To form a major chord, simply combine the first, third and fifth notes from any major scale together – this way you won’t change its shape by moving these same notes up or down an octave!
Chord formulas form the backbone of all chords, remaining unaffected regardless of which key you play in.
Triads
Use this triad-building cheat sheet to quickly learn major chords across all keys. This chart displays formulas for common triad types as well as both white-note and black-note triads; additionally it details their interval relationships to particular scales.
Triads are formed using the first, third and fifth scale tones as landmarks to aid their construction. An augmented triad, for instance, can be constructed out of any major chord shape; its name is Caug (C + E + G).
Learning triads is an effective way of becoming acquainted with all major chords. Once mastered, triads can help you play songs or replace full chords as part of rhythmic accompaniment – helping keep hands in sync!
Seventh chords
Chords are the core of most songs. Their use can evoke feelings and moods in music, particularly if used correctly. Major and minor chords are two of the fundamental building blocks in Western music; they form the basis of most other chords like seventh or ninth chords which add an interval to a major triad’s root note for more complex sounds that often make an appearance in genres such as jazz music.
Major seventh chords can be thought of as major triads with the third scale degree flattened out – such as C, E and G in this example – while minor seventh chords follow a similar formula but include an additional minor third note; this rule holds for any key.
Knowledge of these essential major and minor chords will expand your chord vocabulary, improve song interpretation and develop your improvisation abilities. Take time to master them thoroughly; over time they’ll become second nature.
Diminished chords
Diminished chords feature dissonant sounds and can be used to create tension in music, before being resolved with more stable major or minor chords. Diminished chords may also serve as transitions between different key areas in songs.
Diminished chords may seem difficult to learn and play, but they’re actually very straightforward. Based on a diminished triad, they only differ from major chords by adding half-steps onto their root note to form third and fifth notes.
The diminished 7th chord is one of the most widely used diminished chords, consisting of root, third and flattened fifth (which is lower than fourth by one step). This chord contains 1f3-f5-f7 notes. Sometimes called an Fsdim7 or Ddim7 chord.