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MUSIC & AUDIO > MUSIC THEORY

Film Score Harmony:

Chords by Thirds
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by Ryan Leach 18 Jun 2014 DiXculty: Intermediate Length: Short Languages: English

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Of all the harmonic devices I use regularly in my composing, none is more weekly email summary of all new Music
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useful than non-diatonic chords a third apart.
learning about the next big thing.

By "a third apart," I mean the interval between the roots of the two chords. The
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interval C to E is a major third, thus the chords C major and E major are a major
third apart. C major and Eb major are a minor third apart. Update me weekly

In simple diatonic harmony, all chords share notes from the same key. So in
diatonic C major, if your \rst chord is C and you go up a third, you get to E
minor.
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The technique we're going to talk about here is using chords a third apart that
are non-diatonic. So instead of C to Em we will use C to E. The E major chord
has a G# which is not part of the key of C, thus it is a non-diatonic chord.

More Major and More Minor

There is an unusual phenomenon about chords that I have written about in the
past: non-diatonic major chords tend to stick out as "more major", and non-
diatonic minor chords tend to stick out as "more minor".

Translations
What is meant by "more major" is that a non-diatonic major chord tends to take
on more of the characteristics we associate with major. They feel brighter, Envato Tuts+ tutorials are translated into

happier, more positive and so on. "More minor" means the chords feel even other languages by our community

darker, sadder, stranger than usual. members—you can be involved too!

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Let's \rst demonstrate "more major". Here I go back and forth from C major to
E minor: Powered by

00:00 00:20

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The Em chord feels pretty sad, as minor chords tend to sound. Let's simply
change it to E major:

00:00 00:20

The E chord feels very uplifting, alive and powerful.

Now let's try a different non-diatonic major chord a third above C. Instead of a
major third up we'll go a minor third up, to Eb:

00:00 00:20

It feels very bold and positive.

Now let's do the reverse to demonstrate how non-diatonic minor chords can
feel "more minor".

We'll begin with Cm going a diatonic minor third up to Eb:

00:00 00:20

First we'll change that Eb to Ebm. So here is Cm to Ebm:

00:00 00:20

Kind of creepy right? Now let's try going up a major third to non-diatonic Em:

00:00 00:20

It's very dark, and even feels like a much bolder statement than the Ebm.

For one last example let's combine the ideas. We'll start out with C major and
move up a third to the non-diatonic chord Ebm:

00:00 00:20

Now that's dark! All three pitches of Ebm - Eb Gb and Bb - are outside of the key
of C. Plus that \rst C major chord grounded us in a context of C major, making
the Ebm seem very foreign.

Put it To Use
Although the chord changes sound fresh and different than traditional Mozart
or your average One Direction song, this is a simple idea you can start using
right away.

Just go up or down a third (major or minor) to a chord with the feeling you
want. (Extra credit: since the tritone is just two minor thirds away, it works the
same way as well, eg. C to F#.)

If you are trying to convey royalty you might think of strength and nobility. To
me that obviously suggests major chords, and so I might go C, down a major
third to Ab, down a minor third to F, back home to C. All major of course:

00:00 00:14

Winter is coming and there's an ominous omen on the horizon? Sounds like
minor chords to me.

For example Em, up a minor third to Gm, back to Em, down a major third to Cm:

00:00 00:20

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Loops and Ambience

Movement by thirds can be a great way to keep your music moving forward
without forcing traditional diatonic expectations.

For example if you simply want to convey a mood without necessarily using a
theme or melody, you will probably stay pretty static on one chord.

But this can get boring after a while, so you can drive the energy forward by
moving the whole bed up or down a third.

In this loop I did for a game, the music starts out in C. After about 15 seconds I
take it up a minor third to Eb, then again to Gb (or F#), then again to A.

00:00 01:02

The great thing about this pattern is that by the time we loop back to the
beginning we end up right back at C. So we are in continuous motion up a
minor third without ever really knowing where it begins or ends.

This is Everywhere
Once you start working with chords a third apart you will begin to hear it
everywhere, particularly in \lm and game music.

Howard Shore uses this technique constantly in his Lord of the Rings scores.

In this excerpt from "The Prophecy" starting at 2:13 almost every single chord
change is either a third or tritone apart:

Howard Shore - The Prophecy (#1) (Lord of the Ri…

Watch later Share

Or consider the famous Rebel Fanfare from Star Wars, which is parallel major
triads. It starts on Bb and goes \rst down a minor third to G, then up a minor
third to Db. At 1:55 in this excerpt:

Star Wars: A New Hope Soundtrack - 11. The Thro…

Watch later Share

Conclusion
The important thing here is to understand the difference between diatonic and
non-diatonic chords, because only then can you take advantage of the unique
aspects of the non-diatonic chords.

Whether to go up or down, and by a major or minor third, is a question of

context and taste. I have found no formula that says in some situations "going
up a minor third" is better than any other choice. You will have to use your ears!

For a much deeper look into the complex theory behind why this technique
sounds good, I highly recommend Richard Cohn's "Audacious Euphony". (Music
theory nerds only!)

I hope this technique expands your harmonic vocabulary both as a writer and a
listener. Share your favorite examples or your own creations in the comments.

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Ryan Leach

Ryan Leach is an LA based composer, arranger and producer. His music

has been heard on NBC, ABC, CBS and MTV, and other credits include
additional music for Jerry Bruckheimer's hit series "Cold Case",
technical assistance on "The Simpsons Movie", "Bee Movie", and "The
Dark Knight", and original compositions for Disney Interactive. He is
also co-owner and producer of Short Order Strings.

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Iván Candia • 5 years ago ⚑ −

Thank Ryan, this technique really works beautifully as i can see in the examples. My
question is: Does this technique also work with major/minor 7th chords too? or how
can use them with other types that are not necessarily diatonic?. Thanks!
56 △ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ryan Leach > Iván Candia • 5 years ago ⚑ −

7th chords work, but I've found they are not quite as versatile. It seems like
any triad can follow any other triad in the right context, but certain 7th chords
seem to sound a bit jarring when one is played right after the other. I think the
technique definitely works for two 7th chords of the same type, for example
Gmaj7 to Bbmaj7 is lovely, Dbm7 to Fm7 is nice and silky. But Dbm7 to
Fmaj7 seems a bit off.

I'm not really sure on why that is, I'll have to do some experimenting. My
guess is that there are more exposed half-steps that are making the distant
key relationship very obvious.
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

efabric • 6 years ago • edited − ⚑

Here's a good non-film example that uses the same chords as your first "put it to
use" chords :

Superman Lovers 'Starlight'

from Passion Animation Studios

03:49

5△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Michel Barbaro • 4 years ago − ⚑

Your posts are the most useful on the internet!
You should even create a complete course!

Thank you!
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ryan Leach > Michel Barbaro • 4 years ago • edited − ⚑

Thank you for the kind comment! A course is definitely somewhere in my
future when I have time, although how near that future is I can't really say :-)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Simon Roberts > Ryan Leach • 2 years ago ⚑ −

I agree! Ryan this is one of the most helpful articles I could find on the
subject! Thanks for posting!
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Jon Bjork • 6 years ago − ⚑

Great job Ryan, always so well thought out and executed tutorials! One of my
favorites is the "royal" sounding one. I used it in this piece and it really helps those
sections to stick out:

Jon Bjork

Rise Or Fall 4

see more

1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ryan Leach > Jon Bjork • 6 years ago ⚑ −

Thanks Jon, nice piece! It's refreshing to hear woodwinds being put to good
use, I think a lot of people shy away from them lately.
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Jon Bjork > Ryan Leach • 6 years ago − ⚑

Thank you Ryan! Yeah, it's baffling to me why so many choose to
ignore such a colorful section of the orchestra, couldn't live without
them:) Btw, is there any way to make that soundcloud player smaller?
Feel like the worst spammer in the world now:(
3△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Nex St • a year ago ⚑ −

Diatonic chords have two tones in common (dia=two), nondiatonic have only one, or
none. That's the rule. Shortly.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Just a DWTS Fan • 4 years ago − ⚑

Great Information. Thanks so much.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

borker • 5 years ago − ⚑

Great little article, very helpful.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Nicolas Felix • 6 years ago − ⚑

Great tutorial Ryan! Need more of this one!
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Steve Law • 6 years ago − ⚑

Interesting, thanks! I kind of get stuck in composing by the predictable feel of
sticking to the same key....
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

David Salas • 6 years ago − ⚑

It would be intresting to know how to apply a melody on top of this non diatonic
progressions, sience most of us amateurs stick to the key of the progression
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ryan Leach > David Salas • 6 years ago ⚑ −

The same ideas apply as if you were writing within the key. Listen to the Lord
of the Rings underscore, it's mostly a lot of arpeggios and scales!
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Mike Whi > Ryan Leach • 4 years ago • edited ⚑ −

Within the key of the root of the chord you are playing, or the key of
your starting chord? Really great to see these tutorials. They help me
understand why I have trouble transcribing a lot of what I hear, also
(I'm expecting everything to be in the same key), as well as compose.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ryan Leach > Mike Whi • 4 years ago ⚑ −

I meant writing with non-diatonic chords is pretty much just the
same as writing within a diatonic key. But you just adjust the
intervals to correctly fit each chord. So let's say you were in the
key of C and your melody went C-D-E-F-G-A. But you decide
to change to an Ab major chord on the last note. So you make
your melody C-D-E-F-G-Ab.

Research "chord scales". https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Mike Whi > Ryan Leach • 4 years ago • edited − ⚑

Thank you. I thought it made sense until I checked the link.
Very interesting article. It looks like it's describing changing the
entire scale for every new chord, "in the chord-scale system, a
different scale is used for each chord in the progression," rather
than just changing a note or two. Maybe it will work either way.
I'll just experiment and figure it out. Thanks again.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

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