akord

An akord is a group of notes sounded together to form a harmony. In most Western music, chords are built by stacking third intervals above a root note, commonly yielding triads such as major and minor. An akord can also be extended by adding further notes to create more complex sonorities.

Common akord types include major triads (root, major third, perfect fifth), minor triads, diminished triads (two minor thirds), and augmented triads (two major thirds). Adding a seventh creates seventh chords (major, dominant, minor, half-diminished); further extensions include ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths. Inversions reorder the voices so that a non-root note becomes the bass, while the pitch content remains the same.

In harmony, akord functions through progressions: tonic, subdominant, and dominant roles help establish and resolve musical tension. Chord symbols such as C, Am7, Fmaj7, and G7 indicate the pitch content and quality, while performers or software decide exact voicing and rhythm. Chords may be played simultaneously or arpeggiated, depending on texture and style.

The word akord is used in several languages to denote a musical chord and is often cognate with terms such as “accord” or “Akkord,” reflecting historical notions of agreement or harmony among sounds. The concept underpins much of Western tonal music, as well as jazz and popular styles, where it forms the basis for harmony, accompaniment, and improvisation.