What are chords?
A chord, in music theory, is 3 or more notes played at the same time.
Here’s an example that you can play on bass:
That is a C major chord. The C major chord is constructed from a root, a major 3rd, and a perfect 5th. These are called intervals! Intervals define a note’s distance from the root note.
The distance from a C note to an E note is a major 3rd! The distance from a C note to a G note is called a perfect 5th. When we put these intervals together: a root, a 3rd, and a perfect 5th, we get a chord type called a triad!
And since the root note was C, this gives you the C major triad.
That’s a bass chord
That’s it! That’s what a chord is. It’s 3 or more notes played in harmony.
Now, continue with the bass chords series by learning about dyads, which are 2 note chords.