A quick lesson in theory; in music there is something called a pitch. A pitch, corresponding to a letter, is a frequency that the human ear can recognize, which is also consistent through something called Octaves. There are seven unique pitches, ranging from A-G. When these pitches are used, they are referred to as notes.
The space between notes, so going from an A to a B, is called an interval. When you stack a series of notes in a specific way, with a strict rule of how the intervals work, you get what is called a chord. An example of a chord is a C major chord, which requires the C note, the E note, and the G note.
The way the chord feels when played is what dictates why we call chords Major or Minor. The most important part in theory is the pattern or route a series of chords takes. This is because of two points of interest; tension and resolution.
Tension is when a chord is unpleasing to the ears, and demands a change to a different sound. Resolution is only possible after tension, and is when the chord is what the ear wants to hear.
Most charts (songs) have what is called a Chord Structure, which is a set pattern of chords, going from the starting chord, to a build up, followed by tension, and resolving back to the starting chord, which generally acts as resolution.
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] BROWN HAWK Notepad-ing this.[/quote]I could totally go all out at some point, and give a seriously useful rundown. It'd be a little longer, but a tad more functional than this. What I gave here is just something to refer to for help at points.