Welcome to
About Chords
This section will help you understand chords and their construction .
| Your basic chord consists
of 3 notes - the root, third and fifth - called
a "triad" So, if we take the scale of C major as an example, we'll put together the chord of C major. C D E F G A B C The root note is C The 3rd note from C is E The 5th note from C is G These 3 notes - C, E & G - sounded together produce the chord of C major. Taking the scale of C major again, we'll build a chord with D as the root. C D E F G A B C Now the root is D The 3rd note from D is F The 5th note from D is the A These 3 notes - D, F & A - sounded together produce the chord of D minor. |
| If you built a chord on
each of the notes in C major you would have 7 chords: C major C E G D minor D F A E minor E G B F major F A C G major G B D A minor A C E B diminished (more later !) B D F These chords form the key of C major. They are the basis for harmonising melodies & songs in that key. See "Sessions" for more on this! |
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