Since we already know a bunch of chords, let’s take a little look under the hood.
Chords are made up of notes that sound good together. Because not all notes sound good together, there are rules governing how a chord is constructed. These rules are actually pretty simple, given that we already understand scales and intervals. From the 7 notes of a scale, using various intervals, you can build any chord.
As previously noted, the simplest form of a chord is a triad: a group of 3 notes stacked on top of each other in intervals of thirds (i.e. the 1st/tonic, 3rd/mediant, and 5th/dominant notes of any scale). There are many flavours of chords:
(1) Major Chords
Using notes from a major scale (1st + major 3rd + 5th) produces a major chord, which sounds bright and happy.
If we use C major (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C) as our scale, the resulting major chord (Cmaj) is: C, E, G. You can confirm this by playing the Cmaj chord you already know and working out which notes are sounding (if you haven’t already done this).
(2) Minor Chords
Using notes from a minor scale (1st + minor 3rd + 5th) produces a minor chord, which sounds darker and sadder. The flattened 3rd is responsible for completely altering the emotional feel of a minor scale or chord.
If we use C minor, which has a flattened 3rd note (C, D, Eb, F, G, A, B, C) as our scale, the resulting minor chord (Cmin) is: C, Eb, G. You can confirm this in the same way as above.
(3) 7th Chords
major 7th: major chord + major 7th (sounds dreamy and thoughtful). E.g. Cmaj7: C, E, G, B.
dominant 7th: major chord + minor 7th (sounds powerful and adventurous). E.g. C7: C, E, G, Bb (i.e. just like Cmaj7, but with a flattened 7th note).
minor 7th: minor chord + minor 7th (sounds moody and contemplative). E.g. Cmin7: C, Eb, G, Bb (i.e. just like Cmaj7, but with flattened 3rd and 7th notes).
(4) Suspended Chords
Here the 3rd note is replaced with the 4th (sus4) or major 2nd (sus2) note of the scale.
Because the 3rd is not there (it has been ‘suspended’), these chords are neither major nor minor in character (‘power chords’ also skip the 3rd note so they can be used in both major and minor contexts).
A sus4 chord evokes a feeling of needing to resolve to the unsuspended chord (the 4th ‘pulls’ to be resolved onto the 3rd). A sus2 chord does not produce as strong a resolving pull.
Csus4: 1st + 4th + 5th = C, F, G.
Csus2: 1st + major 2nd + 5th = C, D, G.
(5) Slash/Split Chords
In these chords, the lowest note is not the 1st note of the scale.
For example, A/G refers to the Amaj chord, but with G (instead of A) as the lowest note.
(6) Added Tone Chords
These are regular major or minor chords, but (unsurprisingly) with added notes above them.
For example, Cadd9 is a Cmaj triad (C, E, G) + 9th (D).
Notice that a sus2 chord is equivalent to an add9 chord without its 3rd note.
You can confirm the construction of any of the chords discussed above by playing them and working out which notes they contain.
That’s it for today!
While there are many more flavours of chords – including 6ths, 9ths, diminished, and augmented – I don’t want to overwhelm you with information, so we’ll consider these in more detail in a future post. However, if you want to go deeper into major and minor chord construction (as well as getting a little taste of what augmented and diminished chords are), you can watch below how chord construction principles are illustrated on a piano keyboard. It’s not the most exciting video, but it does provide a clear explanation:
In the next chord post, we’ll take a look at playing some suspended chords, and a few songs in which they feature.
Until then, happy playing!
P.S. Song of the day: The Only Boy Awake by Meadows
If you like The Only Boy Awake, please consider helping to support Acoustic Notes by getting it here
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