When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images In theory, the name of a chord should describe its content, ...

We kick off the first in a series of music theory tutorials with a look at the very basics of chord construction When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Whether you mean to or not, you’ll almost inevitably work in a particular key when writing a song. You might decide “right, this will be in C minor,” or you might just string together a seemingly ...