No matter if it be Classical music, ’90s pop hits or your original compositions; major chords will likely be one of the first things you learn as they’re easy and straightforward.
Major chords consist of three elements from any scale that combine to produce its distinctive, bright sound: root, third and fifth of that scale.
Major Triads
Major chords tend to be bright and upbeat, and are the backbone of many upbeat genres like pop, country and classic rock. On the other hand, minor chords tend to be darker and deeper with an emotional depth that suggests introspection or melancholy.
As soon as it comes to major chords, one thing must be made clear. A major chord consists of three distinct notes strung together and this form what’s known as a triad.
So for example, a C major triad comprises C (root), E (third), and G (fifth), although they don’t necessarily need to be played in this order; you could write “C-E-G-B”, and either way it would still count as a C major chord.
A major chord can be distinguished from its minor counterpart based on the distances between its root, third, and fifth notes; specifically in regards to their intervals: A major triad has major third between bottom and middle notes as well as minor third between middle and top notes; with perfect fifths situated between outer notes for added effect.
Minor Triads
Minor chords are easy to learn once you know how to form major triads; simply flattening the third note of a major scale by half steps creates a minor triad.
One way to find a minor triad is to count the semitones up from its root note – for instance if the second note in a major triad was C, its fourth note in a minor triad would be E – then by increasing two semitones from E to F you will get G as your fifth note!
Minor chords play an essential role in all genres of music, making their understanding essential for becoming an adept musician. They frequently serve both tonic and dominant functions while adding an atmospheric or melancholic feeling to chord progressions.
Musicians will often borrow chords from outside the minor key in order to add something different and subvert expectations while giving songs an unconventional sound without going too far out of their comfort zones. This technique provides an effective way of subverting expectations while adding something different without going too far from its roots.
Major 7ths
Major 7th chords can be formed by adding the seventh note from a major scale to a triad. Thus, their root, third, and fifth notes will remain similar to a major triad while additionally adding an added major seventh above their tonic, or first note in the major scale.
This method gives chords more richness and power than would otherwise be achieved through basic triads, giving Romantic-era piano pieces, jazz music and pop songs an additional layer of richness and power. You might come across them when listening to or performing these styles of music.
Songs rarely use one type of chord exclusively, often employing multiple to build tension and release it through various chords. Minor chords also help add contrast and emotional impact – something major or minor chords alone cannot achieve! Achieving certain emotions requires mixing both major and minor chords together!
Minor 7ths
As most are likely aware, major chords are composed from individual notes that form part of a scale; specifically the C major scale. This specific scale features seven separate notes and can be expressed through whole and half steps.
Minor chords are formed from specific notes within an A natural minor scale; one distinguishing feature from its C major counterpart is that third and seventh notes are flattened, creating what we refer to as a minor 7th chord.
Minor 7ths can be easily formed using a minor triad with an added seventh note, such as this example: To construct this chord, simply add an added minor seventh to the root chord, as shown: