What notes are in that chord?
This is a question I ask my students fairly frequently. Sometimes it is simply to test their understanding of how notes are laid out on the fretboard and whether they can remember where the sharps and flats sit in the chromatic sequence. Sometimes they will be able to name the notes almost instantly because they have it committed to memory. And sometimes they will have to work it out using their knowledge of scales.
Following on from my recent posts about '2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1' and 'Harmonising the Major scale' I want to embellish that by looking at how we can identify which notes from the parent scale are put together to form each chord. Maths and Music are said to be pretty happy dancing partners so here's little more musical geometry, if you will :)
Let's take the chords of the C Major scale:
In order to work out which 3 notes make up the chord of C Major we should start with the root note (C) then add the 3rd note of the scale (E) and then the fifth (G)
The notes used for D Minor will be: Root (D), 3rd (F), 5th (A)
E Minor: E, G, B
...and so on...
The name of the chord will give you the root note and in order to find the other 2 notes you skip a place in the scale then choose the next note, skip another place then take the next. It will always be 1st, 3rd and 5th.
Here's how the chords are represented on paper using 'Chord Boxes' (blank sheets available here):
I hope you found this useful. I am available for guitar lessons in the Blessington Lakes area (including Ballyknockan, Valleymount, Hollywood, Manor Kilbride, Kilteel, Naas, Eadestown) on a 'call-out' basis. Use the contact form to find out more.
Until later
Shane
