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Some
Explanation: Major chords are created by combining three notes. The
first note is considered, oddly enough, the first. The second note is considered
the third (yes, I am sure that is correct), and the third note is considered
to be the fifth (once again, I am sure that is correct). In the case of
a C major chord, the first will be the C note, the third is the E, and
the fifth is the G. The C and the E are a major third apart -- recall from
Music
Theory 101 that the major third is two whole steps and that on the
guitar that translates to four frets (two steps per whole step). Therefore,
if you are playing a C note on the third fret of the fifth string (click
on Neck Notes if you need to review the neck of the guitar) that
means that the E can be found at the seventh fret (3 + 4 = 7) of the fifth
string. The E and the G are a minor third apart (a minor third consists
of one whole step and a half step, or three frets). Putting this whole
shebang together we arrive at the conclusion that a C major chord is constructed
from a major third + a minor third. As a matter of fact, ALL major chords
are built in this manner. So learn this now, and repeat after me -- a major
chord consists of a major third plus a minor third; it consists of a note
plus the note two whole steps above the first note, which is the third,
and a note one and a half steps above the third which is called the fifth.
If all of the above doesn't clarify what a major chord is then consider
the following:
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We have seven tones in a major
key.
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The key of C consists of the notes
C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.
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We can build a C major chord by
starting with the C and adding every other note above that until we have
a total of three notes. In the case of the C, that yields a C-E-G.
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The C is considered to be the
root, or first, of the C major chord.
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The E is the third of that chord.
(D is the second).
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The G is the fifth of the C major
chord. (F is the fourth, but we don't need him to create a C major chord).
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C-E-G spells C major because it
consists of a major third interval plus a minor third interval (two whole
steps plus one and a half steps).
Minor chords are created by combining
three notes. A minor chord consists of minor third plus a major third interval.
A chord starting with the note D in the key of C will result in a minor
chord. I will now support this claim with the following facts:
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The interval from a D to an F
is one and a half steps or a minor third.
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The interval from an F to an A
is two whole steps, or a major third.
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It is so because I said it is
so.
Tip
Analyze the remaining chords in
the key of C and see for yourself why they are what they are. If that's
not enough, examine all of the chords in the key of G (remember, there's
an F# in the key of G). |
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