How to Construct Chords Chords are constructed by using 3 or more of the notes contained in the scale we are playing. Which specific notes we use will give us the chord name. So Lets say we are playing in C Major, the notes of the scale would be: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The first group of chords we want to make is based on the following pattern: Play the note you will base your chord on, what we will call the root note. Lets take the note C from the C Major scale above as an example. Then skip a note (the D) and play the next note (E), then skip a note again (the F note) and play the next note after that (G). These three notes, the C, E, and G form a C chord. Becasue of the specific distances between the notes C, E and G, we call this a major chord, often symbolized by a capitalized 'M'. So CM is a major C chord, but as the major chord is considered the defualt type of chord, just saying 'C chord' usually means 'C Major chord'. It is the first type of chord you get in the major scale. Thus, if you where to base you Major scale in the key of F, you would get a F Major as the first chord. If you use the same pattern of playing a note and skipping a note with D as the root of the chord (still using the C major Scale example) you get the notes D, F, and A. The specific distances between these notes (in semitones) differs than that of the first group, (the C major chord). The 2nd note of the D chord, the A, is a semitone lower relative to the D note than the 2nd note of the C Major chord is relative to its own root of C. This formation is called 'minor', often symbolized by a lowercase 'm' so 'Dm' is a 'D Minor chord'. Chord Scales If you go one figuring out the chords for each note of the Major scale using the same pattern: Root note (1st note), 3rd note, 5th note. (Thus skipping the 2nd and 4th notes from the root of our chord, only counting the notes of the scale we are in). You will get one more type of chord, the diminished chord (usually written as 'dim'), which has a lowered 3rd and 5th note compared to a major chord formation. If we write all these chords out we get (for C major): Major Minor Minor Major Major Minor Diminished C D E F G A B This pattern of major and minor chords applies even if we change the root note of our scale. For example, in F Major: Major Minor Minor Major Major Minor Diminished F G A Bb C D E So this pattern of: Major Minor Minor Major Major Minor Diminished is the Chord Scale for the Major Scale! We can also use other patterns for building chords. Using the same C Major Scale as an example: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. If you use the pattern: Root note, 3rd note, 5th note as before, but also add the 7th note (B in this example) you get a 7th chord. But since a Trichordo Bouzouki can only play 3 notes, we can either leave out the 5th note of 3rd note, to get two possible types of 7th chords. You can also use patterns like: Root note, 2nd note, and 7th note, Root note, 3rd note, and 6th note, and so on. These types of chords and more are contained in my Chord Scales section, for the modes of the major scale as well as for the Greek Dromi. Remember, root note in the context of a chord reffers to the root of the chord, its first note, not the root of the scale, which would be the 'key' or home note of the scale in general. Back to Trichordo Home Page