Major : Root – major 3rd – 5th Triads Example: The C major chord If we want to find the notes of the C major chord, Chords can have 3 or more notes in it. 1. start with C as the root. Three note chords are called triads. 2. Find the major 3rd of C (E). The 4 Triads- Major, minor, augmented, 3. Find the fifth of C (G) diminished C major chord = C E G Major chord, minor chord, augmented chord and Relation between the note sequence and diminished chord each are played with just three notes – interval names in the chord spelling hence they are triads. If we look at the sequence of notes : C C# D D # E F F# G… etc, the major scale is made of Root – 5th note of The major chord the sequence – 8th note of the sequence. Symbols The 5th note of the interval sequence is a major third C major chord can be written as note – it makes a major 3rd interval with the root. The 8th 1. C major note of the sequence of intervals is the perfect fifth note 2. C (just the note name) – it makes a perfect fifth interval with the root. 3. CMA The major chord is made of the root, major 3rd note and For chord naming, it is better to remember the note fifth. sequence in terms of the interval naming. Practice The minor chord 1. Find the notes of the F major chord using the note sequence, picking the 1st, 5th and 8th notes Minor chord : Root – minor 3rd – 5th 2. Find the notes of the F major chord using the Symbols: interval naming, picking the root, major 3rd and B minor chord can be written as : perfect 5th notes B min 3. Find the notes of E major chord using the interval B – naming, picking the root, major third and perfect Bm fifth with respect to E. 4. Flatten each note of the F major chord found in Example : the C minor chord (2). See that it has the same notes as E major Suppose we want the C minor chord. chord, found in (3) 1. Start with C as the root. 5. Find the major chord of D# using interval naming 2. Find the minor 3rd of C (Eb), using the interval sequence. name sequence and the note sequence. 6. Find the Bb major chord spelling using interval 3. Find the fifth of C (G) naming sequence C minor chord = C Eb G 7. Write down the note sequence and corresponding Sequence of notes and interval naming interval naming starting from the note Gb. If we look at the sequence of notes : C C# D D # E F F# 8. Find the Gb major chord spelling. G… etc, Major scale is made of Root – 4th note of the sequence – Any minor chord is formed of : root, minor 3rd, fifth 8th note of the sequence 4th note of the sequence is the minor third note, 8th note To get the C minor chord, all we have to do is change of the sequence is the fifth note – therefore when writing the major third note to minor third note. in terms of interval names, E.g. C major to minor chord minor chord: root – minor 3rd - fifth C major chord has the notes : C E G Major and minor – the One Note C is the root, E is major third, G is fifth difference In the C major chord, E is the major third note. Minor third note is the note is the note just before major 1. A scale or chord is minor if the third note in the third, in the sequence of notes. associated scale is a minor 3rd. One note before E is Eb (or D#). 2. A scale or chord is major if the third note in the associated scale is a major 3rd. C minor chord has the notes : C Eb G (same as C D# G) The major or minor quality of a chord or scale is entirely dependent on just the third note being major or minor, To get a minor chord from a major chord : respectively. identify the root, major third and fifth of the Changing a minor chord to major and vice chord versa change the major third note to minor third note Any major chord is formed of: root - major third - fifth Minor third note is the note is the note just before major 5. F is the fifth of a major chord. What is the root of third, in the sequence of notes. the chord? What is the third note of the chord.?How will you change the chord to a minor To get a major chord from a minor chord : chord? identify the root, minor third and fifth change the minor third note to major third. Major third is the note that comes just after the minor chord note in the sequence of notes. Practice 1. G# B D# : Take G# as the root, find if B is a major third or minor third. Find that D# is the fifth. Which chord is it? 2. Find the notes of the F minor chord. 3. By shifting the minor third note in the F minor chord to a major 3rd note, find the notes of the F major chord. 4. What are the notes of B major chord. What is the third note. How you will you form the B minor chord from the notes of B major chord? The Augmented Chord The Diminished Chord Augmented chord : Root – major 3rd – sharp 5th (minor Diminished chord : Root – minor 3rd – flat 5th (the 6th note) sharp 4th note) Symbols Symbols D augmented chord can be written as: F diminished chord can be written as : D Aug F dim D+ FO D+ Diminished chord can be remembered as a minor chord with the fifth flattened. Augmented chord can be remembered as a major chord with the fifth sharpened Example: the C Diminished chord To get a diminished chord, flatten the fifth note of the Example: the C Augmented chord minor chord from the same root. Sharpen the fifth of a major chord to get the C Minor chord has the notes C Eb G (root – minor 3rd – augmented chord with the same root note. fifth) Flatten the fifth; flatten the G to get Gb We know that the C Major chord has the notes : C – E – The C Diminished chord has the notes : C Eb Gb G (root – major3rd – fifth) Fifth of C major chord is G. Sharp of G is G#. So, C Augmented has the notes : C E G# Practice 9. The note E is the third note of an augmented 1. What are the notes of D augmented chord? chord. If so, which augmented chord is it? 2. Change the fifth of D augmented chord to get the (options : Bb+, Cb aug, C augmented) notes of D major chord 10. Which diminished chord has the note E as the 3. When you sharpen the fifth of Cb diminished third note? chord, would you get a Cb major chord or Cb minor chord? 4. What chord do you get when you flatten the C# note of the F# minor chord? 5. What are the notes of G# major chord? Which note of the G# major chord when flattened gives you the G# minor chord? 6. Which note of the G# minor chord when flattened gives the G# diminished chord? 7. How many changes do you have to make to the Bb diminished chord to get the Bb augmented chord? Which are the chords you get in after each change? 8. To get the diminished chord from an augmented chord, you have to sharpen a note and flatten a note – is the statement true or false? Triads from each note of the Diatonic chords of C major scale I C-E-G Cmaj major scale 1-3-5 Take the major scale: C - D - E - F - G - A - B – C ii D-F-A Dmin Form a triad chord from C by choosing notes from the 1-b3-5 scale : iii E-G-B Emin 1. Start from C 1-b3-5 2. skip D 3. take E IV F-A-C Fmaj 4. skip F 1-3-5 5. take G We get the notes C E G which forms the C major chord. V G-B-D Gmaj 1-3-5 Similarly we build a triad starting from each note of the vi A-C-E Amin scale taking two more notes from the scale, skipping a 1-b3-5 note in between. These chords are called diatonic chords – meaning vii B-D-F Bdim ‘within the scale’ 1-b3-b5 The chords found above are the ‘safe chords’ which you 5. Which major scale will have Em F#m and G as can play for songs in the C major scale. diatonic chords? 6. Which major scale will have Dm C B flat and Am Try playing those chords. They are useful to play a large as diatonic chords? number of songs. Once you are familiar with them, you can transpose them to any other root – D or G or F# and use for songs in those roots. Practice: 1. verify that D FA forms a minor chord. (check if the third note is a minor or a major 3rd) 2. verify that B D F is a diminished triad 3. write down the E major scale (first write down the sequence from E to E, write down the intervals associated with each note, see the interval formula for major scale, choose the notes based on the formula).