ive been playing a couple years, ive gotten into music theory off and on, i tried to educate myself today and got confused. Major chords are made up of the major root, 3rd and fifth right? In an A major chord, you fret a C sharp for the 3rd, but for an Am you fret a C major. Theres other chords like this too. Where am i confused?
my name is mud
in an Am chord, you fret a c natural. a note can be natural, flat or sharp. chords and scales can be major or minor, but a note cannot.
A major chord: A natural, C sharp, E natural
A minor chord: A natural, C natural, E natural
thanks i love you
my name is mud
You are correct in that all major chords are build 1 - 3 - 5. With the A chord the C is sharp because in the Key of A there are 3 sharps (F#, C# & G#) and the third in the A chord is C so it must be C sharp.
(A, B, C#, D, E, F# & G#)
All MINOR chords are built 1 - b3 - 5 so that's why A minor is A, C & E. Just like the major, just bump the 3rd down a half a step.
D major = D F# & A
D minor = D F & A
Check out the Circle of Fifths and the Order of Sharps and Flats and music theory gets a whole lot easier.
E doesn't = MC2, E = Fb
Music "Theory"? "It's not just a theory, it's the way it is!"
Jonny T.
