how is this chord called and which chords fit with it?

[ofm1k]

hey,

the chord i am talking about (if this is actually a chord that is being used, but to my ears it sounds quite interesting) is E F A.

thank you!

[Harry_HH]

[quote="ofm1k"]hey,

the chord i am talking about (if this is actually a chord that is being used, but to my ears it sounds quite interesting) is E F A.

thank you![/

Well, very much depedns on the context, i.e. the other instruments (notes played),
the possible chord inversion, bass, scale etc.
One good candidate in this case, without knowing the context, is Fmaj7 (without the fifth). Several other possibilities. H.

[ofm1k]

thanks for the fast reply, which scale is this in?

[Harry_HH]

thanks for the fast reply, which scale is this in?

E.g. C, Am, F, Dm scales. H.

[Hink]

thanks for the fast reply, which scale is this in?

scales and chords work within keys, there can be many chords that work within many scales so I think perhaps the question you are asking is what key is this in.

If you play just E,F,A in that order are Dmadd9/E (with a missing D) or Fmaj7/E (missing a C) so like Harry_HH says it depends on the inversion. Dmadd9 I can find over 35 different scales/modes that will work with that chord in every key except Eb and Ab (which is just E,F, A in that order). FTR I can probably find a hell of a lot more scales that E,F, and A are in as Dmadd9 is just the closest chord* and not exact but I'm sure someone else will set me straight on that

Do you see the conundrum?


*I am nt a music theory expert like many of the posters here, I used chordwizard for this info

[jancivil]

well, calling a chord having no D a D type of chord wouldn't be my first choice. given no context/in itself, F major 7 in third inversion. for example, a jazz guitarist omitting a fifth in their part isn't so unusual.

[tapper mike]

Pianists often choose "rootless voicings" Most notable in the jazz tradition however they often find their way into popular music of many styles.

http://bit.ly/16CcDbn

Blues and Jazz guitarists also have a take on this where they only play the 3rd and the 7th of a chord.

Hink's got the practicality of the matter down.

When choosing chords to go with a melody line first we look at the notes and determine the probable key.

If the melody is playing E-F-A there are only two major keys to work from F and C

Look at the note values over a given measure. Chord tones are guide tones they help us to determine which chords fit the melody. While it's useful to thing of guide tones when writing a melody to a chord progression. When reversing the process you don't have to cast in stone that your first note is a guide tone. Look for the notes and determine what chord reflects the measure or lick the best.

E-F-A. Could work with an F major chord. As Dm is the relative minor of F major it will also work with that. F and A have a distance of a major third between them so that is the likelihood you would use when determining which chord to use.

Chord don't stop after the primary (three note) function. There are chords that are not simple 1-3-6. for example 4,6,7,9,11 and 13 chords. When using these chords pianist and guitarists often omit lower chord tones. Like the third and the fifth and sometimes the root.

[MadBrain]

Yeah it really depends on what the bass is playing
Bass = D: Dmadd9 (probably the most common)
Bass = E: Esusb9 (missing the 7th?!?)
Bass = F: Fmaj7
Bass = G: some variant of G11 (missing the 4th?!?)
Bass = A: Fmaj7/A
Bass = Bb:Bbmaj7#11 (missing the 3rd?!?)
Bass = B: Bm11b5
Bass = C: Fmaj7/C
Bass = C#:C#alt7 (but missing the 7th?!?)

[ofm1k]

thanks for all the reply, i need to take some time to fully grasp it

[jancivil]

there is a list of chords which contain these notes.

more than one person has 'probably D minor with an E added' essentially, which isn't the simplest explanation since you have not said 'D'.
a lot of the chords in MadBrain's list are jazz chords of a certain complexity that isn't likely and that I don't reckon you're prepared to deal with.

chords constructed via thirds, 'D F A [C] E', vs 'F A [C] E' are the higher probabilities. The voicing: if E is right next to the F, it might be more typical of the Dm Add2 type, actually. Who knows, it could move to D as a non-chord tone and the answer is simply D minor. But in itself F/E bass is given (third inversion of FMaj7), albeit no fifth. I'm making a call based on your other post, I think the trickier ideas are not very probable.

"[] often omit []" probably follows the fact that there is an indication of the root of the chord in the bass, explicit or implicit, so to actually know this chord requires to know the bass.

[elnn]

Yeah it really depends on what the bass is playing
Bass = D: Dmadd9
Bass = E: Fmaj7/E
Bass = F: Fmaj7(no5)
Bass = G: Fmaj7(no5)/G ir Fmaj11(no5)/G
Bass = A: Fmaj7/A
Bass = Bb: Fmaj7/b13
Bass = B: F7sus4/B (not very helpful, as it's more of a quart
Bass = C: Fmaj7/C (also C6sus4)
Bass = C#: A(addb13)

closer to this. but nobody really writes these chords like that (only people who believe that (a) every chord inversion and tension is functional; (b) just think that every little chord out in completion give you any real info about them - similar, really, to people who think "I'll just read these 16 books and buy those 14 synths and I'll be a f**king beast")

Anyways, if you ask what this 'chord' is, you should really first learn what chords are, major/minor chords, 7th chords and tensions (not necessarily learn to use those, but what these are and what they can be used for and their functions), as the info you get from this thread is equal to approximately 0(±0)

if you want to learn theory behind chords, then learn the theory about chords overall, and not ask this specific chord's name [if you tackle the theory, you won't need us to determine what this chord is, and, consequently, you'll have at least a vague idea about it's function, or, more likely, just understand that these three notes mean nothing out out of context - it's a chord, which has to be followed by other chords and/or preceded my other chords to have a function, and, consequently, that you don't really give a f**k what this chord's name is, as long as it sounds good in context]. If you don't - then don't ask this specific chord's name and just accept it for what it is and what it sounds like and that you can use it in context as it is, or any of its permutations, etc.

It's not a stupid question, but it doesn't lead you anywhere - no real knowledge gained, no veils unveiled, no epiphanies, no practical outcomes gained, so one may very well deem it completely worthless piece of information, like having read that square wave consists of all the odd harmonics only to shrug at 'but how does it sound like?'

[fluxmind]

Well, that's the whole new level, at a first glance it looks like: I've push three keys on my keyboard and now tell me guys what other keys should I push to make a song.
Try to push another three keys, all the keys on that keyboard belong to you, use it wisely Grasshopper.

[arkmabat]

Tonespace is neat for seeing chords in action. There's a couple different versions.

[Uriel Anthony]

In jazz, you hit whatever note that sounds good to you. Anything else preferably stay diatonic.