LOL! Not the country sound!
Music Theory Chords
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I guess all these ‘tricks’ are meant to help if you don’t know scales and intervals but it seems to me they complicate things more than anything,
A major chord is the root, major third and perfect fifth. The intervals of the third and fifth are found by counting the number of semitones from the root to the note. Once you know your intervals and scales, then it’s easy.
A major chord is always a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. A minor chord is always a root, minor third and perfect fifth. Always. This is the definition of these particular chords.
So you just need to look at the notes in the scale of the key and match them up to your chord and you see what you get. In the scale of F, the F is natural. So the third in the D chord is (D-E-F) is F natural. If you count the interval, you find that is a minor third (three semitones from the root). The fifth (D-E-F-G-A) in the F scale is a A natural, a perfect fith (seven semitones from the root). So you have root-minor third-perfect fifth, a minor chord.
But in the A scale, the third interval (D-E-F) is an F#. This is four semitones from the D and therefore a major third. The fifth interval (D-E-F-G-A) is a A natural and so, like in the F scale, that’s a perfect fifth. So you have root-major third-perfect fifth, a major chord.
Learning intervals and scales is not that difficult and you can make it easy on yourself and just start with the stuff you use, major and minor chords and simpler scales (I mean, when was the last time you played in F#?)
Sorry for the ramble but…
In fact, it can be even simpler. If you just know your scales and you know your chords and understand how chords are made, then you can just use the notes of the scale to make the chord and then look what you have.
So in F, a D and an F natural and an A make a D min. In A, a D and an F# and an A make a D maj.
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So a major chord has three intervals? Sorry if I’m sounding kind of like an idiot but I’m having a lot of trouble with this.
Don’t sweat it. Most of us have been there and still are there. Even if it doesn’t make sense today, it’ll get clearer by and by. Just don’t let it get you down in the mean time. I promise you can make Cripple Creek sound superb before all of this makes total sense.
I was talking with @Mark_Rocka this morning and finally had a light bulb moment on something that had confused me for 6 years.
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The root plus two intervals.
A major chord is made up of three notes, a root a third and a fifth. There can be more notes but they will be repeats so, taking a C major chord, you basically have C, E and G. If you play a cowboy C major on the guitar, there are six notes but you will see all the notes are either Cs, Es or Gs).
Majors and Minors, the most common chords you use have only three different notes.
The only common chord (I think) you might see with more notes is the 7th (as in C7 which is more properly called a dominant 7th chord). But don’t worry so much about this as it messes things up some.
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Can you tell if the chord is major or minor without looking at sheet music? That’s what I’m having so much trouble with.
yes.
find the root note
if it’s minor the next note of the triad (the 3) will be 3 half-steps higher
if it’s major the 3rd of the triad will be two whole steps up.
example in G chord
1, 3, 5 triad for G chord is G, B, D
G is the Root or “one”
B is the 3rd of the G triad so it makes the chord major
Bb is the flatted 3rd of the G triad so the chord is minor
What instrument do you play?
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Thanks. This is starting to make a lot more sense. And I’m learning banjo.
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Sure, but in that case you either have to know your chords or learn intervals. If you have played a lot, then when you play a C major chord, you know it’s a C major. But if you’re not so familiar with your chords, then learn the intervals.
I guess you’re playing a fretted instrument (it’s more visual on the piano)? So you need to count the number of frets between the notes. You don’t count the first fret.
So for instance, play a C note on the banjo (I’m guessing you play the banjo). 2nd string, fret 1. Now the E is first string, 2nd fret but in this case use the same string as before so 2nd string, 5th fret. Count the number of frets between the two notes then subtract one (because as I said before, you don’t count the first note). You get 5-1=4. So you know the interval is 4 semitones.
major third = 4 semitones from root
minor third = 3 semitones from root
perfect fifth = 7 semitones from root
so remember:
Major chord = root + major third + perfect fifth
Minor chord = root + minor third + perfect fifth
Not so hard.
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if you play a simple A chord on the first 3 strings of your banjo at the second fret that is A major
if you change the fingering of the second string to a C note (first fret) while keeping the other two notes at the second fret you will hear a minor
maybe this will help you hear the difference…
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It’s finally all coming together. Thank you.
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I really like this. So much truth to it. If you find that some of the theory isn’t clicking, don’t let it get you down. A lot of music theory won’t click until you have some experience playing. It’s like trying to explain how to build a house to someone who has never swung a hammer.
Just keep going on the lesson plan and keep coming back to this thread. I guarantee that things that don’t make sense today will in the future.
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I like all of this. I have an 80+ year old uncle who’s played guitar most of his life and you’d never guess he can’t read music and doesn’t know much about music theory either. Honestly, most of the theory is geek to me. But I’ve picked up more theory here in the last eight months through osmosis than I ever learned in the past 50 years. I just like to play.
You seem to have a knack for it though @nikolaiswisher , good on ya. It’s great to have these kind of resources.
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Thanks
Wow, I have some tremendous help here in the forum. Thank y’all!
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Nik… I know it’s been 2 years… but I had health issues that took me out for awhile… but I am back now! It looks like you received some REALLY good help here. Are you ok with it all?
mr g
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