ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Chord Construction

Updated on December 12, 2017
Paul Westphal profile image

Paul studied music at MTSU, focusing on jazz, improvisation, and audio technology.

Intro

Chords and arpeggios are almost the same thing. A chord is a group of notes that are played simultaneously. An Arpeggio is just a chord that is played one note at a time. When we play a chord one note at a time we have arpeggiated it.


Chord Construction

For the sake of memory chords can be broken into 5 families. These families are Major, Minor, Augmented, Diminished, and Synthetic. Listed below are 5 tables that show the chords of each family. Please note that these tables do not show all of the chords that exist. It is a vast outline of chords that are commonly perceived as "musical". Being able to recognize different chord types will give you a huge advantage as a musician.

In order to construct a chord we must be very familiar with our major and minor 3rd intervals. The reason for this is because most chords are built by stacking major and minor 3rds on top of one another. Notice that the C major chord below is made of a Major 3rd followed by a minor 3rd.

It is important to note that not all chords will be called the same thing by all people. It depends on the context they are being used in and also how the individual was taught. The more complex the chord the less established the name will be. Complex chords are usually named after the scale degrees that they contain.


Source

Major Chords

Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
C major
C E G
1 3 5
C Major 6
C E G A
1 3 5 6
C Major 7
C E G B
1 3 5 7
Cmajor 9
C E G B D
1 3 5 7 9
C Major 6/9
C E G B A D
1 3 5 6 9
C major 6/9 b5
C E Gb A D
1 3 b5 6 9
C Major 9 b5
C E Gb B D
1 3 b5 7 9
C Major 7 #11
C E G B D F#
1 3 5 7 9 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale degrees
G Major
G B D
1 3 5
G Major 6
G B D E
1 3 5 6
G Major 7
G B D F#
1 3 5 7
G Major 9
G B D F# A
1 3 5 7 9
G Major 6/9
G B D E A
1 3 5 6 9
G Major 6/9 b5
G B Db E A
1 3 b5 6 9
G Major 9 b5
G B Db F# A
1 3 b5 7 9
G Major 7 #11
G B D F# C#
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
D Major
D F# A
1 3 5
D Major 6
D F# A B
1 3 5 6
D Major 7
D F# A C#
1 3 5 7
D Major 9
D F# A C# E
1 3 5 7 9
D Major 6/9
D F# A B E
1 3 5 6 9
D Major 6/9 b5
D F# Ab B E
1 3 b5 6 9
D Major 9 b5
D F# Ab C# E
1 3 b5 7 9
D Major 7 #11
D F# A C# G#
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
A Major
A C# E
1 3 5
A Major 6
A C# E F#
1 3 5 6
A Major 7
A C# E G#
1 3 5 7
A Major 9
A C# E G# B
1 3 5 7 9
A Major 6/9
A C# E F# B
1 3 5 6 9
A Major 6/9 b5
A C# Eb F# B
1 3 b5 6 9
A Major 9 b5
A C# Eb G# B
1 3 b5 7 9
A Major 7 #11
A C# E G# D#
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
E Major
E G# B
1 3 5
E Major 6
E G# B C
1 3 5 6
E Major 7
E G# B D#
1 3 5 7
E Major 9
E G# B D# F#
1 3 5 7 9
E Major 6/9
E G# B C F#
1 3 5 6 9
E Major 6/9 b5
E G# Bb C F#
1 3 b5 7
E Major 9 b5
E G# Bb D# F#
1 3 b5 7 9
E Major 7 #11
E G# B D# A#
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Note
Scale Degrees
B Major
B D# F#
1 3 5
B Major 6
B D# F#
1 3 5 6
B Major 7
B D# F#
1 3 5 7
B Major 9
B D# F#
1 3 5 7 9
B Major 6/9
B D# F#
1 3 5 6 9
B Major 6/9 b5
B D# F
1 3 b5 6 9
B Major 9 b5
B D# F#
1 3 b5 7 9
B Major 7 #11
B D# F#
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F# Major
F# A# C#
1 3 5
F# Major 6
F# A# C# D#
1 3 5 6
F# Major 7
F# A# C# E#
1 3 5 7
F# Major 9
F# A# C# E# G#
1 3 5 7 9
F# Major 6/9
F# A# C# D# G#
1 3 5 6 9
F# Major 6/9 b5
F# A# C D# G#
1 3 b5 6 9
F# Major 9 b5
F# A# C E# G#
1 3 b5 7 9
F# Major 7 #11
F# A# C# D# B
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Fegrees
C# Major
C# E# G#
1 3 5
C# Major 6
C# E# G# A#
1 3 5 6
C# Major 7
C# E# G# B#
1 3 5 7
C# Major 9
C# E# G# B# D#
1 3 5 7 9
C# Major 6/9
C# E# G# A# D#
1 3 5 6 9
C# Major 6/9 b5
C# E# G A# D#
1 3 b5 6 9
C# Major 9 b5
C# E# G B# D#
1 3 b5 7 9
C# Major7 #11
C# E# G# B# F##
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Db Major
Db F Ab
1 3 5
Db Major 6
Db F Ab Bb
1 3 5 6
Db Major 7
Db F Ab c
1 3 5 7
Db Major 9
Db F Abc Eb
1 3 5 7 9
Db Major 6/9
Db F Ab Bb Eb
1 3 5 6 9
Db Major6/9 b5
Db F Abb Bb Eb
1 3 b5 6 9
Db Major 9 b5
Db F Abb C Eb
1 3 b5 7 9
Db Major 7 #11
Db F Ab C G
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Note
Scale Degrees
Ab Major
Ab C Eb
1 3 5
Ab Major 6
Ab C Eb F
1 3 5 6
Ab Major 7
Ab C Eb G
1 3 5 7
Ab Major 9
Ab C Eb G Bb
1 3 5 7 9
Ab Major 6/9
Ab C Eb F Bb
1 3 5 6 9
Ab Major 6/9 b5
Ab C Ebb F Bb
1 3 b5 6 9
Ab Major 9 b5
Ab C Ebb G Bb
1 3 b5 7 9
Ab Major 7 #11
Ab C Eb G D
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Eb Major
Eb G Bb
1 3 5
Eb Major 6
Eb G Bb C
1 3 5 6
Eb Major 7
Eb G Bb D
1 3 5 7
Eb Major 9
Eb G Bb D F
1 3 5 7 9
Eb Major 6/9
Eb G Bb C F
1 3 5 6 9
Eb Major 6/9 b5
Eb G Bbb C F
1 3 b5 6 9
Eb Major 9 b5
Eb G Bb D F
1 3 b5 7 9
Eb Major 7 #11
Eb G Bb D A
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Bb Major
Bb D F
1 3 5
Bb Major 6
Bb D F G
1 3 5 6
Bb Major 7
Bb D F A
1 3 5 7
Bb Major 9
Bb D F A C
1 3 5 7 9
Bb Major 6/9
Bb D F G C
1 3 5 6 9
Bb Major 6/9 b5
Bb D Fb G C
1 3 b5 6 9
Bb Major 9 b5
Bb D Fb A C
1 3 b5 7 9
Bb Major 7 #11
Bb D F A E
1 3 5 7 #11
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F Major
F A C
1 3 5
F Major 6
F A C D
1 3 5 6
F Major 7
F A C E
1 3 5 7
F Major 9
F A C E G
1 3 5 7 9
F Major 6/9
F A C D G
1 3 5 6 9
F Major 6/9 b5
F A Cb D G
1 3 b5 6 9
F Major 9 b5
F A Cb E G
1 3 b5 7 9
F Major 7 #11
F A C E B
1 3 5 7 #11

Minor Chords

Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
C minor
C Eb G
1 b3 5
C minor 6
C Eb G A
1 b3 5 6
C minor 7
C Eb G Bb
1 b3 5 b7
C minor 9
C Eb G Bb D
1 b3 5 b7 9
C minor 11
C Eb G Bb D F
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
C minor 13
C Eb G Bb D F
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
C minor/ Major 7
C Eb G B
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
G minor
G Bb D
1 b3 5
G minor 6
G Bb D E
1 b3 5 6
G minor 7
G Bb D F
1 b3 5 b7
G minor 9
G Bb D F A
1 b3 5 b7 9
G minor 11
G Bb D F A C
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
G minor 13
G Bb D FA C
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
G minor/ Major 7
G Bb D F#
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
D minor
D F A
1 b3 5
D minor 6
D F A B
1 b3 5 6
D minor 7
D F A C
1 b3 5 b7
D minor 9
D F A C E
1 b3 5 b7 9
D minor 11
D F A C E G
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
D minor 13
D F A C E G B
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
D minor/ Major 7
D F A C#
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
A minor
A C E
1 b3 5
A minor 6
A C E F#
1 b3 5 6
A minor 7
A C E G
1 b3 5 b7
A minor 9
A C E G B
1 b3 5 b7 9
A minor 11
A C E G B D
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
A minor 13
A C E G B D F#
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
A minor/ Major 7
A C E G#
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
E minor
E G B
1 b3 5
E minor 6
E G B C#
1 b3 5 6
E minor 7
E G B D
1 b3 5 b7
E minor 9
E G B D F#
1 b3 5 b7 9
E minor 11
E G B D F# A
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
E minor 13
E G B D F# A C#
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
E minor/ Major 7
E G B D#
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
B minor
B D F#
1 b3 5
B minor 6
B D F# G#
1 b3 5 6
B minor 7
B D F# A
1 b3 5 b7
B minor 9
B D F# A C#
1 b3 5 b7 9
B minor 11
B D F# A C# E
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
B minor 13
B D F# A C# E G#
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
B minor/ Major 7
B D F# A#
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F# minor
F# A C#
1 b3 5
F# minor 6
F# A C# D#
1 b3 5 6
F# minor 7
F# A C# E
1 b3 5 b7
F# minor 9
F# A C# E G#
1 b3 5 b7 9
F# minor 11
F# A C# E G# B
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
F# minor 13
F# A C# E G# B D#
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
F# minor/ Major 7
F# A C# E#
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
C# minor
C# E G#
1 b3 b5
C# minor 6
C# E G# A#
1 b3 b5 6
C# minor 7
C# E G# B
1 b3 b5 b7
C# minor 9
C# E G# B D#
1 b3 b5 b7 9
C# minor 11
C# E G# B D# F#
1 b3 b5 b7 9 11
C# minor 13
C# E G# B D# F# A#
1 b3 b5 b7 9 11 13
C# minor/ Major 7
C# E G# B#
1 b3 b5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Ab minor
Ab Cb Eb
1 b3 5
Ab minor 6
Ab Cb Eb F
1 b3 5 6
Ab minor 7
Ab Cb Eb Gb
1 b3 5 b7
Ab minor 9
Ab Cb Eb Gb Bb
1 b3 5 b7 9
Ab minor 11
Ab Cb Eb Gb Bb Db
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
Ab minor 13
Ab Cb Eb Gb Bb Db F
1 b3 5 b7 8 11 13
Ab minor/ Major 7
Ab Cb Eb G
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Eb minor
Eb Gb Bb
1 b3 5
Eb minor 6
Eb Gb Bb C
1 b3 5 6
Eb minor 7
Eb Gb Bb Db
1 b3 5 b7
Eb minor 9
Eb Gb Bb Db F
1 b3 5 b7 9
Eb minor 11
Eb Gb Bb Db F Ab
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
Eb minor 13
Eb Gb Bb Db F Ab C
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
Eb minor/ Major 7
Eb Gb Bb D
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Bb minor
Bb Db F
1 b3 5
Bb minor 6
Bb Db F G
1 b3 5 6
Bb minor 7
Bb Db F Ab
1 b3 5 b7
Bb minor 9
Bb Db F Ab C
1 b3 5 b7 9
Bb minor 11
Bb Db F Ab C Eb
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
Bb minor 13
Bb Db F Ab C Eb G
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
Bb minor/ Major 7
Bb Db F A
1 b3 5 7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F minor
F Ab C
1 b3 5
F minor 6
F Ab C D
1 b3 5 6
F minor 7
F Ab C Eb
1 b3 5 b7
F minor 9
F Ab C Eb G
1 b3 5 b7 9
F minor 11
F Ab C Eb G Bb
1 b3 5 b7 9 11
F minor 13
F Ab C Eb G Bb D
1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13
F minor/ Major 7
F Ab C E
1 b3 5 7

Augmented Chords

Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
C Augmented
C E G#
1 3 #5
C Augmented Major 7
C E G# B
1 3 #5 7
C Augmented Minor 7
C E G# Bb
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
G Augmented
G B D#
1 3 #5
G Augmented Major 7
G B D# F#
1 3 #5 7
G Augmented Minor 7
G B D# F
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
D Augmented
D F# A#
1 3 #5
D Augmented Major 7
D F# A# C#
1 3 #5 7
D Augmented Minor 7
D F# A# C
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
A Augmented
A C# E#
1 3 #5
A Augmented Major 7
A C# E# G#
1 3 #5 7
A Augmented Minor 7
A C# E# G
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
E Augmented
E G# B#
1 3 #5
E Augmented Major 7
E G# B# D#
1 3 #5 7
E Augmented Minor 7
E G# B# D
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
B Augmented
B D# F##
1 3 #5
B Augmented Major 7
B D# F## A#
1 3 #5 7
B AugmentedMinor 7
B D# F## A
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F# Augmented
F# A# C##
1 3 #5
F# Augmented Major 7
F# A# C## E#
1 3 #5 7
F# Augmented Minor 7
F# A# C## E
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
C# Augmented
C# E# G##
1 3 #5
C# Augmented Major 7
C# E# G## B#
1 3 #5 7
C# Augmented Minor 7
C# E# G## B
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord notes
Scale Degrees
Ab Augmented
Ab C E
1 3 #5
Ab Augmented Major 7
Ab C E G
1 3 #5 7
Ab Augmented Minor 7
Ab C E Gb
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Eb Augmented
Eb G B
1 3 #5
Eb Augmented Major 7
Eb G B D
1 3 #5 7
Eb Augmented Minor 7
Eb G B Db
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Bb Augmented
Bb D F#
1 3 #5
Bb Augmented Major 7
Bb D F# A
1 3 #5 7
Bb Augmented Minor 7
Bb D F# Ab
1 3 #5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F Augmented
F A C#
1 3 #5
F Augmented Major 7
F A C# E
1 3 #5 7
F Augmented Minor 7
F A C# Eb
1 3 #5 b7

Diminished Chords

Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
C Diminished
C Eb Gb
1 b3 b5
C Half-Diminished
C Eb Gb Bb
1 b3 b5 b7
C Fully-Diminished
C Eb Gb Bbb
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
G Diminished
G Bb Db
1 b3 b5
G Half-Diminished
G Bb Db F
1 b3 b5 b7
G Fully-Diminished
G Bb Db Fb
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
D Diminished
D F Ab
1 b3 b5
D Half-Diminished
D F Ab C
1 b3 b5 b7
D Fully-Diminished
D F Ab Cb
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Names
Chord Notes
Scale degrees
A Diminished
A C Eb
1 b3 b5
A Half-Diminished
A C Eb G
1 b3 b5 b7
A Fully-Diminished
A C Eb Gb
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
E Diminished
E G Bb
1 b3 b5
E Half-Diminished
E G Bb D
1 b3 b5 b7
E Fully-Diminished
E G Bb Db
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
B Diminished
B D F
1 b3 b5
B Half-Diminished
B D F A
1 b3 b5 b7
B Fully-Diminished
B D F Ab
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F# Diminished
F# A C
1 b3 b5
F# Half-Diminished
F# A C E
1 b3 b5 b7
F# Fully-Diminished
F# A C Eb
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chords Notes
Scale Degrees
C# Diminished
C# E G
1 b3 b5
C# Half-Diminished
C# E G B
1 b3 b5 b7
C# Fully-Diminished
C# E G Bb
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Ab Diminished
Ab Cb Ebb
1 b3 b5
Ab Half-Diminished
Ab Cb Ebb Gb
1 b3 b5 b7
Ab Fully-Diminished
Ab Cb Ebb Gbb
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Eb Diminished
Eb Gb Bbb
1 b3 b5
Eb Half-Diminished
Eb Gb Bbb Db
1 b3 b5 b7
Eb Fully-Diminished
Eb Gb Bbb Dbb
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Bb Diminished
Bb Db Fb
1 b3 b5
Bb Half-Diminished
Bb Db Fb Ab
1 b3 b5 b7
Bb Fully-Diminished
Bb Db Fb Abb
1 b3 b5 bb7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F Diminished
F Ab Cb
1 b3 b5
F Half-Diminished
F Ab Cb Eb
1 b3 b5 b7
F Fully-Diminished
F Ab Cb Ebb
1 b3 b5 bb7

Circle of Fifths

Synthetic Chords

Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
C Power Chord
C G
1 5
C sus 2
C D G
1 2 5
C sus 4
C F G
1 4 5
C Dominant sus 2
C D G Bb
1 2 5 b7
C Dominant sus 4
C F G Bb
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
G Power Chord
G D
1 5
G sus 2
G A D
1 2 5
G sus 4
G C D
1 4 5
G Dominant sus 2
G A D F
1 2 5 b7
G Dominant sus 4
G C D F
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
D Power Chord
D A
1 5
D sus 2
D E A
1 2 5
D sus 4
D G A
1 4 5
D Dominant sus 2
D E A C
1 2 5 b7
D Dominant sus 4
D G A C
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
A Power Chord
A E
1 5
A sus 2
A B E
1 2 5
A sus 4
A D E
1 4 5
A Dominant sus 2
A B E G
1 2 5 b7
A Dominant sus 4
A D E G
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degres
E Power Chord
E B
1 5
E sus 2
E F# B
1 2 5
E sus 4
E A B
1 4 5
E Dominant sus 2
E F# B D
1 2 5 b7
E Dominant sus 4
E A B D
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
B Power Chord
B F#
1 5
B sus 2
B C# F#
1 2 5
B sus 4
B E F#
1 4 5
B Dominant sus 2
B C# F# A
1 2 5 b7
B Dominant sus 4
B E F# A
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F# Power Chord
F# C#
1 5
F# sus2
F# G# C#
1 2 5
F# sus 4
F# B C#
1 4 5
F# Dominant sus 2
F# G# C# E
1 2 5 b7
F# Dominant sus 4
F# B C# E
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
C# Power Chord
C# G#
1 5
C# sus 2
C# D# G#
1 2 5
C# sus 4
C# F# G#
1 4 5
C# Dominant sus 2
C# D# G# B
1 2 5 b7
C# Dominant sus 4
C# F# G# B
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Ab Power Chord
Ab Eb
1 5
Ab sus 2
Ab Bb Eb
1 2 5
Ab sus 4
Ab Db Eb
1 4 5
Ab Dominant sus 2
Ab Bb Eb Gb
1 2 5 b7
Ab Dominant sus 4
Ab Db Eb Gb
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Eb Power Chord
Eb Bb
1 5
Eb sus 2
Eb F Bb
1 2 5
Eb sus 4
Eb Ab Bb
1 4 5
Eb Dominant sus 2
Eb F Bb Db
1 2 5 b7
Eb Dominant sus 4
Eb Ab Bb Db
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
Bb Power Chord
Bb F
1 5
Bb sus 2
Bb C F
1 2 5
Bb sus4
Bb Eb F
1 4 5
Bb Dominant sus 2
Bb C F Ab
1 2 5 b7
Bb Dominant sus 4
Bb Eb F Ab
1 4 5 b7
Chord Name
Chord Notes
Scale Degrees
F Power Chord
F C
1 5
F sus 2
F G C
1 2 5
F sus 3
F Bb C
1 4 5
F Dominant sus 2
F G C Eb
1 2 5 b7
F Dominant sus 4
F Bb C Eb
1 4 5 b7

When someone says that a chord progression is a I, vi, ii, V in the key of C, they are referring to those number triads in that key. In order to play a melody over that chord progression you would simply play the C major scale over top of it, while making up interesting rhythms and note combinations. If you wanted to be a little more complex you could play a different scale for each chord. You could do this by finding scales that correspond with each chord. This is a characteristic of Jazz. If you are playing a scale over a C Major chord then you would want to use a C scale that has the same notes that are contained in the C Major chord. These notes are of course C, E, and G. There are many scales that you can choose from or make up that are compatible with the C Major chord. C Ionian is just one example.

Chord Progressions

Chord progressions are a huge part of making music. The chords provide the backdrop of a piece of music. The melody is then played over top of the selected chord progression, This common practice for most Western Tonal music.

If you play a chordal instrument you should be able to construct chord progressions on your instrument. The cool thing about chordal instruments is that they can play both chords and melody, unlike some other instruments. Even if you play a non-chordal instrument it still helps to understand chord theory and chord progressions. Doing so will allow you to know what scales you should play when confronted with a certain chord progression. First let us use a reference key in order to determine the 7 different chords that are in a key. I will use C major for simplicity sake. Notice that the major chords have capital roman numerals and the minor chords are represented by lowercase roman numerals. This is standard practice in music theory.

C D E F G A B C

Chords I, IV, and V will always be Major in Major keys. Chords ii, iii, and vi will always be minor in Major keys. Chord vii will always be diminished in Major keys.

Roman Numeral
Notes
Chord Quality
Scale Degrees
I
C E G
Major
1 3 5
ii
D F A
minor
2 4 6
iii
E G B
minor
3 5 7
IV
F A C
Major
4 6 1
V
G B D
Major
5 7 2
vi
A C E
minor
6 1 3
vii
B D F
diminished
7 2 4

Chord Construction

Rate this hub

Cast your vote for Please rate this hub
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)