Chords are composed of multiple notes played at once. There are 27 types of chords, though major is by far the most frequently seen chord type.
Major chords create a happy and joyful sound; they consist of three parts – root note, major third, and perfect fifth – combined together to produce their distinctive tonal qualities.
For finding a major chord piano formula, begin with your root note and count up seven half steps (also known as semitones). This will get you to E as the initial scale degree.
Root
Root notes define and characterize any chord, so when learning new piano chords it is crucial that one understands their significance and how to identify them.
A major chord is composed of three notes, the root, major third and perfect fifth. Memorizing its formula is straightforward by counting up through semi-tone steps from your root note – for instance, starting from C you could count up seven half steps until reaching G as your next note.
Follow-on chords are minor, augmented and diminished chords; all three varieties have unique properties and purposes in music composition. A simple way to change from major chords into minor ones is lowering their third note by one half step: this process is known as sus2 or sus4. For more information about sus chords please read my article On Inversions and Sus Chords
Major Third
In the major chord piano formula, the second note is set a major third above its root note – this interval determines whether the chord has major or minor qualities and is an easy way to remember that major and minor chords are opposites (C is opposite F).
The major third between C and E (or the first and third degrees of the C major scale), is four semitone steps – this can easily be visualized on the piano by counting keys, frets or spaces on its keyboard.
Utilizing intervals will enable you to better comprehend how different chords are constructed and why they sound the way that they do, while simultaneously decreasing memorizing by changing from numeric scale degrees to intervals. For instance, to play a C major chord you would begin at its root note and count four half-step steps down until reaching C as the second note – one C should suffice!
Perfect Fifth
A perfect fifth is the most secure and least dissonant interval in any major scale, sounding more pleasant to the ear than major intervals.
To create a major chord, three elements are needed to form it: the root (or base), third and fifth scale elements – with root and third separated by half-step and fifth being another half step to the right.
Find a perfect fifth by counting piano keys from C to E (or F or G). If the fifth is larger by half step you have an augmented or diminished interval and its chord would read C+, Caug, F#5 etc.
Major ninth (maj9) chords add a minor seventh to a major triad, often written as 6/9 or maj9(#11). These intervals can be tricky since triads typically contain major tones while their accompanying augmented ninth must be raised one octave above it.
Suspended Fourth
Suspended chords resemble major triads in form but differ drastically in sound; their third is replaced with either the second or fourth note instead, creating an entirely different tone from a basic major triad. Their formula for playback is 1 – 4 – 5.
As an alternative, suspended chords can also be formed by replacing the fifth with a major second and using chords such as Csus2 or Asus2.
As with all major chords, these can also be inverted using the figured bass symbol to indicate note intervals from the lowest note (bass note) to the chord’s root.
More complex variations on the basic major suspended chord can also be created by adding seventh and ninth extensions to the root chord, creating more depth and complexity in musical compositions such as Queen’s “Start Me Up.” For example, in that song’s climactic moments when its chord switches from C sus4 to F#sus4 gives this track a whole new feel!