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The problem it solves
To make a melody sound solid over a set of chords you need to know which notes rest on them. Chord tones are exactly those safe notes: the points where the line can settle without clashing with the harmony.
Detailed theory
Key idea
Chord tones are the root, the third, the fifth and, if there is one, the seventh (1, 3, 5, 7).
Over their chord they sound stable and consonant, so they are the melody’s natural landing or resting notes, especially on the strong beats.
Understand it
A chord is built by stacking thirds: the root, the third and the fifth make the triad, and if a fourth note is added the seventh appears. These are the chord tones: the notes that make it up and therefore the ones that belong to it.
When the melody touches one of these notes while the chord sounds, there is no friction: the note is already part of the chord, so it sounds consonant and stable. That is why chord tones behave like safe anchor points within the melodic line.
This stability makes them ideal for the important moments of the phrase: to begin it, to hold a long note and, above all, to resolve onto on the strong beats. A melody that lands on chord tones on the accented pulses sounds settled and clear.
Over a C chord (C-E-G), the chord tones are C (root), E (third) and G (fifth). If you build the melody on these three notes, everything you sing will fit the chord effortlessly.
Think of them as the solid stones of a ford: they are the points where you can put your foot with confidence. The other notes (passing or neighbour tones) are just connecting moves between those stones; the chord tones are where you can actually stay.
Staff & keyboard
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Over C major, C-E-G are the stable landing notes: root, third and fifth of the chord.
How to recognise it
How it's written
Look at the chord symbol and spell out its notes (root, third, fifth and seventh if it has one). Then check which melody notes coincide with these: those are the chord tones, the stable points of the line.
How it feels
Hold a chord and sing its notes one by one over it: you will feel them all rest, with no tension, because they are already part of the chord. That is the landing sensation you want on the strong beats.
Common mistake
Confusing ‘scale notes’ with ‘chord tones’: every chord tone is in the scale, but not every scale note belongs to the current chord.
Leaving chord tones only for the weak beats and filling the strong beats with outside notes, which makes the melody sound unstable over the harmony.
Try it
Over a held C chord, sing C, E and G and check that all three rest because they are the chord tones.
Make a four-note micro-phrase that begins and ends on a chord tone of C (for example C-E-G-E) and notice how settled it sounds.
On the instrument
Stacked triad
The chord tones of C major: C (root), E (third) and G (fifth). They are the stable points where the melody can land.
Where it's used
- Landing the melody safely
- Letting chord tones fall on the strong beats so the line settles over the harmony.
- Improvising without losing the centre
- Using root, third, fifth and seventh as safe points to begin, hold or resolve phrases.
- Building melodic arpeggios
- Chaining chord tones to draw a clear melody that highlights its harmony.
Examples
Staff & keyboard
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A melody made only of C chord tones: C-E-G-E. Everything rests on the chord and sounds clear and settled.
Exercises
Identify chord tones
Melodic dictation and chord trainer in context.
Complete 10 attempts · 70% accuracy to pass
Mini test
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What are chord tones?