The Chords, learn the basic music theory online here.

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You don´t have to have a Ph.D. in music theory to become a successful hit songwriter, but some basic concept are useful and will help you take some shortcuts. These concepts you can learn here in these music theory online articles. I have collected the theory which are most useful for songwriters in this music theory section.

Making A Chord

How do we narrow the field to create chords that we can actually use with our chosen key? (If any terms ahead aren’t familiar to you, check the Keys section for a review)

We will be focusing on what are called “diatonic” chords. A diatonic chord means a chord that is comprised solely of the notes within a certain key. So, let’s continue working with the D major (D E F# G A B C#) and D minor (D E F G A Bb C) keys and make some chords. But first, some terminology. music theory online

Chords by Numbers

Which numbers are used determines what kind of chord you have. For example, a major chord is described as 1 3 5. So, lets apply that to a D major chord. The D note is the 1, so counting up from the D in the D major scale we find that the 3 is F# and the 5 is A. So, a D major chord is made up of the notes D F# and A.

The difference between a major and minor chord is found in the 3 note, with a minor chord having a flat third (b3). That means that a minor chord we be written as 1 b3 5 and a D minor chord would have the notes D F and A. (Definition: A triad is a grouping of three notes, generally used in the sense of a major triad or minor triad)

This system works for any number. So, you could have a chord that is 1 b3 5 b7 (a minor 7th) or 1 3 5 b7 (a dominant 7th) or any other numerous configurations. Most chords are based off of the 1 3 5 triad and may or may not have some other notes added on.

Also, you may have heard of chords that are variations of a 9th or 11th chord, but when you look at the notes above, there’s only seven in each group. What happens in this situation is that the series of notes repeats and the numbers keep going up. So, the next D note would be 8, E would be 9, F# 10, and so on.

So, now that we understand the notation behind chords, lets explore that word “diatonic” and make some chords from the keys D major and D minor. music theory online

Diatonic Chords

We’ve already done the D major chord, so let’s see what we can do with the E note as our root. What’s great here is that we can just count through the notes. So, with the E as 1, the 3 would be G and the 5 would be B.

But hold on. If we had used the WWHWWWH formula from the last section to determine the notes of E major, we’d find that the 3 note would be G#. So because we already know the notes, we automatically know which chords will be major and which minor.

If we follow this through to the 7th note, we’ll find that the 7 is D, which would be a minor 7th. So there we go, we’ve got an Em7th chord. music theory online

So let’s go through each note in the D major key and figure out the chords. If we just stick to major or minor the chords will be: D major, E minor, F# minor, G major, A major, B minor, and C# diminished.

An diminished chord is one that has a minor third, but the fifth is diminished. A fifth is seven half steps above a note, but the fifth note in the D major key above C# is G, which is only 6 half steps, so the chord is actually written as 1 b3 b5.

Most of the time you don’t have to worry about this, but be aware of it. Also, a similar type of chord is the augmented which has a major third and a fifth note that is eight half steps above the root, so it would be written 1 3 #5.

Once you know these chords, you can string them together in whatever order you please and you’ll be able to create a diatonic chord progression. Some progressions will work better than others, but a few quick guidelines are to start on the I and use the IV and V at some point. Play around with progressions and check out Exercise 2 below for more. music theory online

Exercise 1:

Once again, this may seem a bit tedious, but here’s the great thing: Once you determine what kind of chords are in a scale, that knowledge is completely interchangeable. The second note in a major key will always have the same chord associated with it no matter what key you’re using. It doesn’t matter if its A# major or C major, the second note in the key will always be a minor seventh chord.

The same thing goes for minor chords. Do this exercise now, add it onto the list you made from the Keys/Scales section, and you’ve just added more valuable knowledge to your arsenal. music theory online

Exercise 2:

Start off with the I chord then play the II chord. See how it sounds. Does it sound like it needs something else to come after it in order to be complete, or does it sound complete and full? Write down how it sounds.

Then play the I chord followed by the III. Same drill. Go through and do that for all chords. The play the II chord followed by the I, then the II followed by the III and so on.

Spread this out over a few days. Don’t try it all at once or you’ll start to go crazy. After you have these notes taken, go through and look at them. Try to pair up chord switches so they go from incomplete to complete. You’ll have a strong chord, followed by a weaker transition, followed by a strong chord, and so on.

Once you have a good idea of how these transitions work, try adding 7th notes on top or 6th notes, 9th notes, whatever. Have fun with it. Not only will you discover great ways to string chords together, you might also figure out a progression that will make a great song.

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