Major Triad (chord)
• A chord is three or more notes played
simultaneously
Major Triad (chord)
• A chord is three or more notes played
simultaneously
– Two notes played together is not a chord, but
it can suggest a chord
Major Triad (chord)
• By definition the first, third, and fifth tones
of the major scale are the tones that
comprise a Major Chord
• If we look at a C scale
–C D E F G A B C
Major Triad (chord)
• By definition the first, third and fifth tones
of the major scale are the tones that
comprise a Major Chord
• If we look at a C scale
–C D E F G A B C
• C is the First
Major Triad (chord)
• By definition the first, third and fifth tones
of the major scale are the tones that
comprise a Major Chord
• If we look at a C scale
–C D E F G A B C
• C is the First
• E is the Third
Major Triad (chord)
• By definition the first, third and fifth tones
of the major scale are the tones that
comprise a Major Chord
• If we look at a C scale
–C D E F G A B C
• C is the First
• E is the Third
• G is the Fifth
Major Triad (chord)
• Do you remember our scales from the last
session?
• Let’s look at how the C scale in a linear
form.
Major Triad (chord)
• A major triad consists of the first tone, the
third tone, and the fifth tone of the major
scale. (I-iii-V)
– That is for a C chord we have the first tone (or
root), C; the third tone, E; and the fifth tone G.
Major Triad (chord)
• If we look at a G scale
–G A BCD EFG
• G is the First
• B is the Third
• D is the Fifth
Major Triad (chord)
• We can get all the Major chords in a
similar way
• Let’s look at this from last month
Major Triad (chord)
• We can get all the Major chords in a
similar way
• Let’s look at this from last month
First
Major Triad (chord)
• We can get all the Major chords in a
similar way
• Let’s look at this from last month
First
Third
Major Triad (chord)
• We can get all the Major chords in a
similar way
• Let’s look at this from last month
First
Third
Fifth
Major Triad (chord)
• The common chords you most likely will
play are:
Minor Triad (chord)
• To make a minor chord you take the major
chord and flat the third
Dominant Seventh Chord
• To make a dominant seventh chord (G7,
D7, E7, etceteras) you add a flatted (or
minor) seventh to the major chord.
Dominant Seventh Chord
• You may wonder why we added a flatted
seventh to the major chord.
• Observe the proper name for the chord is
the Dominant Seventh Chord.
– That means we took the chord from another
scale — the scale for which the seventh chord
is the dominant tone. (I.E. the fourth.)
• G7 comes for the C scale, D7 comes from the G
scale, etceteras.
Other Chords
A sixth chord is the I-iii-V-vi
A ninth chord is the I-iii-V-ix
A six-nine chord is I-iii-V-vi-ix
A major seventh chord is I-iii-V-viiio
An augmented chord is I-iii-#V
A diminished chord is I-biii-bVA diminished seventh chord is I-biii-bV-bbvii
Other Chords
A minor sixth chord is the I-biii-V-vi
A minor ninth chord is the I-biii-V-ix
A minor six-nine chord is I-biii-V-vi-ix
A minor (dominant) seventh chord is I-biii-V-bviiio
Chord Inversions
• There are three different ways to play a
Major Chord
Chord Inversions
• There are three different ways to play a
Major Chord
• The root position
G
E
C
Chord Inversions
• The first inversion
C
G
E
Chord Inversions
• The second inversion
E
C
G
Chord Inversions
• All three together
Root
G
E
C
First Inversion Second Inversion
C
G
E
E
C
G
Inversions apply to all chords not just major chords
Chord Doubling
• There are only three tones in a Major
Chord
– The root, the third, and the fifth
Chord Doubling
• There are only three tones in a Major
Chord
– The root, the third, and the fifth
• If we have fourth tone and one of the tones
is repeated at a different octave, that is
called doubling
Chord Doubling
• There are only three tones in a Major
Chord
– The root, the third, and the fifth
• If we add fourth tone and one of the tones
is repeated at a different octave, that is
called doubling (within a chord)
C
G
E
C
Chord Doubling
• Doubling may be done in any inversions.
• Any tone in a chord can be doubled
• If you have five, six, seven, etceteras,
tones in a chord and all the tones are
either the root, third, or fifth tones, it is
doubling.
• Doubling may be done in any chord not
just a major chord.
Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Major Chord
Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Major Chord
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the third is a Major Third
Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Major Chord
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the third is a Major Third
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the Fifth is a Perfect Fifth
Major Chord
• There are some things you should know
about a Major Chord
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the third is a Major Third
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the Fifth is a Perfect Fifth
• The harmonic interval between the third
and the fifth is a Minor Third
Major Chord
• Let’s graphically look at a major chord
G
Minor Third
E
Perfect Fifth
Major Third
C
Minor Chord
• There are some things you should know
about a Minor Chord
Minor Chord
• There are some things you should know
about a Minor Chord
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the third is a Minor Third
Mlnor Chord
• There are some things you should know
about a Minor Chord
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the third is a Minor Third
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the Fifth is a Perfect Fifth
Minor Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Minor Chord
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the third is a Minor Third
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the Fifth is a Perfect Fifth
• The harmonic interval between the third
and the fifth is a Major Third
Minor Chords
• Let’s graphically look at a minor chord
G
Major Third
Eb
Perfect Fifth
Minor Third
C
Augmented Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Augmented Chords
Augmented Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Augmented Chords
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the third is a Major Third
Augmented Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Augmented Chords
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the third is a Major Third
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the Fifth is a Augmented Fifth
Augmented Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Augmented Chords
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the third is a Major Third
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the Fifth is a Augmented Fifth
• The harmonic interval between the third
and the fifth is a Major Third
Augmented Chords
• A graphic look at an augmented chord
G#
Major Third
E
Augmented Fifth
Major Third
C
Augmented Chords
• There are only four augmented chords
– C E G# (E G# B#) (G# B# D##) Ab
– G B D# (B D# F##) (D# F## A##)  Eb
– F A C# (A C# E#) (C# F A)
– D F# A# (F# A# C##) (A# C## E##) Bb
Diminished Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Diminished Seventh Chords
Diminished Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Diminished Seventh Chords
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the flatted third is a Minor Third
Diminished Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Diminished Seventh Chords
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the flatted third is a Minor Third
• The harmonic interval between the flatted
third and the flatted fifth is a Minor Third
Diminished Chords
• There are some things you should know
about a Diminished Seventh Chords
• The harmonic interval between the root
and the flatted third is a Minor Third
• The harmonic interval between the flatted
third and the flatted fifth is a Minor Third
• The harmonic interval between the flatted
fifth and the double flatted seventh is a
Minor Third
Diminished Chords
• A graphic look at a diminished chord
Bbb
Minor third
Gb
Minor third
Eb
Minor third
C
Diminished Chords
• There are only three diminished seventh chords
– C Eb Gb Bbb
• (Eb Bbb Dbb) (Gb Bbb Dbb Fbb)
• (Bbb Dbb Fbb Gb) A
– G Bb Db Fb
• (Bb Dbb Fbb Abb) (Db Fb Abb Cbb)
• (Fb Abb Cbb Ebbb) E
– F Ab Cb Eb
• (Ab Cb Eb Gbb) (Cb Eb Gb Bbb) B
• (Eb Gb Bbb Dbb)
Diminished Chords
• Sometimes you may read or hear a
reference to a half diminished chord
Diminished Chords
• Sometimes you may read or hear a
reference to a half diminished chord
• A half diminished chord is the same as a
diminished chord but there is no seventh
tone in the half diminished chord.
Diminished Chords
• Sometimes you may read or hear a
reference to a half diminished chord
• A half diminished chord is the same as a
diminished chord but there is no seventh
tone in the half diminished chord.
• Diminished C Eb Gb Bbb
• Half diminished C Eb Gb
Diminished Chords
• The purpose of a diminished chord is to
create tension and unrest.
• Therefore, I ask why would one use a half
diminished chord?
A rhetorical question
Chords
Chords
Pop Quiz
• What is the difference between a C6 chord
and an Am7?
• C6 = C E G A
• Am7 = A C E G
Chords
End of presentation
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Major Triad (chord)
• Likewise for any major chord: