⚠️ Important Alert: Copycat Websites Detected ⚠️
We have recently discovered unauthorized websites that are mimicking our business, "Guitars on Main," using variations of our name in their URLs. These sites are NOT affiliated with us and may be phishing attempts. Please remember, our ONLY official website is guitarsonmain .com.

If you see guitarsonmainoutlet, or shopguitarsonmain in the url, or any other variation before .com it is an illegal copy of our website.

⚠️ Important Alert: Copycat Websites Detected ⚠️
We have recently discovered unauthorized websites that are mimicking our business, "Guitars on Main," using variations of our name in their URLs. These sites are NOT affiliated with us and may be phishing attempts. Please remember, our ONLY official website is guitarsonmain .com.

If you see guitarsonmainoutlet, or shopguitarsonmain in the url, or any other variation before .com it is an illegal copy of our website.

Building Chords from a Major Scale

  • 3 min read

Understanding how chords are derived from a major scale is a fundamental aspect of music theory. It enables musicians to navigate their instruments with more confidence, compose music, and improvise with a sense of direction. In this article, we will explore how chords are built from a major scale and the importance of this concept in music.

The Major Scale 

C major scale on the staff with piano key image above it

Before delving into chords, it's important to understand the foundation of Western music: the major scale. A major scale is a sequence of seven different pitches arranged in a specific pattern of whole steps (W) and half steps (H): W-W-H-W-W-W-H. If we use the C major scale as an example, the notes are: C (1), D (2), E (3), F (4), G (5), A (6), B (7), and back to C.

Building Chords

A chord, at its most basic, is a group of three or more pitches sounded together. When we build chords from a major scale, we primarily deal with triads and seventh chords.

Triads are three-note chords built from a root (1st), a third (3rd), and a fifth (5th). Seventh chords add a seventh (7th) to the mix. We construct these chords by stacking thirds on each degree of the major scale. In other words, we select a note from the scale, skip the next note, take the following one, skip another note, and take the one after that. Basically, you build chords by selecting every other note in a scale. For example, in the C major scale, the triad starting on C would be C-E-G.

When we apply this process to each note in the C major scale, we get the following triads:

  1. C Major: C-E-G
  2. D minor: D-F-A
  3. E minor: E-G-B
  4. F Major: F-A-C
  5. G Major: G-B-D
  6. A minor: A-C-E
  7. B diminished: B-D-F

By adding another third to each triad, we can build the seventh chords:

  1. C Major 7: C-E-G-B
  2. D minor 7: D-F-A-C
  3. E minor 7: E-G-B-D
  4. F Major 7: F-A-C-E
  5. G Dominant 7: G-B-D-F
  6. A minor 7: A-C-E-G
  7. B minor 7b5 (half-diminished): B-D-F-A

These are the basic chords you get from each degree of a C major scale.

Harmony and Chord Progressions

Once you understand how chords are built from a major scale, you can start to understand the underlying harmonic structure of many pieces of music. Chord progressions, which are sequences of chords, are often built with chords derived from the same scale. For example, a common progression is the I-IV-V progression, which in the key of C would be C Major (I), F Major (IV), and G Major (V).

Conclusion

Understanding how chords are built from a major scale is an invaluable tool for musicians. This knowledge gives insight into how songs are structured and provides a roadmap for improvisation and composition. So whether you are a seasoned musician or a beginner just starting your musical journey, taking the time to understand and memorize this information will be greatly beneficial. 

Guitar Tricks

Affiliate Disclaimer

Please note that the links we've provided to Guitar Tricks are affiliate links. This means that if you click on these links and decide to make a purchase, we will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links help support our blog and allow us to continue providing you with free content. We only recommend products or services that we have personally used and genuinely believe will be valuable to our readers. Please understand that the decision to purchase through these links is entirely up to you. We appreciate your support.

Leave a comment (all fields required)

Comments will be approved before showing up.