Major Scale

P

proz9c

New member
So.. Im trying to get to know some music theory, and been reading alot the last couple of days, but i have a question that i hoped some of you experienced producers could help me with.

Im confused regarding how i find the different chords for major scales. First i read that you should find the root key, count up 4 half steps, then 3 half steps, but now when i read this (Songwriting Basics, Keys, I, IV, V Chords) and look at the illustrations, it suddenly makes no sense to me. How is C#+E+A = A chord ? how did he get there ? is because it's not a standard inversion or how should i understand this ?

Someone please point me in the right direction, thanks !
 
Yeah, music theory can be a ***** sometimes xD.

Hm, they said to find the root key your count 2 whole steps? Hm, i am confused. the root note tends to mean what is the first and lowest note played in a riff (being how the root note tends to stay the same note through the whole song). So i do not know what this book is telling you exactly right now.

in the naming of chords, they tend to be named after the lowest note played in them.
D7 chord's lowest note is a D. In a C major chord, the C is the lowest note.

most likely, if your book tells you that C# E A = A chord. the A is the lowest note. Because there are many different "a chords". A major, a minor, A augmented, etc.

Hope that helped bro!
 
A-C#-E is an A chord.

If you rearrange the notes it is still an A chord

C#-E-A ~ 1st Inversion
E-A-C# ~ 2nd Inversion
E-C#-A ~ 2nd Inversion
C#-A-E ~ 1st Inversion
A-C#-E ~ Root Position
A-E-C# ~ Root Position

are all A chords

You hit the nail on the head with Inversion, it is all it is.

Inversion simply means take the bottom and put it somewhere else in the chord
 
bandcoach said:
A-C#-E is an A chord.

If you rearrange the notes it is still an A chord

C#-E-A ~ 1st Inversion
E-A-C# ~ 2nd Inversion
E-C#-A ~ 2nd Inversion
C#-A-E ~ 1st Inversion
A-C#-E ~ Root Position
A-E-C# ~ Root Position

are all A chords

You hit the nail on the head with Inversion, it is all it is.

Inversion simply means take the bottom and put it somewhere else in the chord
Click to expand...
I should have put a disclaimer that i am not too good with the chord naming system! lol

but Wow, thats interesting . I never knew that. So what makes it an "a chord" then?
And so if you flip a C major chord and play it "E-C-g" . It is still technically a C chord?
 
Last edited:
Don't sweat it - we are all here to learn something.

All of these chords are in inversion: Here's some notation with some guiding lines to show how it works:

chordInversions.png


[MP3]http://www.bandcoach.org/fp/audio/chordInversions.mp3[/MP3]

Where the notes are close together we say the inversions are in close voicing (as near to each other as possible); when they are further apart we say that they are in a spread or wide voicing.

In each instance we name the chord by reducing it back to the root position voicing of the notes, stacking them in 3rds, so that we have a note, skip a note, skip a note on the staff to get root position voicing

Think of it as re-alphabetising or reordering a collection of something, you put them into the nearest order you can within the limits of your system.
 
Very helpful info BC. Got me inspired. About 90% of my songs so far have used the basic 1-3-5 chord idea. Im going to start distant voicing them. Thanks homie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top