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Easy Chord Construction Formulas

By Howard Richman

Helpful free tips on chord formulas, from Sound Feelings, allow you to play any chord instantly. Once you understand the four primary chords, major, minor, diminished and augmented, you can then easily build all other complex chords such as 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th chords. This free information provides self-study music theory lessons on chord formation which can be applied to any chord. With improved chordal knowledge you will be more prepared for the demands of composition, performance, and chord-reading and self-accompaniment.

The following information explains how to build basic triads and 7th chords ONLY. This will provide an excellent foundation for more advanced chords.

Memorize Formulas, Not Chords!

It is not necessary to memorize hundreds of chords. All you need to do is to learn the formula for making each chord type, and create the chord needed using the appropriate formula. This saves brain power from being wasted on unnecessary effort. It also allows gives you the true understanding of chord-construction, so if you later want to modify the chord, (make inversions) you will know what you are doing.

You Don’t Need to Know All Your Scales!

The way chords are usually taught are by first introducing scales. It is typically explained that a minor chord will use the 1, b3 (“flat 3rd”) and 5. (This terminology refers to the 1st, 3rd, and 5th “degree” of the scale.) A diminished chord will use the 1, b3 and b5. The reason this method is so slow to learn and to apply is that the person must first be fluent in all twelve major and minor scales! It’s not that this is bad, it’s just that it is NOT NECESSARY in order to play chords!

Steps Make Thirds.

Steps make thirds and thirds make chords.

Before you can understand chords, you should first understand thirds. The half step is the interval we will use to make thirds. Half steps are the smallest distance between any two notes. When you play all the half steps it is called the “chromatic scale.” It doesn’t matter if the notes are black or white. For example, the distance between C and C# is a half step. E to F is also a half step.

The following formulas explain how to make thirds:

3 half steps = minor third (m3)
4 half steps = major third (M3)

Thirds Drill.

Practice making minor and major thirds on the keyboard. Select any note at random and then count three half steps higher to make a minor third and four half steps higher to make a major third. Practice making 12 minor thirds and 12 major thirds, starting on each note of the chromatic scale. This drill may take between one day and several weeks to master before you feel comfortable. Do not go on until you feel comfortable at making major and minor thirds. In fact, each of the following steps is built on the previous. Try to master each step before going on.

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