#CHORD PROGRESSION AURAL TRAINING HOW TO#

To create a diminished chord, the tonic of a major scale is layered with a flattened third and flattened fifth of the scale.

Like other triads, diminished chords are based off of the first, third, and fifth scale degrees. Using the formula, we can deduce that an A minor chord is made up of A, C, and E.

Let's take the A minor scale for instance which consists of A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Just like a major chord, a minor triad is made out of the first, third, and fifth scale degrees of the minor scale. Minor ChordsĪ minor chord is another popular chord that's the root chord of a minor scale. Any chord built off of the 1st, 3rd and 5th scale degrees of a major scale is considered a major triad. In G major, a G major chord consists of the notes G, B, and D per the G major scale. Major triads have a happier ring to them, and help emphasize the root note or tonic of a scale. You can create a major triad by adding the third and fifth major scale degrees to the tonic in a major scale. Major ChordsĪ major chord is one of the most popular bases for common progressions in Western music. Each type of chord has its own formula, so to speak, which we'll go over below.

In the graphic above, you can see how different scale degrees can be used to create different chords. There are different formulas for various types of chords which we'll detail below. Notice how this chord is just like C Major, just with the added 7th scale degree or leading tone, which happens to be B. You can also have chords with additional notes.įor instance, a C Major 7th chord, or Cmaj7, consists of C-E-G-B. Chords that consist of three notes are referred to as triads. Therefore, in the key of C major, a C Major chord is C-E-G. You'll find that the main difference between different scales is the starting note and what type of scale it is (major, minor, pentatonic, diminished, etc.).įor the sake of this example, let's look at the key of C major's scale degrees: 1st: C - Tonic 2nd: D - Supertonic 3rd: E - Mediant 4th: F - Subdominant 5th: G - Dominant 6th: A - Submediant 7th: B - Leading ToneĪ major chord consists of the tonic, mediant, and dominant or the 1st, 3rd, and 5th scale degrees. The scale degrees and relationships between certain notes are consistent regardless of what scale you use. We know this from using the universal formula for major scales, which is whole step-whole step-half step-whole step-whole step-whole step-half step (WWHWithin a scale, there are different types of notes referred to as scale degrees. In the key of C major, a major scale is C D E F G A B C. For instance, the C major chord utilizes notes from the key's major scale. They are named off of the key they are based on. These pitches usually have a strong relationship with one another as established within a particular key.Ĭhords usually consist of at least three notes. Essentially, a chord is a collection of pitches or notes. In order to understand how a chord progression works, you have to break down what a chord is first. There are plenty of two chord and five chord progressions as well, though they may be less common than three or four chord progressions. You'll usually see chord progressions consisting of three or four chords, though these numbers are not absolute. Chords with uppercase roman numerals signify major chords, while chords with lowercase Roman numerals are minor chords. Just like scale degrees, different types of chords are notated with Roman numerals. There are a handful of common chord progressions you hear in a majority of today's modern music, but once you understand how chords are created, you can go far beyond the most popular chord progressions to expand your sonic vocabulary. Chords progressions are patterns of chords that help evoke a certain feeling amongst the listener. In their simplest form, chords are collections of notes that are sonically pleasing when played together. We'll also share some tips for creating unique progressions so that your compositions can stand out from the crowd.

#CHORD PROGRESSION AURAL TRAINING HOW TO#

However, how does one come up with a chord progression? And what's the theory behind them?īelow, we'll detail everything you need to know about chord progressions and how to build them. After all, a chord progression serves as a predictable pattern that stands as the foundation that allows other melodies, rhythms, and musical ideas to flourish. Chord progressions are the building blocks of songs.

Chord progression aural training