chordal

American  

[kawr-dl] / ˈkɔr dl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a chord.

2. of or relating to music that is marked principally by vertical harmonic movement rather than by linear polyphony.

---

Other Word Forms

• prechordal adjective

Etymology

Origin of chordal

First recorded in 1610–20; chord ² + -al ¹

Example Sentences

But as the chordal relationships change, Krimsky incorporates jazz locomotion, gradually and naturally.

From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2023

When Delaney first asks how she patterns a particularly complex chordal progression, she responds simply: “It was easy. Orange and teal go together.”

From Washington Post • Apr. 20, 2023

Not a lot, just some tweaking to make it a little more interesting in a chordal sense.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2022

Drawing from classical and jazz methods, the chordal instruments will play strictly notated music written by Zorn while Roeder and Sorey will improvise around them.

From New York Times • Dec. 12, 2019

Typically, a batch of four might have been commissioned, with two or even three of the four calibrated to a lower pitch to make a fuller, self-contained chordal sound.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall