How chords are made…Stacking 3rd’s
Want to know how chords are made? Well then this lesson on stacking 3rds might answer your questions.
Basic chords are called Triads. A major triad is created when you take the Root the 3rd and the 5th intervals of a scale.
So to create a C major Triad we must first look at the C major scale.
C Major scale= C D E F G A B
We then take the ROOT which is a C
Next we take the 3rd, which is the 3rd note of the scale, in this case an E.
Finally we take the 5th note of the scale, which is a G
Play all three notes at the same time and you get a C major Triad.
Now lets do a G major triad. We will use the G major scale this time.
G Major scale= G A B C D E F#
We then take the ROOT which is a G
Next we take the 3rd, which is the 3rd note of the scale, in this case an B.
Finally we take the 5th note of the scale, which is a D
Play all three notes at the same time and you get a G major Triad.
Simple…
But how are minor chords formed? Well that is just as simple.
With a major triad we used the Root, the 3rd and the 5th. The only difference with a minor triad is, we use a flat 3rd.
So you just take your 3rd note and drop it by a half step.
So our C major triad C,E,G becomes C,Eb,G
A G major triad G,B,D becomes G, Bb,D
That wasnt so hard was it?
