I've decided to have a little interlude in the Terrifying Technique series and have a look at what to many people seems to be either a mystery or an obsession: chords! Please note: you should be familiar with the basics of music to get the most out of this lesson. When I say that, I mean you should know a little about the following:

If you are unsure about these have a look at those links. If you're still unsure, then just hang on in there and you may learn something... :)



Triads



This is the form of chord that most people will be familiar with. As the name suggests it consists of three notes. These are a Root, a Third and a Fifth, and are formed by stacking thirds on top of each other, as in this example in C Major:

[Eek! Missing image!]



Triads comes in four flavours, these being:



We'll have a look at each...



Major Triads



As you would imagine, major triads are formed (in tonal music, that is) from those scale degrees that have a major third - they must also have a perfect 5th. The major scale degrees that correspond to this are I, IV and V. So, in the key of C our three major chords would be C, F and G:

Scale Degree Root Maj 3rd Perf. 5th
I C E G
IV F A C
V G B D


Being one of the most common chords used, you can play a major chord in dozens (literally!) of different ways. Here are some common and not-so-common examples (all chords are D Major):



     --10-----5------2------10----14-----2-----14-----5-----10-------- 
    ---10-----7------3------7------------3-----15-----7-----11------- 
     --11-----7------2------7-----11-----2-----14-----7-----12-------- 
      -12-----7------4------7------------0-----12---------------------- 
     --12-----7------5------9-----12----------------------------------
   ----10-----5------------(7)----10--------------------------------


There is another common tonal major triad that is used, which is built on the fifth degree of the harmonic minor scale, where, because of the sharpened 7th (the 3rd of the fifth degree, if you see what I mean!), we have another major triad! Firstly, I should probably say why I'm using the term Harmonic Minor, rather than just Minor...



In the world of the guitarist, music and music theory tend to be a million miles apart. A guitarist does not have to know any theory in order to make music (neither, really, does a pianist or saxophonist, but I'm sure you see the distinction). So, during the course of recent guitar history, terms have been borrowed from the Classical world (that's what we'll call it anyhow...) without any real meaning of what they are, they're just labels we use to express an idea. One example of this confusion is that generated through the use of the word minor. If a classical musician says a piece is in a minor key, he generally means that the music is based around the scale a guitarist would call a Harmonic Minor. However, if a guitarist plays in a minor key, he will normally mean a Natural Minor or the Aeolian mode. So, speaking guitaristically, when I say minor I will mean Natural Minor/Sixth mode of the major scale/Aeolian/Guitarist minor, and when I want to say Harmonic Minor I will say Harmonic Minor in order to avoid any confusion.



So, back to our new major triad, built on the 5th degree of the Harmonic minor scale:



 ----------------------------------
----------------------------------
 --------------------------4-------
  -----------------6-7-----6---------
  ---------5--7-8----------7-----------
  ---5-7-8---------------------------


Major triads can be named as follows, the most common is asterisked:

  • xxx Major (e.g. F# Major or F# Maj.)
  • xxx (e.g. simply F#) *


Minor Triads



If major triads are built on those scale degrees that have a major third and a perfect fifth, you would presume minor chords are built on those notes that have a minor third and a perfect fifth, and you'd be right! In the major scale our three minor triads are ii, iii and vi, in the minor scale they are i, iv, and v (sound familiar?!). So, in the key of A minor our minor triads are A, D and E:

Scale Degree Root Minor 3rd Perf. 5th
i A C E
iv D F A
v E G B


Again, there are many, many different ways to play the common minor triad, and here are some:



 -----10------5------------------1-----13-----10---------
   ---10------6-----6------------3-----15-----10-----------
    --10------7----[7]-----10----2-----14-----10------------
  ----12------7-----7------(0)---0-----12-----------------
------12------5-----8------12---------------------------
 -----10-------------------10----------------------------

Minor triads have just one name, really, and that is xxx minor (e.g. F# minor or F# min.). Also note, that when we're dealing with anything minor the convention is to use lower case letters, so a major chord may be called F# whereas a minor chord could be notated as f#, and the same go for scale degree mnemonics, 'I' would usually be major whereas 'i' would be minor.



Diminished Triads



These triads are less common than both its major and minor relatives, and once you hear them you'll know why! But, they do have their uses (horror films, tension chords, surprise endings etc.), so you should learn about them and a few positions just in case you're called upon, someday, to play a D# diminished. They are built on scale degrees which have a diminished 5th, of which there is one in the major/minor scale, and three (!) in the Harmonic Minor scale.



In the major scale the diminished triad in built on vii, in the key of C Major: B. In the minor scale it is built on ii (B). The Harmonic Minor is peculiar in that is has three diminished chords, two of which can be built on one degree: VII. In A Harmonic Minor the three diminished chords are:

Scale Degree Root 3rd Dim. 5th
ii B D F
vii G# B D
vii G# C D


This occurs because a chord built on the 7th degree of the Harmonic Minor scale can be either major or minor. It generally accepted that the third form in the table, what is often termed a Major Flattened 5th or Half-Flat Diminished, is less useful (as a diminished chord) than the other type. This is because there is a rigidity imposed by the two stacked minor 3rds that the Flattened 5th doesn't have. Work through these examples and see if you agree:



 ----------------10-----------|------------------11------------
-----------3------------------|------------4------------6-----
  --7------4-----10-----10----|-----8------4-----10-----8-------
   -7------3-----9------9-----|-----9------3-----9------9--------
  --8------2-----8------8-----|-----8------2-----8------6-------
 ---7-------------------10----|-----7--------------------------

Diminished triads are known by several names:

  • xxx Diminished (e.g. F# diminished or F# dim.) *
  • xxx Half Flat Diminished (e.g. F# half-flat dim.) *
  • xxx Major Flat 5th (e.g. F# Major Flat 5th, or F# Maj. Flat 5th etc.) *
  • xxx -5 (e.g. F# Major -5)
  • xxx* (e.g. F#* or more often with a little 'o' instead of an asterisk)


Augmented Triads



So far we've covered three note chords (triads) that have stacked the following thirds:

Triad Name 1st Interval 2nd Interval
Major Major Minor
Minor Minor Major
Diminished Minor Minor
Half Flat Dim. Major Minor


So, it seems logical that our final triad uses the last remaining combination:

Triad Name 1st Interval 2nd Interval
Augmented Major Major


The augmented triad does not naturally appear in either major or natural minor scales, and is only formed in a tonal context when we harmonise the Harmonic Minor scale, where it appears on degree III due to the sharpened 7th:

[Eek! Missing picture!]



As above, in A Harmonic Minor, this gives us:

Scale Degree Root 3rd Aug. 5th
III C E G#


The augmented triad can also be found on the III of the Melodic Minor...



Augmented triads are generally referred to as:

  • xxx Augmented 5th (F# Augmented 5th)
  • xxx Augmented (F# Augmented, F# Aug.)
  • xxx' (F#' or III')


I'll leave you with that little lot for the moment. I think you'll agree there's a lot to take in, and we've only just started! If you have any suggestions or criticism please mail me at webmaster@mooworldorder.com.

Updated - 28th February 1999

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