|
Major
and Minor Chords
Both major and minor chords are made up of a third (major and minor
respectively) and a fifth. So, for example, the chord of G major
is G, B, D: G to B being a major third and G to D being a fifth.
The chord of E minor is E, G, B: E to G being a minor third, E to
B being a fifth. Open chords, or "modal chords" as traditional musicians
refer to them, don't have a third so they can be used where a major
or minor chord would otherwise be used.
There are seven notes in a scale and therefore there are seven basic
chords. In music theory these chords are referred to by roman numerals
and not by their names, so, for example, in the key of G major the
tonic (key name) chord, which is based on Doh, is chord I. The second
chord, based on ray is II; the third, based on mi, is III etc.
There is a set pattern to the relationship between chords in all
major and all minor keys. In major keys it is as follows:
| Basic
Chord |
Using
G major as the example |
| Chord
I (major) |
G
(major)
|
| Chord
II (minor) |
A
(minor)
|
| Chord
III (minor) |
B
(minor)
|
| Chord
IV (major) |
C
(major)
|
| Chord
V (major) |
D
(major)
|
| Chord
VI (minor) |
E
(minor)
|
| Chord
VII (diminished) |
F#
(diminished)
|
In minor
keys it is as follows:
| Basic
Chord |
Using
Eminor as the example |
| Chord
I (minor) |
E
(minor)
|
| Chord
II (diminished) |
F#
(diminished)
|
| Chord
III (major) |
G
(major)
|
| Chord
IV (minor) |
A
(minor)
|
| Chord
V (minor) |
B
(minor)
|
| Chord
VI (major) |
C
(major)
|
| Chord
VII (major) |
D
(major)
|
7th
Chords
There are three standard types of 7th chords: major 7th’s,
minor 7th’s and dominant 7th’s. The major 7th (maj 7th)
is any basic major chord plus a 7th note. A minor 7th (min 7th)
is any minor chord plus a flattened 7th note. And a dominant 7th
(dom 7th) is a major chord with a flattened 7th added. The dominant
7th can also be written as the chord name plus ’7’, for
example, G7, D7, A7, etc.
Seventh notes add colour to the basic chord
as well as offering the player an array of alternatives. In Irish
traditional music certain basic chords (listed below) may be substituted
by their 7th chord variation.
| Basic
Chord |
7th version |
| Chord
I (major) |
I dominant 7 |
| Chord
II (minor) |
II
minor 7 |
| Chord
III (minor) |
III
minor 7 |
| Chord
IV (major) |
IV
major 7 |
| Chord
V (major) |
V dominant 7 |
| Chord
VI (minor) |
VI
minor 7 |
| Chord
V11 (diminished) |
|
Using G major as the example:
| Basic
Chord |
7th version |
| G
(major) |
|
| A
(minor) |
A
minor 7 |
| B
(minor) |
B
minor 7 |
| C
(major) |
C
major 7 |
| D
(major) |
D
dominant 7 |
| E
(minor) |
E
minor 7 |
| F#
(diminished) |
|
In minor keys it is as follows:
| Basic
Chord |
7th version |
| Chord
I (minor) |
|
| Chord
II (diminished) |
|
| Chord
III (major) |
|
| Chord
IV (minor) |
IV
minor 7 |
| Chord
V (minor) |
V
minor 7 |
| Chord
VI (major) |
VI
major 7 |
| Chord
VII (major) |
VII
dom 7 |
Using E Minor as the example:
| Basic
Chord |
7th version |
| E
(minor) |
|
| F#
diminished |
|
| G
major |
|
| A
minor |
A
minor 7 |
| B
minor |
B
minor 7 |
| C
major |
C
major 7 |
| D
major |
D
major 7 |
Relative Chords
The notes of the chords can be in any order you choose. That is
to say, you can have the root note, the third or the fifth as the
bottom note and any combination of these notes above that. If the
third is not included then the chord is an open chord: leaving the
third out changes the name of the chord (from a major or minor to
an open name). But if the fifth is omitted the chord still retains
its name.
As with keys, all chords have relative chords. A relative minor
chord is a minor third (one and a half steps/tones) below the major
chord. There is only one note difference in the chord and its relative.
These chords are usually the chords used as substitute chords though
this isn’t always the case. Here are some examples of some
major chords and their rel min chords:
| Major
Chord |
Notes
|
Relative
minor Chord |
Notes |
| C |
C,E,G
|
A
minor |
ACE |
| D |
D,F#,A |
B
minor |
B,D,F# |
| E |
E,G#,B |
C#
minor |
C#,E,G# |
| F
|
F,A,C |
D
minor |
D,F,A |
| G |
G,B,D |
E
minor |
E,G,B |
| A
|
A,C#,E |
F#
minor |
F#,A,C# |
| B |
B,D#,F# |
G#
minor |
G#,B,D# |
All
minor chords have a relative major chord which is a tone and a half
above:
| Minor
Chords |
Notes |
Relative
Major Chord |
Notes |
| C
m |
C,Eb,Gb |
Eb
major |
Eb,G,B |
| D
m |
D,F,A |
F
maj |
F,A,C |
| E
m |
E,G,B |
G
major |
G,B,D |
| F
m |
F,Ab,C |
Ab
major |
Ab,C,Eb |
| G
m |
G,Bb,D |
Bb
major |
Bb,D,F |
| A
m |
A,C,E |
C
major |
C,E,G |
| B
m |
B,D,F# |
D
major |
D,F#,A |
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