after that
BTW ..... The OP missed Maj7#11
1 page soon became 2, and 2 pages became 4 etc etc.
It became very nebulous when i got to the actual chord definitions.
ie do i include Majadd9(no5) as a chord (CDE) ???
It just spins off into infinite after that
BTW ..... The OP missed Maj7#11
Prestissimo in Moto Perpetuo
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- KVRian
- 1087 posts since 12 Jul, 2009 from Brighton
Please add in the different uses of accidentals resulting from switching mode too 
Also, don't forget A/B chords...
What about chords in blues scales?
If you've not already seen it, go grab Harmony Box from davenoise.com and you can actually hear what they sound like
Also, don't forget A/B chords...
What about chords in blues scales?
If you've not already seen it, go grab Harmony Box from davenoise.com and you can actually hear what they sound like
[ DMGAudio ] | [ DMGAudio Blog ] | dave AT dmgaudio DOT com
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- KVRAF
- 26033 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
If you're going to try this thing, do it systematically, coherently.
start with components:
root + major third. now include everything in the other 10 notes you can stack by thirds before repeating any note.
Include all qualities of thirds.
- then stack by perfect fourths from the root, and now P fourths from the third. Now alternate augmented and perfect fourths from those same two points. Now choose limits on these stacks and put a major third on top of the last fourth. Now choose another size stack. Now do that with a minor third on top of every stack.
Now put seconds, of all qualities, beside every other note in all generated stacks.
& you haven't begun to suss all the permutations of a tone with the one limit of 'includes a major third above'.
(so, the primary question would be 'what is a chord'. You have a sus2; that isn't a chord like a major chord, it replaces 'third' with a 'second'. Hence, the example I just typed, that's the deal you're dealing in. You won't find that ceiling.
you're headed towards infinity, it isn't infinite, but it might as well be for all intents and purposes. you won't live long enough, if you work tirelessly all day, to get anywhere remotely in the ballpark.
I would strongly suggest finding a more useful exercise, with defined limits and explore that and get an understanding in the way it sounds.
start with components:
root + major third. now include everything in the other 10 notes you can stack by thirds before repeating any note.
Include all qualities of thirds.
- then stack by perfect fourths from the root, and now P fourths from the third. Now alternate augmented and perfect fourths from those same two points. Now choose limits on these stacks and put a major third on top of the last fourth. Now choose another size stack. Now do that with a minor third on top of every stack.
Now put seconds, of all qualities, beside every other note in all generated stacks.
& you haven't begun to suss all the permutations of a tone with the one limit of 'includes a major third above'.
(so, the primary question would be 'what is a chord'. You have a sus2; that isn't a chord like a major chord, it replaces 'third' with a 'second'. Hence, the example I just typed, that's the deal you're dealing in. You won't find that ceiling.
you're headed towards infinity, it isn't infinite, but it might as well be for all intents and purposes. you won't live long enough, if you work tirelessly all day, to get anywhere remotely in the ballpark.
I would strongly suggest finding a more useful exercise, with defined limits and explore that and get an understanding in the way it sounds.
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- KVRian
- 1482 posts since 26 Jun, 2002 from London, UK
Wavetables for DUNE2/3, Blofeld, IL Harmor, Hive and Serum etc: http://charlesdickens.neocities.org/
£10 for lifetime updates including wavetable editor for Windows.
Music: https://soundcloud.com/markholt
£10 for lifetime updates including wavetable editor for Windows.
Music: https://soundcloud.com/markholt
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- KVRAF
- 16797 posts since 8 Mar, 2005 from Utrecht, Holland
playpiano.com wrote:So what's the answer to the original question? It depends upon the instrument and how many variations of each chord the individual musician uses -- but in any case, it's a bunch!
We are the KVR collective. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. 
My MusicCalc is served over https!!
My MusicCalc is served over https!!
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 103 posts since 18 Sep, 2006
well this is food for thought as its flown about a mile over my head.DaveGamble wrote:Please add in the different uses of accidentals resulting from switching mode too
What about chords in blues scales?
A/B is that when you have a different bass note? not including them if it is.DaveGamble wrote: Also, don't forget A/B chords...
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 103 posts since 18 Sep, 2006
no because he only included some of the chords than just multiplied them for each note.
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- Skunk Mod
- 21249 posts since 10 Jun, 2004 from Pony Pasture
Answer: As many as you -- plus every other musician in the world, past, present and future -- can come up with names for. If someone calls a combination of three or more notes a chord, it's a chord. Might not be a musically useful chord to you or to me but that doesn't matter.
Add to this that any given combination of notes can have more than one name associated with it, depending on context.
Net result: the number of chords is close enough to infinite that it's not worth the bother figuring out how close to infinite it is. You cannot count them; you might as well ask how many melodies there are.
Add to this that any given combination of notes can have more than one name associated with it, depending on context.
Net result: the number of chords is close enough to infinite that it's not worth the bother figuring out how close to infinite it is. You cannot count them; you might as well ask how many melodies there are.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 103 posts since 18 Sep, 2006
jancivil wrote:what is a chord?
you mean a tertial sonority?
Do you limit to the 13th arbitrarily? four-note chords? seven-note chords?
how many permutations can you get using 12 tones stacking thirds? what's the point.
What will you learn by counting how many? How much time will you waste with it?
It's strictly a math problem, formulate your limits and calculate permutations; if you have to decide there is a limit, that's how you'd find out about *your* limit in terms of quantity.
jancivil wrote:If you're going to try this thing, do it systematically, coherently.
start with components:
root + major third. now include everything in the other 10 notes you can stack by thirds before repeating any note.
Include all qualities of thirds.
- then stack by perfect fourths from the root, and now P fourths from the third. Now alternate augmented and perfect fourths from those same two points. Now choose limits on these stacks and put a major third on top of the last fourth. Now choose another size stack. Now do that with a minor third on top of every stack.
Now put seconds, of all qualities, beside every other note in all generated stacks.
& you haven't begun to suss all the permutations of a tone with the one limit of 'includes a major third above'.
(so, the primary question would be 'what is a chord'. You have a sus2; that isn't a chord like a major chord, it replaces 'third' with a 'second'. Hence, the example I just typed, that's the deal you're dealing in. You won't find that ceiling.
you're headed towards infinity, it isn't infinite, but it might as well be for all intents and purposes. you won't live long enough, if you work tirelessly all day, to get anywhere remotely in the ballpark.
I would strongly suggest finding a more useful exercise, with defined limits and explore that and get an understanding in the way it sounds.
ok ok so a bit of a stupid question then, i guess the way i came to this question is some times i make a chord & i don't know what it is but i like the sound so i just wanted all the chords available so i could give it its correct name. Was really looking at no more than 7 note chords, & not have to be played on some quantum instrument from the future that is capable of infinate chords in several dimentions. Thought there might be a finite number.
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- KVRAF
- 26033 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
I think that mathematically, the restriction of '12 notes available' might keep it finite.
But in practical terms, you could spend all day every day and live a long long time and barely scratch the surface, unless you chose to define only certain intervals as allowable in 'chords'. Even if the limit was four note chords, it will get ridiculous. If you said, 'chords playable on a guitar', maybe you could find a number in a couple years, who knows.
I wouldn't worry that much about naming everything you think of, it can get to be kind of a waste of time. First of all, it's about impossible to name certain chords in a way every person agrees with.
mmaj13. now, it's probable that means a minor chord with a major 7 and a not-flatted 13th. but it could mean a minor chord with a major 13th. In a minor key, the 13th occurs as a flat 13 on 'V', and you'd need to specify the quality of the 13th.
so, don't worry about it, just make some chords you like, I assure you it's all still legal.
But in practical terms, you could spend all day every day and live a long long time and barely scratch the surface, unless you chose to define only certain intervals as allowable in 'chords'. Even if the limit was four note chords, it will get ridiculous. If you said, 'chords playable on a guitar', maybe you could find a number in a couple years, who knows.
I wouldn't worry that much about naming everything you think of, it can get to be kind of a waste of time. First of all, it's about impossible to name certain chords in a way every person agrees with.
mmaj13. now, it's probable that means a minor chord with a major 7 and a not-flatted 13th. but it could mean a minor chord with a major 13th. In a minor key, the 13th occurs as a flat 13 on 'V', and you'd need to specify the quality of the 13th.
so, don't worry about it, just make some chords you like, I assure you it's all still legal.
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- KVRAF
- 9590 posts since 17 Sep, 2002 from Gothenburg Sweden
If you need more than three you're not doing it right. Damn hippies.
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- KVRer
- 7 posts since 3 Sep, 2004 from Walthamstow London
I used to work this way too - when writing - finding chords on the guitar and not stop to analyze what they were in detail.i guess the way i came to this question is some times i make a chord & i don't know what it is but i like the sound so i just wanted all the chords available so i could give it its correct name
But then for performance I had to communicate with other musicians. So chords had to be named as best we could. You know, "Start from that funny D minor thingummy". One help was a software chord finder - where you input the individual notes and it comes up with names.
Trouble with that there is nearly always a pretty wide choice of alternative names. Then to choose one, you've got to think where you are in the song tonic, sub-dom or dom - a relative minor of any of them? What is the chord kind of like? If this was a three chord bash which of those three chords would it be? Then you've got what the root is and the rest is plain sailing. Can't tell if its major or minor? Perhaps its a variety of suspended then. Detective work really.
Slash chords have become increasingly important. Inversions matter more than they used to. But seven individual notes is a lot of notes for a chord - maybe we are approaching the new world of polychords here? For soul jazz I find a complex chord can be broken down helpfully into two simple things. Like a C/B (Cmaj) with say a Em triad over the top.