Chord progressions are at the core of every song. Memorizing them takes practice; but are there any shortcuts available to speed up learning them?
Use this interactive music theory cheat sheet to quickly build major chords from any key’s diatonic scale and easily view major/minor relationships, chord formulas and key signatures at a glance.
Circle of Fifths
The circle of fifths is an invaluable tool for anyone wanting to deepen their musical theory knowledge. It shows how different keys relate to one another and demonstrates chord progressions against key signatures, as well as explaining how keys with sharps and flats are arranged relative to one another. C sits at 12 o’clock on this circle; as you move clockwise around it, notes rise in perfect fifths while counter-clockwise notes decrease with every step taken anti-clockwise adding flats along their route.
To quickly identify the key of a song, just look at its circle of fifths and count how many flats or sharps there are in its scale. Mnemonic devices may help as well – one popular one being “Father Charles Goes Down and Ends the Battle” (FCGDAEB). Download an HD version here.
Key Signatures
Key signatures indicate the number of sharps and flats used in a piece of music. Unfortunately, this can sometimes be difficult to identify, particularly if its composition shifts in focus between notes or chords during its course. To narrow down a key signature more precisely, focus on its melodic content and harmonic structure and see where its tonal center lies.
Key signatures not only make music easier to read, they also identify which major scale the song was composed in – making interpretation and improvisation much simpler for musicians.
Flatted key signatures indicate which minor scale it falls under; generally speaking this will be either D Dorian or G Mixolydian minor modes; however if the piece is tonic minor (an extremely rare form) then most likely just in C minor; since its key signature lies directly above its relative major key signature.
Major Triads
The major triad is an indispensable staple of music across genres and generations. Composed of three notes with an attractive sound, this chord can convey emotions or spark creative inspiration – all without being complicated and difficult to learn.
Triads can be divided into four distinct classes (major, minor, diminished and augmented) according to their quality: major, minor, diminished and augmented triads are defined by the intervals between their roots and thirds and fifths – major ones exist on scale degrees I through V; minor ones on degrees II or VII (for instance) while diminished ones could even form on any scale degree at all!
To create a major triad, start from the root on the staff and draw two notes that are third and fifth above it. Add any accidentals that might apply from key signature to notes in your triad to complete your major chord! This process can also be repeated to form minor, diminished and augmented chords.
Minor Triads
Minor chords are an invaluable tool for creating melodies on the fretboard, and their formula – 1 b3 5 (one, flat three, five) is easy to remember: just remember that “b” stands for dropping third of major scale by half step.
Due to octave equivalence, triads may be identified regardless of any doublings or open spacing of notes; for ease of identification however, all presented triads will feature closed spacing with no doublings.
A major and minor triad differ significantly by having their third note flattened by one note in a minor triad, often creating an emotional difference in sound between happy and sad-sounding chords. Just like major triad shapes, practicing these minor triad shapes across strings will allow you to become comfortable playing these chords in any key.