Understanding Chords
As mentioned in lesson 3, a chord is a group of 3 or more notes played simultaneously. Different types of chords can be formed by using different combinations of notes. The most common type of chord is the major chord. All major chords contain three notes, taken from the major scale of the same letter name. These three notes are the 1 (first), 3 (third) and 5 (fifth) degrees of the major scale, so the chord formula for the major chord is:
C Major Chord
C
Chord Symbol
1 3 5
Chord Formula
C E G
Notes in Chord
The C major chord is constructed from the C major scale. When this chord formula is applied to the following C major scale, it can be seen that the C major chord contains the notes C, E and G.
C Major Scale
Once you have the correct notes for a C chord, you can double each of the notes as many times as you like. As long as the notes are still C, E and G, you will still have a C chord. For example, if you exhale through the harmonica and run your mouth from the bottom to the top of the instrument (holes 1 to 10) you produce a giant C chord covering three octaves, because all of the exhale notes on the C harmonica are either C, E or G.
Chords can be played more easily on some instruments than others. Two of the most common instruments used for chord playing are the guitar and the keyboard. Like the harmonica, it is possible to double (or even triple) the notes of a chord on these instruments. As long as you play the correct notes for any chord, they can be arranged in any order, e.g., a C chord could be played C E G, or E G C, or G C E, or even G E C. This is one of the reasons why chords may sound different when played on different instruments.
