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Question about the "Top Note"


CBHandle

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Posted

Is The Top Note the Highest Note in the Chord, or the Highest Note being Played. For Instance; If an E7 has the third (F#) sounding as the Highest note , is F# or D the Top Note?

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Posted

Assuming you meant G#, if the highest sounding note in the voicing is G#, then G# is the top note.

 

 

Yes, I meant G#. I hope I made a Typo, I'd hate to thimk I'm dyslexic.

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Posted

Top note, AFAIK, refers to the highest note of a particular voicing.

 

 

So if I was playing the Piano, my right pinky would be the Top Note? I've been looking all over the net and local library, but I can't find anything.

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Posted

Don't get too caught up in terminology.

Most of the time, when we first learn to "spell" chords, we're taught to do it from bottom to top (i.e. root, 3rd, 5th etc.). I think it's done that way because it's easier to explain.

But in some styles of music, music is often harmonized from top to bottom. This way, the highest note is melody, and the harmonized notes are underneath.

Does that help? Or did I explain something you already know?

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Posted

the "top note" in theory is typically the highest note if you stack the chord in thirds (for chords that can be stacked in thirds).

example: A root position g on guitar (3 2 0 0 0 3 3) would have a g being the highest frequency note, but you would refer to the d as the highest note in the chord because it is the highest of the three (g, b, d).

Stack the chord to find the "top note"

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