Understanding Chords
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. (If you are not familiar with the major scale, see Progressive Beginner Bass ). These three notes are the 1 (root note), 3 (third) and 5 (fifth) degrees of the major scale, so the chord formula for the major chord is:
The C Major Chord
The C major chord is constructed from the C major scale. Using the major chord formula on the following C major scale, it can be seen that the C major chord contains the notes C, E and G.
The chord symbol for a major chord is just the letter name of the chord. For example, the chord symbol for the C major chord is C. It is common practice to refer to a C major chord as the C chord. This abbreviation applies to all major chords.
