Chords
A chord is a group of 3 or more notes played simultaneously. Different types of chords can be formed by using different combinations of notes. The most basic type of chord contains three different notes and is called a triad.
The most common triad is the major chord. All major chords contain three notes taken from the major scale of the same letter name. These three notes are the 1 (first), 3 (third) and 5 (fifth) degrees of the major scale, so the chord formula for the major chord is:
The C Major Chord
The C major chord is constructed from the C major scale. Using the previous chord formula on the following C major scale, it can be seen that the C major chord contains the notes C, E and G.
C Major Scale
Once you have the correct notes for a C chord they can be arranged in any order. As long as the notes are still C, E and G, you still have a C chord. For example, a C chord could be played C E G, or E G C, or G C E, or even G E C. These various arrangements of the notes within a chord are called inversions.
It is also possible to double notes within a chord. For example, the following diagram shows a common way of playing a C major chord on the guitar. It contains two C notes and two E notes. It is still a C major chord because it only contains notes called C, E and G. Doubling notes is common when playing chords on the guitar.
C
