In music, a chord is defined as any set of pitches that are played simultaneously or almost simultaneously. Any group of notes played together in a way where they sound harmonically related, like in arpeggios, can technically be called a chord. In most musical situations however, a chord refers to triads and sometimes 7th chords, mostly related to the notes of a major or minor key. Alongside chord extensions common in genres such as jazz and R&B, these chords are the basis for most of western music.
A “chord cycle” is the term for a short set of chords that repeat over and over within a piece of music. These looping progressions can be the harmonic anchor for a large part of a song or even an entire song. While they have been in use since chordal harmony began in classical music hundreds of years ago, these cycles have become a major ingredient in much of today's popular music.
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