| Anytime you play a note, skip a note, and play the | | | | 6 (skip 7), 1 (skip 2) 3 |
| next note, you are playing a 3rd. The following are all | | | | 7 (skip 1), 2 (skip 3) 4 |
| 3rds. They're not the same quality (major, minor, etc.), | | | | When you put the notes altogether, it looks like this: |
| but they are all 3rds of some kind. | | | | 1-3-5 = major 1 chord |
| C-E | | | | 2-4-6 = minor 2 chord |
| D-F | | | | 3-5-7 = minor 3 chord |
| E-G | | | | 4-6-1 = major 4 chord |
| F-A | | | | 5-7-2 = major 5 chord |
| G-B | | | | 6-1-3 = minor 6 chord |
| A-C | | | | 7-2-4 = diminished 7 chord |
| B-D | | | | If you do it right, you should hear those chord qualities |
| When you put at least two of those 3rds together, | | | | (major, minor, etc.) above. Now, as far as the notes go, |
| you form a chord. Chords are simply multiple notes | | | | you will only use the notes of the major scale for |
| played at once. Example: | | | | these chords. So, using the scale degree formula |
| C -E + E-G = C-E-G | | | | above, here are all the chords in C: |
| Notice how the two 3rds are formed. The last note of | | | | C major scale: C=1 D=2 E=3 F=4 G= 5 A=6 B=7 |
| the first 3rd is the first note of the last 3rd. This is how | | | | 1-3-5 = C-E-G |
| 95% of chords are formed. This is also how you can | | | | 2-4-6 = D-F-A |
| tell what the root of a chord is, by stacking it in 3rds. | | | | 3-5-7 = E-G-B |
| Are you familiar with the 1-3-5 chords, which is the 1st | | | | 4-6-1 = F-A-C |
| chord built off the 1st scale degree? Do you know | | | | 5-7-2 = G-B-D |
| how to get the rest of the chords? Well, the same | | | | 6-1-3 = A-C-E |
| process you went through to get the 1, 3, & 5 is | | | | 7-2-4 = B-D-F |
| the same process you go through to get the other | | | | When we refer to chords built on scale degrees, the |
| chords. Notice with 1, 3, & 5 how you skipped 2 | | | | chords are now referred to with roman numerals. The |
| & 4. Well you are going to do the same starting | | | | lower case numerals are for minor chords and the |
| on the others. Here is an illustration: | | | | upper case numerals are for major chords. The |
| 1 (skip 2), 3 (skip 4), 5 | | | | diminished vii chord is also in lower case. There are lots |
| 2 (skip 3), 4 (skip 5), 6 | | | | of technical terms (tonic, major, minor chords, and |
| 3 (skip 4), 5 (skip 6) 7 | | | | diatonic scale) to help grasp chords that lead to |
| 4 (skip 5), 6 (skip 7) 1 | | | | understanding chord structures. I hope this simple |
| 5 (skip 6), 7 (skip 1) 2 | | | | explanation helps. |