Lexicon of Chords
Introduction
Here you'll find all the possible 3, 4 and 5-note chords. In the interest of space they are listed in their most compact inversion — the interval between the lowest and highest notes is the smallest possible. Then I list the inversions of that most compact voicing.
Countless voicings are possible by doubling and transposing notes up/down octaves. In the interest of a compact and more useful lexicon, only the most compact forms (described above) are listed. They are also all transposed to have the lowest note be Middle C.
For example, here's the entry for the Major chord. It has been transposed to have its lowest note be C. Of the infinite possible voicings of the C Major chord, the most compact (smallest interval between top and bottom note), and fewest number of notes (no pitches doubled at the unison or any octave) is this one (and I include its inversions):
Of course the Major chord can be transposed to the other 11 degrees of the chromatic scale (C#, D, D#, E, ...). And it can be voiced in an enormous number of ways — by doubling and/or transposing notes of the chord up and down octaves.
Chord Names
There are only 19 fundamental 3-note chords. Four of them have official names (Major, Minor, Augmented, Diminished). It only seemed right to give the other 15 their own unique names. I find it more fun to try them out if they have human names.
I have also tried to list them in approximate order of increasing dissonance. Clearly the Major chord is least dissonant, and a chord consisting of 3 notes a semitone apart (the 'Contracted' chord) is the most dissonant. In between I've tried to list them in order of increasing dissonance.
Of course this ordering is subjective. But I thought this plausible ordering would be helpful: Do you want a really spicy chord? Look more towards the end of the list! Not so spicy? Look more towards the beginning!
The intent is not to be the definitive list of chords in inarguably increasing dissonance1, but to create a 'lexicon' to open the aperture of the imagination of composers (especially me!). The list is provably complete — the subjective part is how they are ordered.
For the 4 and 5 note chords I made a feeble attempt to order them, but that's a vastly more difficult ordering challenge.
These chords will come into their own by voicing them (transposing and doubling notes up and down octaves), and transposing them to other roots (here they are all listed with Middle C as their root — the lowest note).
1This list is provably complete. At a future date I'll add a 'tab' to this topic to show how that was accomplished (for those who care). The only subjective element of this objectively complete list is the subjective order of increasing dissonance.
