Interactive chord chart

The following chart is based on the one that appears in the appendix of "Techniques and Materials of Tonal Music" by Benjamin, Horvit, and Nelson. The chart may be confusing to you if you haven't been led through it, but it is an elegant way to illustrate some of the most basic relationships in functional harmony.The following is a brief explanation of how the chart is organized:

The colored paths represent the three most common root movements in the common practice period: 1. Down by 5ths (or up 4ths), 2. Up by 2nds, and 3. Down by 3rds.

Reading from left to right, the chords in each "column" loosely reflect the McHose chord classification system.

Follow each path and click on the chord symbols to hear them played. Maybe with a little thinking, you'll make sense of it!

Click here to view the chart!