Music A-Level
Chord extensions
What Chord extensions means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Chord extensions
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Reference: AQA
Created by continuing to stack thirds above the root, third, and fifth of a standard triad, adding colour, tension, and emotional depth.
Notes added beyond the triad and primary seventh to create richer, more complex harmonies, common in jazz-influenced theatre music.
Topics that use Chord extensions
- Area of study 3: Music for media - Musical elements (AQA A-Level)
- Area of study 4: Music for theatre - Musical elements (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Dramatic function
- half-diminished 7th
- Harmonic language
- Narrative cohesion
- Orchestration
- Sonority
- Thematic development
- 9th, 11th, and 13th chords
Using Chord extensions in the exam
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