Block chord

A block chord is a chord or voicing built directly below the melody either on the strong beats or to create a four-part harmonized melody line in "locked-hands"^[1] rhythmic unison with the melody, as opposed to broken chords. This latter style, known as shearing voicing, was popularized by George Shearing, but originated with Phil Moore.^[1]

Block chord style (also known as chorale style) uses simple chordal harmony in which "the notes of each chord may be played all at once" as opposed to being "played one at a time (broken or arpeggiated chords). For example, a guitarist can strum the chord (this would be a "block" chord) or use a picking style to play "broken" chords".^[2]

Notes

Sources

• Schmidt-Jones, Catherine. "Simple Chordal Harmony". openstax.cnx (accessed 7 November 2016).
• Sudhalter, Richard M. (2001). Lost Chords: White Musicians and Their Contribution to Jazz, 1915–1945. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-514838-1.

Further reading

• Carl Humphries; Robin Meloy Goldsby (2002). The Piano Handbook. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-727-1.

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Chords

By form

Triad	Major Minor Augmented Diminished Suspended
Seventh	Leading-tone Major Minor Dominant Dominant seventh flat five Diminished Half-diminished Diminished major Minor-major Augmented major Augmented minor Altered seventh Nondominant Harmonic seventh
Extended	Ninth Eleventh Thirteenth Upper structure Dominant 7♯9 Polychord Tone cluster
Added / omitted	Sixth Augmented sixth Lydian Seven six
Specific	Alpha Bridge Complexe sonore Dream Elektra Farben Grandmother Magic Mystic Northern lights Petrushka Psalms So What Tristan Viennese trichord
General	Mixed interval Secundal Tertian Quartal Synthetic chord Tetrad

By function

Diatonic	Tonic Supertonic Mediant Subdominant Dominant Submediant Leading-tone / Subtonic
Altered	Approach Borrowed Chromatic mediant Neapolitan Passing
Secondary	Secondary dominant Secondary leading-tone Secondary supertonic
Other	Common Contrast Primary triad Subsidiary Substitute

Techniques

• Barre
• Block
• Chordioid
• Chord-scale system
• Guitar
• Open
• Power
• Slash

Other

• Arpeggio
• Chord names and symbols
• List of chords
• Factor

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