Basic Chord Theory – Triads

The most basic chord in music is the Triad – or three-note chord.  In practice, we don’t actually call them triads – instead, we reference triads as simply major or minor chords – examples:  C  Dmi  Emi F  G  Ami.  There are times when two-note chord fragments are useful for keeping multi-instrument arrangements clean sounding.  Otherwise, the Triad reigns king in the world of music due to its clean, strong sound and versatility.

Chords come from scales.  For this study, we’ll be using the diatonic major scale, since we are all familiar with its structure by now.  To find the notes of any triad, we simply extract every other note from a scale.  The first chord in the C scale is the C chord (of course!), whose three notes are C   E   G:

1                3          5

C       D        E  F       G       A      B  C

We chose C, skipped the 2^nd note D, chose the third note E, skipped the 4^th note F, and chose the 5^th note G. (every other note)

So, we chose the first, third, and fifth note, which is exactly how we refer to these notes.  Another name for the first note is the “Root”.  The third note is called the 3^rd.  And the fifth note is called (you guessed it) the 5^th.  So, we have Root, 3^rd, and 5^th as our chord note names, in this case C E G.

The interval between each note in a Triad is called a 3rd – since they are three notes apart from each other.  So, a triad is comprised of two 3^rd intervals joined together, in this case C to E is our first 3^rd interval, while E to G is our second 3^rd interval.

Earlier we learned that half-step intervals are also called minor 2nds – they are two alpha names apart (E to F)  Another name for whole-step intervals is major 2^nd – also two alpha names apart, but in this case the interval is a whole-step (C to D).

Notice that the C to E third interval is comprised of two whole steps.  Another name for two whole steps is major 3^rd:

1           3

C     D     E =  Root to third

  1      1    =  two whole steps = major 3rd interval.

Looking at the 2^nd third interval in a triad, we see that E to G is comprised of a half-step joined with a whole step, or 1 ½ steps total.  This interval is refereed to as a minor 3rd:

3          5

E   F      G =  third to fifth

 1/2    1    =  1/2 + 1 step = minor 3rd interval.

Joining them both together we get:

1       3       5   =  Root, 3rd, 5th

C       E       G   =  C major triad

    2       1½      =  Major triad structure

So, a major triad is comprised of a major 3^rd joined with a minor 3^rd, the structure being 2 plus 1 ½.

The first chord in all diatonic major keys is a major triad – in this case C major triad, otherwise known simply as C, since protocol says all triads are major unless indicated otherwise.

Now see what happens if we begin on D (2^nd note in the key of C)

       1          3             5

C      D      E   F      G      A      B   C

Again, we chose every other note, this time resulting in D F A, the root, 3^rd, and 5^th.

In this case, the first 3^rd interval is a minor 3^rd:

1          3

D      E   F  =  Root to third

    1    ½    =  1 + 1/2 steps = minor 3rd interval

While the second 3^rd interval in our chord is major:

3             5

F      G      A =  third to fifth

    1      1    =  1 + 1 steps = major 3rd interval

Join both of these 3rds together and we get:

1        3        5   =  Root, 3rd, 5th

D        F        A   =  D minor triad

  1 1/2       1       =  minor triad structure

So, a minor triad structure is the opposite of a major triad structure:

2   +  1 ½  =  major triad structure  (C)

1 ½  +  2    =  minor triad structure  (Dmi)

Note the distance from the Root to 5^th is the same in both cases (3 ½ steps), it is only the 3^rd note of the chord that changes from major to minor.  Or, you can change a C major into a C minor by lowering its 3^rd by a half-step:

C     E     G  =  C major

C     Eb   G  =  C minor

Conversely, you can change a minor chord into a major by raising its 3^rd by a half step:

D     F      A  =  D minor

D     F#    A =  D major

The third determines a chord’s tonality or “quality”, while the root and 5^th only determines its pitch.

If I played just C and G together and asked you what chord I was playing, you do not yet have enough information to answer the question – since C and G (root and 5^th) appear in both C major and C minor.  It is the 3^rd that determines the type of chord.

So far we’ve taken the first two notes of the C diatonic major scale ( C  D), and made them into chords (C  and Dmi).  Every diationic scale has seven chords, since each note can become the root of a chord.  So, we have five more chords left in our C diatonic major scale to extract.  We will do just that in our next blog.

Also, so far, we have learned a couple of new intervals.  Here are the intervals we have learned up to this point, with their distances on a guitar neck:

Interval    Steps    Frets    Example

Minor 2nd     ½        1       C - Db

Major 2nd     1        2       C - D

Minor 3rd     1 ½      3       C - Eb

Major 3rd     2        4       C - E

Perfect 5th   3 ½      7       C – G

Congratulations! You are well on your way to learning chord theory that will lead to an understanding of every chord in music!  A very small percentage of musicians I know understand even these basic chord concepts – by far the most important discussed up to this point.  I encourage you to go over this information until it is solid, and as always do not hesitate to ask any question.

Until next time, I remain,

Musically yours,

Al

All Diatonic Major Scales Exposed!

As promised, for your viewing pleasure – here they are:

Sharp Keys:

G(1):	G	A	B	C	D	E	F#	G
D(2):	D	E	F#	G	A	B	C#	D
A(3):	A	B	C#	D	E	F#	G#	A
E(4):	E	F#	G#	A	B	C#	D#	E
B(5):	B	C#	D#	E	F#	G#	A#	B
F#(6):	F#	G#	A#	B	C#	D#	E#	F#
C#(7):	C#	D#	E#	F#	G#	A#	B#	C#
G#(8):	G#	A#	B#	C#	D#	E#	F##	G#
D#(9):	D#	E#	F##	G#	A#	B#	C##	D#
A#(10):	A#	B#	C##	D#	E#	F##	G##	A#

Flat Keys:

Diatonic Blues Rap

Woke up this mornin' with the pillow on my head
twisted up sheets, had me trapped in the bed

Just kept thinkin' 'bout that music theory blog
poundin' in my brain - lost in a fog

Kept repeatin' that pattern, again and again
would it ever stop?  I didn't know when!

 

Diatonic Major Scales In All 12 Keys

You just need to understand two things to write out all twelve diatonic major scales:

1) The space pattern between notes (structure) and

2) How sharps (#) and flats (b) control those spaces.

Just For Doug – but good for everyone

Though this post applies specifically to Doug, I thought it could be instructive for everyone to see, so decided to make it an open post.  Incidentally, Doug Ross is one of the finest musicians I know – his primary instruments being drums and Dulcimer – for which he is an expert on both.  Feel free to click on his avatar in his comments to learn more about him.

Caution:  you are about to enter the advanced music theory no-spin zone. I only expect you to know the theory relative to diatonic scales that

Keys are the Key!

If music theory seems like chunks and pieces of stuff that don’t relate, you are in the right place.  Fortunately, music theory is extremely logical and organized.  Once you get the basics, it just gets more and more fun as you build into more advanced concepts.

We briefly touched on diatonic major scales in our last blog – now we will dive in and get a clear understanding of what is really happening.  Again, music is based on the first seven letters of the alphabet:

A     B  C     D     E  F     G    A

The Basic Components of Music

The most basic, raw component of music is the Note.  Notes move vertically and horizontally in space.  Vertically, notes move up and down in various intervals of Pitch.  Horizontally notes move forward in various intervals of time (Rhythm).