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Building Chords
LESSONS: 1 MAJOR CHORDS 2 MINOR CHORDS 3 AUGMENTED & DIMINISHED CHORDS 4 CHORD SYMBOLS
Building chords has a lot to do with scales. A chord is when more than one note is played at the same time. Chords can be major or minor, augmented or diminished. We will be focusing on major and minor chords, and how to construct them. Typically, a chord is made up of notes 1, 3 and 5 ("triad") of the relevant scale. Extensions, such as 7th, 9th, 11th, etc. can also be added to chords to achieve fuller sounds.
MAJOR CHORDS
Major chords are built on the 1st, 3rd and 5th interval of the relevant major scale.
Step 1: Write out the scale of the root note (1st note) and number each note.
Step 2: Find the 3rd interval
Step 3: Find the 5th interval
EXAMPLE 1: C Major Chord
Let's try an example with the C major chord.
The first step is to write out a C major scale. (If you are unsure about how to do this, see the Scales page and practice some quizzes!). The C is referred to as the 'root note'.
Step 1: Write the scale and number each note.
C Major -
C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Step 2: Find the 3rd interval
C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Step 3: Find the 5th interval
C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Now, we have the notes C E G. These are the notes played in a C major chord!
EXAMPLE 2: D Major Chord
Let's try an example with the D major chord.
The first step is to write out a D major scale. (If you are unsure about how to do this, see the Scales page and practice some quizzes!).
Step 1: Write the scale and number each note.
D Major -
D E F# G A B C# D
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Step 2: Find the 3rd interval
D E F# G A B C# D
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Step 3: Find the 5th interval
D E F# G A B C# D
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Now, we have the notes D F# A. These are the notes played in a D major chord!
MINOR CHORDS
Minor chords are also built on the 1st, 3rd and 5th interval of the relevant minor scale.
Step 1: Write out the scale of the root note (1st note) and number each note.
Step 2: Find the 3rd interval
Step 3: Find the 5th interval
EXAMPLE 1: A Minor Chord
Let's try an example with the A minor chord.
The first step is to write out a A minor scale. (If you are unsure about how to do this, see the Scales page and practice some quizzes!). The A is referred to as the 'root note'.
Step 1: Write the scale and number each note.
A minor -
A B C D E F G A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Step 2: Find the 3rd interval
A B C D E F G A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Step 3: Find the 5th interval
A B C D E F G A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Now, we have the notes A C E. These are the notes played in an A minor chord!
EXAMPLE 2: C Minor Chord
Let's try an example with the C minor chord.
The first step is to write out a C minor scale. (If you are unsure about how to do this, see the Scales page and practice some quizzes!). The C is referred to as the 'root note'.
Step 1: Write the scale and number each note.
C minor -
C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Step 2: Find the 3rd interval
C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Step 3: Find the 5th interval
C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Now, we have the notes C Eb G. These are the notes played in an C minor chord! An easy way to construct minor chords is to do the same as the major scale, and then flatten the 3rd interval (step 2's note).
AUGMENTED & DIMINISHED
An augmented chord has the same intervals as a major chord, except the 5th interval is raised. It could look like 1, 3, 5#.
A diminished chord has the same intervals as a major chord, except the 5th interval is flattened. It could look like 1, 3 (minor scale 3rd), 5b.
Example C augmented: C D E F G A B C, and raise the G = C E G#
Example C diminished: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C, and flatten the G = C Eb Gb
SYMBOLS
Depending on the quality of the triad (major, minor, augmented, diminished), different symbols are used instead of writing out the type every time. Below are examples using C as the root note for each.
Major: C, CM, Cmaj
Minor: Cm, Cmin, C-
Augmented: C+, Caug, C+5
Diminished: Cdim, C
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