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Fret Fax | |
Article from Phaze 1, July 1989 |
WELL, THIS MONTH as promised, here are the full listings for major scales and chords in major keys. As you'll recall, every set of chords is based on its attached major scale, and you form a major scale, starting on any note by producing:
tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone.
This complete chart of chords uses that scale organisation, and builds all the chords using only the notes of the chosen scale (a diatonic scale). All the chords are formed by doing a letter count from the root note of the chord (the note which names the chord). The second thing to remember then is:
Root + 3rd + 5th + 7th = triad (or seventh chord)
Armed with this information, you get the full list of chords shown below:
KEY | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII |
C | C | D m | Em | F | G7 | Am | B dim |
G | G | A m | Bm | C | D7 | Em | F♮ dim |
D | D | E m | F♮ m | G | A7 | Bm | C♮ dim |
A | A | B m | C♮ m | D | E7 | F♮ m | G♮ dim |
E | E | F♮ m | G♮ m | A | B7 | C♮ m | D♮ dim |
B | B | C♮ m | D♮ m | E | F♮ 7 | G♮ m | A♮ dim |
F♮ | F♮ | G♮ m | A♮ m | B | C♮ 7 | D♮ m | E♮ dim |
C♮ | C♮ | D♮ m | E♮ m | F♮ | G♮ 7 | A♮ m | B♮ dim |
F | F | G m | A m | B♭ | C7 | D m | E dim |
B♭ | B♭ | C m | D m | E♭ | F7 | G m | A dim |
E♭ | E♭ | G m | G m | A♭ | B♭7 | C m | D dim |
A♭ | A♭ | B♭ m | C m | D♭ | E♭7 | F m | G dim |
D♭ | D♭ | E♭ m | F m | G♭ | A♭7 | B♭ m | C dim |
G♭ | G♭ | A♭ m | B♭ m | C♭ | D♭7 | E♭ m | F dim |
C♭ | C♭ | D♭ m | E♭ m | F♭ | G♭7 | A♭ m | B♭ dim |
There is one other set of problems to solve before you can turn this theoretical knowledge into real sounds on the neck of the guitar. If you concentrate on any one key grouping of chords as shown in the list, you will notice that there are four different chord types shown:
Major (chords I IV), Minor (chords II, III and VI), Dominant (chord V) and Diminished (chord VII)
All these chords are built of a Root, 3rd and 5th (and 7th), yet they are different constructions. How does that come about? Try these two different chord shapes:
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Feature by Peter Driver
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