A major chord is an increasingly common guitar chord and a key building block of modern music. Therefore, learning this chord is both common and essential to modern composers and performers.
A basic major chord consists of three notes – root note, major third and perfect fifth – plus additional tones through adding sixth or seventh chords.
Root note
Western music is packed with major chords that convey happiness, lightness and hope, found across genres from Classical to pop and even suspense films.
Major chords typically consist of stacking intervals of a third, with the lowest note serving as their root note. However, some chords have multiple roots.
F Major chords contain multiple root notes because of their multiple intervals of a third. Although, it’s possible for any chord type to have multiple root notes; an example being C minor seventh chord which combines major triad and seventh degree of C minor scale, notated as Cm(maj7).
Major third
The major third is a musical interval spanning four half steps or semitones and often known as a perfect fourth. This key ingredient of major chord construction can also be used in triads to form extended chords.
No matter the style of its performance, a major third can sound very different between notes due to two types of whole-step intervals: first being large C-D interval and secondly small D-E interval.
There are various methods for creating major chords, but the most commonly employed is a major triad consisting of a root note, major third note and perfect fifth tone; this chord is known as the major C chord or Cmaj7. Another type of major chord known as Cmaj9 comprises both major sevenths and major thirds to create its chord structure.
Major fifth
When you see the chord symbol “maj5” it indicates that the top note is seven half steps above the root note – known as a major interval, which is more consonant than minor intervals and counts among the group of perfect intervals (unison and octave being examples of perfect intervals).
Major triads and their extensions feature this pattern as it makes them easier to memorize and more stable overall. You can extend these chords further with seventh, ninth or thirteenth chords for added versatility.
Chord progressions are the backbone of songs and can create any atmosphere you desire. Learn the basic chords, scales and musical theory by practicing with songs you enjoy; this will quickly hone your skills. Fender Play offers even more study resources for chords, scales and more!
Minor third
Minor chords consist of only three notes while major chords contain more. While playing minor chords may be slightly more difficult than major ones, they still can be learned quickly.
There are many different kinds of chords; some based on three notes (triads, tetrads and extended chords), while others can include four or more notes (quartal chords and suspended chords). Most chords with three notes or more utilize 3rds as building blocks.
C Major’s ii chord contains a minor third. When songs begin on this chord, it often sounds melancholic or menacing – Greensleeves features this minor third as an example.
Minor fifth
Contrary to what many may believe, minor fifths are not part of any scale or harmonic system. While they can be found in certain chords such as dominant seventh chords, their dissonant tone often creates tension within music and adds tension-building moments in musical pieces.
One reason we associate major and minor chords is due to their associations with emotions; typically we think of major chords as happy while minor chords often bring back sadness for us – this has much to do with their sound being distinct.
An inverted major chord can be composed in various ways. For instance, C major triad can be composed with its root at the bottom, E in the middle and G on top – this arrangement is known as first inversion. Furthermore, you can rearrange its notes to create more complex arrangements of it.
Major chords often sound bright and uplifted, but what gives them that sound?
Answer lies within intervals. These distances determine chord quality.
Although there are various explanations as to why major chords sound happy while minor chords sound sad, the answer most often lies within cultural perceptions.
Root
As with any building or structure, chords require a foundation, known as the root note or “root”. This note represents the lowest note in a chord and should always be considered the “root.” A chord may contain multiple roots; only its lowest note should count as its root note; other notes in a chord are considered its roots if necessary; such chords are known as triads, seventh chords or added tone chords.
When a chord contains multiple roots, it is often referred to as being in inversion. This occurs because its notes can be arranged vertically in different ways while still preserving its identity as a chord; for instance, C major triad could be written with C at the top and E below it in inversion form.
Major Third
A major third is an interval that spans four semitones or two whole steps and often appears first when moving up or down from the tonic note of a chord. Sometimes abbreviated “M3,” it serves as an introduction into chord progressions when transitioning upward or downward from that note.
Intervals can be defined by their number of half steps, and major intervals have one more half step than perfect ones; C to D represents a major second, while C to E represents a major third.
Build major triads within a minor scale by building each degree in turn; this concept is known as the circle of fifths and is essential to understanding music theory.
Perfect Fifth
A perfect fifth is an interval spanning seven semitones between any two notes in a chord; it provides the most consonant or stable interval and forms the basis of all major and minor triads, extensions, or chords.
Sounds strong and heroic and often used in power chords; Perotin’s Viderunt Omnes and Sederunt Principes, Guillaume de Machaut’s Messe de Nostre Dame and Mozart Requiem all end on bare fifths for dramatic effects; these chords can also be found in Sacred Harp singing and rock music.
Training your ear to recognize perfect fifths at sight is best achieved through listening to songs that feature this interval – for instance, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer provide great examples of ascending and descending perfect fifths respectively.
Major Seventh
The major seventh chord is an ideal way to add emotion and depth to your music, as it creates strong and complete endings for cadences.
Major seventh chords can be created by taking a major triad and adding a major seventh note that is one half step below its root note – often seen in piano pieces and jazz music.
Major 7th chords can sound very complex when played correctly in certain contexts. They’re especially striking when played on the first or fourth notes of a major scale and using melody notes as roots – their dissonant interval between root and major 7th is much less apparent than it would be with other chords.
Minor Seventh
Minor seventh chords can be constructed using the same steps as major ones, except with a minor third instead of an exact fifth. For instance, when you lower a C minor scale root E-G-B chord by one semitone to D (a tone 1100 cents sharper than middle C), this results in a minor seventh chord that features one semitone lower third notes than major third notes – such as E-G-B root note E lowered one semitone will create an effective minor seventh chord.
A major 7(b9) chord can be constructed by stacking an unaltered 9 on top of a minor 7th chord or by adding a minor 3rd interval to it – common practices in blues music.
Chord symbols may also include letters i or ia to represent inversions of a chord, letters ib or ic to denote an added sixth note, and/or letters maj to indicate major seventh chords with their sharp eleventh note raised a semitone from its thirteenth note – known as major seven flat five chords or half-diminished chords.