Block Chords and Broken Chords
Updated: 2026-07-12After this lesson, you will be able to play the same voicings from the project's first eight measures as block or broken chords. Texture changes through attack timing, while chord spelling, bass, and source melody remain fixed.
Try now
Play C3 in the left hand with C4–E4–G4 together in the right and hold four beats. Repeat with C4–E4–G4–E4 one note per beat. Hear one voicing change from a block into motion.
One voicing, two distributions in time
A block chord attacks all notes together. A broken chord attacks the same pitch set in sequence. C4–E4–G4 can become C4–E4–G4–E4; Am uses A3–C4–E4–C4. The root, third, and fifth stay unchanged. Only their onset times differ.
For G7, B3–D4–F4–G4 above bass G2 supplies complete G–B–D–F. Do not omit F while claiming a complete dominant seventh. When melody is added, its top note determines the final voicing position.
Blocks define boundaries; broken chords sustain flow
Blocks make spelling and changes easy to inspect, but can sound heavy. Keep chord support softer than melody. Broken chords fill four beats and can carry a phrase, but risk becoming an unshaped stream.
Do not place closed C–E–G below C3. The scores keep isolated bass in F2–D3 and upper notes from A3. In solo texture, redistribute one or two chord tones if needed, but retain open low spacing and never place an inner voice above melody.
Preserve the project's route
Both comparisons use C–Am–Dm–G7 | C–Am–F–G7, the exact first half of the project, with one chord per measure and identical pitch classes. Add the original melody above by singing or playing it separately; do not substitute another tune. A block may attack only on beat 1, while a broken chord may continue through the measure. Silence is also an arrangement choice.
Listen especially at measure boundaries. A block chord should release cleanly before the next harmony takes over; a broken pattern should aim toward that boundary without spilling old notes into it. Record both versions at the same tempo. If the broken version sounds faster, reduce its dynamic and shape every four-note group as one accompaniment gesture rather than four equal solo notes.
Exercise
Write the broken sequence from the block score, including complete G7. Alternate blocks in odd measures and broken chords in even measures without renaming harmony. Then sing the source melody and remove any attack that competes with it.
Common mistakes
- Symptom: Convenient fingers add a non-chord tone. Correction: Write the pitch set first, then reorder only that set.
- Symptom: Block harmony crowds the bass. Correction: Keep single bass below C3 and harmony at A3 or higher.
- Symptom: Broken chords bury melody. Correction: Reduce weight, omit attacks, or leave phrase-ending space.
Practice pack
1. Prepare
Write eight voicings and confirm G7 contains G, B, D, and F across both hands.
2. Core drills
Play eight block measures, eight broken measures, then sing the source melody over both.
3. Variations
Alternate textures by measure and explain the density change.
4. Self-check
Pass when pitch sets remain fixed, bass is clear, and melody stays prominent.
5. 5-minute route
Spend two minutes on four voicings, one on F/G7, and two comparing C textures.
6. 15-minute route
Spend four minutes on each texture, four adding melody, and three choosing space.
Frequently asked questions
Are broken chord and arpeggio identical terms? They overlap. Here, broken chord means sequential attacks of one voicing; the next lesson develops directional arpeggios and Alberti bass.
Must every broken note last all measure? No. Use finger connection only as clarity requires; pedal must not conceal boundaries.
Why does right-hand G7 start on B3? B3–D4–F4–G4 supplies clear defining tones above root G2 without low-register congestion.
Ready to continue when
- You convert eight voicings between simultaneous and sequential attacks.
- Spelling, bass, and symbols remain unchanged.
- Bass and harmony occupy clear registers.
- Density supports rather than buries melody.