Take one note of the scale, then go up skipping every other note until you have 3 notes. Triads Within the Key/ScaleĪ chord is made up of at least 3 notes called a Triad. To really get a handle on chord harmony one must at least refer to a chart to know what and how many sharps or flats are in the Major keys. But with the other keys either sharps or flats are needed to keep that Major scale whole step – half step relationship. In C Major no sharps or flats are needed, because that E-F and B-C are naturally a half step apart on those 3-4 and 7-8 scale degrees. What gives the Diatonic Major sound is that interval spacing between the 3-4 (E-F) and 7-8 (B-C) degrees of the scale. Everywhere else between the scale degrees it’s a whole step (two frets on guitar). On piano you’ll notice there’s no black key in between the E-F or B-C notes. Between the E-F and B-C is a half step interval (one fret on the guitar). Each note is numbered from 1 to 8 called degrees. Western Diatonic harmony is built on the Major scale like the notes C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C (C Major scale). Where do Chords Come From?Ĭhords it’s simply easy math once you understand how they’re built. There is a free chords and scales chart here that shows you all the major and minor chords in each key. This article assumes that you know the names of notes on the piano or whatever your instrument is. Free Piano Chords Chart – Music Theory 101ĭownload this piano chords chart for free to learn all of the major and minor chords on the piano. If you understand how harmony works, can write more complex and smoother sounding song structures.įor people just starting out, or those that never took the time to understand chords and harmony, this article is going to help you get started. It’s better to be in control of what you’re doing so you can express yourself through your music. That’s not really what creating music and songwriting is all about. With the temptation of pre-made loops and samples and technology, most people that don’t understand any music theory just end up be re-arrangers of some one else’s music. In saying that, most of them had either a basic or very vast understanding of music theory. There’s been many excellent musicians that were could play by ear. Relying on your ear to figure out chord harmony works for some. Most people getting into beat-making ( or music production as they like to call it) and songwriting these days rarely that the time to learn how to use chords & scales when the start out.

Free keyboard chords for songs