chord and keys
- Thread starter warcry
- Start date
Each key has chord built from each degree of the scale, but the qualities are the same from key to key.
For instance, in a Major key, the
I is Major
II is Minor
III is Minor
IV is Major
V is Major
VI is Minor
VII is Diminished
(the I is built from the first note of the scale, the II from the second, etc).
The above are three note chords, called triads. You can also build 4 note chords, called 7ths or tetrads, off of each degree. In that case,
I is Maj7
II is Min7
III is Min7
IV is Maj7
V is Dominant7 or 7
VI is Min7
VI is Min7b5
If this doesn't make sense, don't worry! Griff has a great Theory course that explains it all if you want to get up to speed with it.
For instance, in a Major key, the
I is Major
II is Minor
III is Minor
IV is Major
V is Major
VI is Minor
VII is Diminished
(the I is built from the first note of the scale, the II from the second, etc).
The above are three note chords, called triads. You can also build 4 note chords, called 7ths or tetrads, off of each degree. In that case,
I is Maj7
II is Min7
III is Min7
IV is Maj7
V is Dominant7 or 7
VI is Min7
VI is Min7b5
If this doesn't make sense, don't worry! Griff has a great Theory course that explains it all if you want to get up to speed with it.
luckylarry
Student Of The Blues
W4rCry there are indeed chords that go with keys. Each letter in a key is the chord. i.e. in the key of C there is a C,D,E,F,G,A and B chord. The thing is that not all chords sound good. The chords are numbered from 1-7 (C=1, D=2 and so on). In Blues the chords that always sound good and are used the most often are the 1(C), the 4(F), and the 5 (G). This is simplifies because there are also 7th chords used a lot in Blues and so on but this is the general idea. Wayne suggests Griffs theory course and I can recommend it as well. As a new player when I started with BBG I found that I started to ask questions about theory. To be honest the answers from those trying to help me were like Greek.
I knew that 1) You do not need to know much theory to learn to play the Blues, and 2) I needed to know how these things worked. I was honestly not sure about the Theory course as I thought it would be over my head. I can tell you that the course is fun and the way Griff lays it out it is easy to learn. I can also say the the course has given me enough theory (I am not a master like others on the forum) that I can figure things out for myself much of the time because of the course. It is also important that you use the theory or you forget it and in my case I have done the course from beginning to end 3 times and each time I get more knowledgeable and more confident in my practice and playing. I hope this is the answer you were looking for.
I knew that 1) You do not need to know much theory to learn to play the Blues, and 2) I needed to know how these things worked. I was honestly not sure about the Theory course as I thought it would be over my head. I can tell you that the course is fun and the way Griff lays it out it is easy to learn. I can also say the the course has given me enough theory (I am not a master like others on the forum) that I can figure things out for myself much of the time because of the course. It is also important that you use the theory or you forget it and in my case I have done the course from beginning to end 3 times and each time I get more knowledgeable and more confident in my practice and playing. I hope this is the answer you were looking for.
Yeah - the issue is that there are a number of building block details you need to master before what I said will make much sense. Not unlike learning the alphabet before trying to spell.
That's why I recommend Griff's course - it starts at the beginning and builds in a sequence that allows you to understand, without getting bogged down with unessential ideas.