So...you want to learn what makes a chord?

Smart! Way to be awesome. Swipe to the left to learn and expand your brain.

A chord is made up of 2 or more notes sounding simultaneously. The most basic chords are triads and they consist of three notes.

Fancy right? I know...we're learning alot here.

To start, let's use the G major scale for an example. The scale goes G A B C D E F# G a b c d e f# g...and so on.

Now we're getting some where. The G major scale!

G major scale: G A B C D E F# G

A G major chord is G B D - the first, third and fifth notes of the scale.

Wait...now we have to count? This could get overwhelming.

G major scale: G A B C D E F# G

You can build a chord starting on any note of the scale.

Let's see an example...I do better with examples.

G major scale: G A B C D E F# G

So if you start on the A, you get A C E, which is an A minor chord -- the second, fourth, and sixth notes of the scale.

Notice we started with 2 and picked every other note. We'll get more into that.

G major scale: G A B C D E F# G

Start on the B, choose every other note: B D F# (third, fifth and seventh notes of the scale) and you get a B minor chord.

There we go, skipping every other one in the scale. I sense a pattern.

G major scale: G A B C D E F# G

The chords built starting on the 1st, 4th and 5th notes of the scale are always major.

So building a chord starting with a 1, 4, or 5, then skipping every other one, creates a major chord.

G major scale: G A B C D E F# G

The chords built starting on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th notes of the scale are always minor.

Ahhh, was wondering how that worked.

G major scale: G A B C D E F# G

And the chord built starting on the 7th note of the scale is always diminished.

Diminished, that's a big word. I'll have to look that up in the dictionary.