Major chords are one of the cornerstones of music, serving as the building blocks for many songs across all genres and eras. Not just a mere cliche; research indicates that major chords convey optimism and happiness to their listeners.
Studies have reportedly indicated that major chords sound “happy”, while minor chords tend to evoke feelings of sorrow; however, these associations are cultural and not universal.
Triads
Triad chords consist of three unique pitch classes, giving them their own distinctive sound. Triads can be found across many genres of music; each triad has its own particular tone that can be found within it. Triads are extremely consonant and stable even when inverted (when one note inverts as its root note); furthermore, these qualities remain when transferred between keys.
A basic triad consists of three notes – a root, major third and perfect fifth. You can create it easily by starting with any root note and skipping two notes until reaching major third; adding perfect fifth as final note and memorizing easily as an excellent way to begin exploring fretboard.
Playing guitar triads can also help you practice them, with it important to mute low strings so you can hear their notes clearly. Try to play them from different positions to familiarize yourself with how their sounds change when the bass note moves up an octave.
Major thirds
A major third is an interval spanning four half steps in music theory, making it the larger of two common thirds (minor being another one).
Three major thirds are equal to an octave, so you can stack them starting from any note in the chromatic scale to create what is known as the circle of thirds – an essential concept when learning chord progressions.
Major chords go beyond just triads; in genres such as jazz you will also encounter Major seventh and Major ninth chords that add additional tones to the major triad. To play these, one must acquire basic knowledge on chord extensions.
Use major chords to construct augmented and diminished chords, which offer a dramatic alternative to their more buoyant sound. You’ll find examples in our ear training songlist!
Major fifths
Major chords come in various varieties. One way of expanding them is to add an additional sixth chord triad, creating what is known as a major sixth (maj6) chord. Other extensions include major ninth (also called maj9) and dominant seventh chords (Dm7) – often written without abbreviations “maj”.
A major chord can be divided into three elements, with its core comprised of three notes – its root note, major third note and perfect fifth – each played on their own note. A major third should always be four half steps higher than its root note for optimal sounding chords across keys.
The major fifth is an often-heard interval in music, such as at the opening chord to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. This chord consists of C, E and G – it is called diatonic chord; other types may use other degrees or have different names altogether (called non-diatonic).
Subdominant
Subdominants serve as musical relief from tonic chords, creating an escape from tension-inducing dominants. If desired, subdominant chords can also be flattened further to produce major seventh chords for an added chromatic vibe and tension relief.
Subdominant chords in any scale usually consist of major triads built upon the fourth scale degree, usually G in major keys and F in minor keys.
Subdominant chords are generally introduced through progressions featuring dominants, providing an element of anticipation or preparation before reaching their resolution to tonic chords. Dominant chords built on scale degree 5 are represented with Roman numeral V; sometimes known by this designation or even simply called IV chords in certain situations.