If not, don’t worry too much about chord formulas. If this clears things up, it can be a handy tool. Similarly, we can represent the formula for building a major chord as 1-4-3. Thus, the formula for a minor chord is: 1-3-4 For a minor chord, you start with the root, move up 3 semitones to the minor third, then move up another 4 semitones (7 semitones from the root) to the the perfect fifth. One way to remember the different chord formulas is to memorize the intervals between the notes in the chord. Lastly, let’s look at a C Minor chord in a piano roll. Listen for how the tone of the chords differ. Listen to the audio clip below, which will play a C Major chord followed by a C Minor chord. A C Minor chord consists of a C, Eb, and GĪlthough they seem almost identical, the difference is significant.A C Major chord consists of a C, E, and G.Minor chords follow the same pattern as major chords except the middle note is down a half step. Then, we’ll count up 7 semitones from C (or 4 semitones from Eb/D#) to G, which will be our 5th.Then, we’ll count up 3 semitones (i.e.Let’s look at an example: building a C Minor chord. Minor chords are considered to be sad, or ‘serious.’Ī minor chord consists of a root note (1st), a minor third (+3 semitones), and a perfect 5th (+7 semitones). This is a C major chord: C – E – G.Īs you can see, we start counting the half steps from the note above the last one. Then, we’ll count up 7 semitones from C (or 3 semitones from E) to G, which will be our 5th.Then, we’ll count up 4 semitones (i.e.
First, we’ll start with C, which will be our root note.Let’s look at an example: building a C Major chord. Major Chord Ī major chord consists of a root note (1st), a major third (+4 semitones), and a perfect 5th (+7 semitones). It’s alright, we’ll have a look at them all in this post.Įach section will contain an explanation of the mood of a chord, instruction on how to build it, an audio clip of how it sounds, and an image of the chord on a piano roll. You may have heard of a few of these, while others may be foreign. Extended Chords (Ninth, Eleventh, etc.).Some of these aren’t used often, while others are used extensively: There are 9 common chord qualities that you should be aware of. Now, let’s discuss the common chord types, how to build them, and where to find them. If you’re stuck writing a chord progression, but know you want a happy/sad/evil/mysterious chord to follow, all you have to do is choose a chord with that quality. Learning these different chord types will make writing chord progressions easier. Some will sound happy, some will sound sad, and others will sound mysterious. Major is one type of chord quality, as is minor.Įach chord quality has its own distinct sound. The type of chord you are playing depends on the intervals between the notes of the chord.Īnother name for this is the quality of the chord.
Three-note chords are also called triads. While only two notes are needed for a chord, most chords will have at least three. If someone says a chord is a C chord, that means the root note of the chord is a “C”. Some examples include major chords, minor chords, and diminished chords (we’ll get to these later).Ĭhords are built off of one note, called the root note. There are several different chord types, and each chord type has a particular sound. Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s discuss what a chord is.Ī chord is a combination of two or more unique notes.
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