Mastering chord theory will give you an advantage in songwriting, as well as make understanding your favorite songs easier.
Triads are the simplest type of chord. Composed of three notes placed a third apart, they can produce many distinctive soundscapes due to intervals.
Major Triad
The major triad is the fundamental building block of all chords, consisting of three notes (root note, major third and perfect fifth in scale). All three notes can be played anywhere on an octave so long as they stay a major triad.
A triad’s quality is determined by its intervals. Major triads have an energetic and happy sound, while minor and diminished triads produce sadder and contemplative tones.
Any note in the major scale can serve as the root note for a triad. Triads constructed from do, fa, sol (1, 3, 5 tones of the major scale) are major; those constructed using mi, re and la tones (Miracle Reign Lair La) are minor. Each of the 12 major triads can be formed from any point on the fretboard – all you need to learn are basic shapes and apply your knowledge of intervals.
Minor Triad
Minor triad chords consist of three note chords composed of a root, minor third and perfect fifth; these chords often use “flat” notation because their third note has been moved down half step from its original major scale interval.
A chord is the combination of multiple notes that are played sequentially or arpeggiated – this is how much of music is constructed, so having a firm grasp on chords and their various qualities is essential for successful musical composition.
Minor triads can be easily formed from major ones by simply lowering the third, creating the minor tonic tone. Knowing this formula allows you to apply it across any genre of music.
Major Scale
One of the most fundamental scales to learn is the major scale. Nearly every chord and melodic progression found in Western music begins here.
The major scale is characterized by its characteristic pattern of whole steps and half steps – known as intervals – that form its pattern. They differ slightly from pentatonic scale steps but larger than diatonic ones in size and are thus better suited to major-key use.
Every major scale features its own key signature, consisting of sharps and flats arranged clockwise or counterclockwise from C – without sharps or flats in between them.
Note that the key of a scale corresponds with its name; it is identified by its first black note on the left-hand side of its diagram. For example, the key of C major scale is middle C; this allows it to be played either an octave higher (another C), or lower (an F), as well as with flats and sharps as appropriate.
Minor Scale
Minor scale notes differ significantly from major scale notes in their arrangement and composition, with three flats rather than four sharps in C minor as accidentals; they do not form part of its key signature, however; instead, they appear each time chords are played.
Music composed in minor keys often has an introspective, mournful tone due to their notes having distinct patterns and relationships with one another.
Natural, harmonic and melodic minor scales exist. Natural minor is the most prevalent variety and offers its own distinctive sound; harmonic and melodic versions use similar notes from major scales with one lower note on sixth and seventh degrees to produce slightly different sounds.
Raising the sixth degree in harmonic minor produces a major chord; raising the seventh in melodic minor produces a diminished chord which sounds crunchier than its major counterpart.