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In my last blog, I introduced you to the major scale and it’s formula of whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. Now let’s take this information and see how we can apply it to actually making chords out of the major scale.
Just as the major scale has a formula, so does the process of building chords. But first, what is a chord?
Wikipedia describes a chord as “any harmonic set of two or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.” So when we combine more than one tone, we are creating a chord. Since I teach guitar for beginners, we are going to look at some of the chords that would be used in a beginner level guitar lesson. Let’s start with what is called a major chord.
A major chord has a bright, happy sound to it. And yes, there is a formula to build one! Let’s take a look.
The formula for a major chord is 1 – 3 – 5. This means we will be using the first, third and fifth notes in the major scale for that note.
C Scale
As you can see from the scale above, this means we will be using the C, E and G notes from the C major scale. When we combine these three notes and play them together, voilà! We have a C major chord.
Let’s look at another one – the G Scale:
G Scale
Using the formula of 1 – 3 – 5, we would need the G, B and D notes to make a G major chord. Yes, it’s really that simple, but just to prove it to you, let’s look at one more – the D scale:
D Scale
To build a D major chord, we would need, D, F# and A. Easy!
OK, that’s great for the happy major chords. But there are so many other kinds of chords. Another chord we use with beginner guitar is the minor chord. It has a more melancholy sound to it. The formula for a minor chord is 1 – 3b – 5. This means we will be taking the third note and flatting it, or lowing it by one-half step. In the example above for the D scale, instead of playing an F#, we would lower the F# by half a step, making it an F.
Let’s take another look at the C scale:
C Scale
The note in the 3rd position is E, so we would need to flat the E and make it an Eb. So to play a C minor chord, we would need a C, Eb and G. Not so hard, is it? Let’s look at the G scale again:
G Scale
This time we would need to lower the B by half a step, making it a Bb. A G minor chord would consist of G, Bb and D. That’s all there is to it!
Of course, they are many other formulas for building chords. There are formulas for major seventh chords, dominant seventh chords, augmented and diminished chords, the list goes on and on. But once you know the formulas, you can create so many chords.
The next blog will cover what we do with these chords once we have created them — of course there is a formula for that too!
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