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 B C D E F G

• 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

FirstThird

Major Triad (chord)• We can get all the Major chords in a

similar way

• Let’s look at this from last month

FirstThird 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-bV-

A 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 positionG

E

C

Chord Inversions

• The first inversionC

G

E

Chord Inversions

• The second inversionE

C

G

Chord Inversions

• All three together

Root First Inversion Second InversionG C E

E G C

C E 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

Major Triad (chord)

• Likewise for any major chord: