How Chords Are Formed
It will be helpful to have a basic understanding of how chords are formed. The following pages provide an insight into the construction of many of the chords throughout the book.
The Major Scale
The first thing to understand about the formation of chords is that chords are made up of notes taken directly from the major scale. At the beginning of each group of chords throughout this book the major scale is shown with the note names and the degrees of the scale. The thirteen notes of the scale given in the example are needed to form all types of chords. Study the following diagrams, the examples shown are the C major scale and the G major scale. Scales are explained in more detail on the previous pages.
Chord Construction
A chord is made up of 3 or more notes from the major scale, e.g., the major chord is made up of the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the major scale. To form the C major chord the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the C major scale are required. As shown in the previous C scale diagram, the notes needed are C, E and G. To form the G major chord the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the C major scale are required. As shown in the G scale diagram, the notes needed are G, B and D.
G
C
Chord Formula Chart
The following table lists the most common chord types and the note degrees from the major scale required for each chord. An example for each chord type is shown in the key of C. Study the diagram and its relationship to the C major scale (previous diagram).
Chord Symbols and Alternatives
In sheet music notation, there is a lack of uniformity in writing chord symbols. For example, the C major seventh chord can be written as either "Cmaj7" (used in this book), "CN7" or "CM7". The following table outlines symbols used in this book, together with correct pronunciation and alternative symbols used for each chord type.
In sheet music, chord symbols which indicate the bass note to play are sometimes used. For example, C/G indicates a C chord with a G bass note (it may also be written C/G bass). The bass note will not always be a note of the chord; for example, Am/G is an A minor chord with a G bass note, which could also be called Am7.
