If we learn the formula of building all major and minor scales then we
can make chords ourselves.
The 3 primary chords in the Key of C are C major, F major, and G major
chord. But, what you need to know is how you determine what
the primary chords are. The method used to find the primary chords
of any key signature is the mathematical formula of selecting the 1st,
4th, and 5th notes of the scale. Let's look again at a C major
scale.
I
IV
V
One
Four Five
|
C
|
D |
E |
F |
G |
A |
B |
C |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
From the above table we can see that the 1st note in a C major
scale is C, the 4th note of the scale is F, and the 5th note
of the scale is G. Let's look at the selected 1, 4, and 5 in a different
table:
C major chord |
F major chord |
G major chord |
ONE of the scale |
FOUR of the scale |
FIVE of the scale |
This mathematical pattern applies to all key signatures and their
corresponding scales. Let's take a look at few more key signature
scale combinations. We'll start with the key of D.
KEY OF D SCALE
I
IV
V
One Four
Five
D |
E |
F# |
G |
A |
B |
C# |
D |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
|
We can calculate major chords of other major scales like E, F, G, A, B
etc. in this manner. From the
above table we can figure out that the 3 primary chords in the Key of D
are D major chord, G major chord, and A major chord. Remember the
formula for a major scale: one full step, one full step, half step, one
full step, one full step, one full step, half step. So, based upon
the I - IV - V ( one - four - five ) the chords for the Key of D are D
major chord, G major chord, and A major chord.
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Note:- If you want to play any Hindi song first you
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four - five ). A list in MS Excel is available for more than 700 Hindi
songs and its scales, styles, tempo, org. Intr, M.F.D, (Yamaha
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Let's look at the actual chord pattern for the key of C. I want
you to realize that any given chord can be played in 3 different
positions. The basic position is called the ROOT POSITION.
Let's get back to the key of C now that you realize that this
mathematical pattern applies to all major key signatures. We are
going to check out the shape of the C major chord, F major chord, and
the G major chord in the root position.
C Major Chord In The ROOT POSITION
|
The C Major Chord Contains the Following Notes: C E
G
|
|
This is a C Major Chord In The Root Position
|
|

|
Remember, in the right hand, the thumb is number 1, finger is number 2,
middle finger is number 3, ring finger is number 4, and little finger is
number 5. OK, now let's look at F major chord in the root position,
however, we will actually use F major chord in the 2nd inversion
position when we start to play all three chords as a unit. In this way
we have not to jump our fingers on the keys.
F Major Chord In The ROOT POSITION
|
The F Major Chord Contains the Following Notes: F A
C
|
|
This is an F Major Chord In The Root Position
|
|
|
The final thing we will look at on this page is the G major chord in the
root position and then we will move on to the next lesson and look at
these 3 chords using the C chord in root position and the F chord in the
2nd inversion position and the G chord in the 1st inversion position.
G Major Chord In The ROOT POSITION
|
The G Major Chord Contains the Following Notes: G B
D
|
|
This is a G Major Chord In The Root Position
|
|
|
|
The G 7th Chord Contains the Following Notes: G B D
F (F is the 7th note)
|
|
This is a G 7th Chord In The Root Position
|
|
|
Now that you have seen the chords in the key of C in the root position,
you need to click on the next link to see how to play this chord
progression with C in the root position, F in the 2nd inversion
position, and G in the 1st inversion position. These positions are
very important, because they allow you to change chords by barely moving
your hand.
Scales and Keys:
Let's bring you up to speed on the basics. Look at your piano
keyboard. Notice the black keys are in groups of two's and
three's. Find a group of two. The white key to the left of
the first black key in any group of two is a C. Good Now,
notice that if you start with C and count up 12 keys, you'll be at C
again. There are really only 12 unique notes in Western musical
notation. Easy right?
Right. Now, most every piece of music you hear will be in a "key".
This means that the composer decided that one of the 12 notes would be
more important than the rest. For the purposes of this
column, we're going to be in the key of C Major. If you start with a
C and play (up the keyboard) all the white keys until you get to the
next C, you will hear what C Major sounds like. It should sound
very familiar to you.
Now, let's talk about ways to identify the notes in the C Major scale
(and other major scales). C is the first
note in the scale also called Scale Degree One, and also called Tonic.
Next we have D, scale degree 2, Supertonic. E, scale degree 3,
Mediant. F, scale degree 4, Subdominant. G, scale degree 5,
Dominant. A, scale degree 6, Sub-mediant. B, scale degree 7,
Leading Tone. And then we're back to the C that's one octave above
our original tonic. Your first step in becoming a theory wiz, is
to memorize the names of the notes in the major scale. (Note: These
names apply to any major scale. Not just C Major.) Here they are
again:
C - Scale Degree 1 - Tonic
D - Scale Degree 2 - Supertonic
E - Scale Degree 3 - Mediant
F - Scale Degree 4 - Subdominant
G - Scale Degree 5 - Dominant
A - Scale Degree 6 - Sub-mediant
B - Scale Degree 7 - Leading Tone
Please realize that I'm trying to make this whole thing as simple as
possible, and in doing so, am leaving some stuff out for you.
Study again the Chords of C Major:
I am trying to teach you C Major Scale with different techniques. I have
shown chords definition in different places in my website so, that you
get acquainted with them. It is Time to put notes together and
make chords. A "Chord" is 3 or more unique notes played at once.
Two notes played at once are called a Harmonic Interval. When we
make a chord with 3 notes, we call it a Triad. Using your fingers,
press the following keys of the piano keyboard simultaneously:
C - E - G
This is the most important chord in the key of C Major. It is the
C Major chord also known as I (Roman Numeral 1). There is a triad
for each of the scale degrees in the C major scale and each one is
identified with a roman numeral. Here's the list of basic chords
(triads) for the Key of C Major, with their roman numerals in
parentheses. Notice how the roman numerals for minor triads are
lower case. Look to the next paragraph for more info on the 4
basic types of chords (Major, minor...etc):
C - E - G C Major Chord (I)
D - F - A D minor
Chord (ii)
E - G - B E minor Chord (iii)
F - A - C F Major
Chord (IV)
G - B - D G Major Chord (V)
A - C - E A minor Chord
(vi)
B - D - F B diminished
Chord (viiº)
There are 4 types of triads we need to talk about here even though only
three are found on the Major scale itself. Here are examples of
each:
C - E - G This is our beloved Major triad. By itself,
it sounds happy.
A - C - E This is one of the minor triads in the key of C Major.
By itself, it sounds sad.
B - D - F This is the diminished chord found in C Major. By itself,
it sounds evil. We use a degree symbol (º) to identify this.
C - E - G# This is an augmented triad. It does not occur
naturally on the C Major scale but needs to be recognized at this point
nonetheless. The (#) indicates a "sharp". This just means
that you find the G key and go up to the next black key. If it
were Gb (G flat - a flat sign looks like a lower case B), we would go
down to the next lower black key. Sharps and flats mean you go up
or down to the very next key regardless of what color it is. The
augmented triad by itself sounds mysterious. We won't talk about
this chord much. Just be aware that it exists.
We will only deal with major, minor, 7th, augmented &
diminished for easy learning and playing smoothly. More details about
other chords will be available in Keyboard in desi style. So, order now.