Soinnut

Soinnut is a Finnish term in music theory that refers to a chord, a harmonic unit formed by two or more pitches sounded together. In practice, sointu denotes the collection of tones that supports a melody and defines the harmony of a passage. The singular form is sointu, while plural soinnut is used for multiple chords.

Most basic soinnut are triads, built from a root note, a third and a fifth. A major triad consists of a root, a major third and a perfect fifth, while a minor triad uses a minor third. Diminished and augmented triads alter the fifth interval to create a tense sound. Beyond triads, many harmonies include seventh chords (adding a seventh above the root), and extended chords such as ninths, elevenths and thirteenths, which are common in jazz and contemporary styles. Chords can be altered or borrowed, yielding suspended chords, augmented sixths and other color outcomes.

Soinnut can be inverted, placing different chord tones in the bass. Inversion changes bass motion without altering the chord’s identity, and is used to create smoother voice leading in harmonic progressions. In tonal music, progressions between soinnut establish keys, cadence points and emotional character. In notation, soinnut are indicated with chord symbols or staff notation, and in popular music often shown together with lyrics or melody.

In Finnish usage, soinnut span classical harmony, pop, rock, and contemporary genres, and are taught in music education as a fundamental concept of harmony and chord progressions.