Julie Waters: Chord and Scale Theory

This key has 0 sharps or flats.

Chords are usually derived from an 'every other note' structure by following along the scale. the simplest chords are 3-note patterns, such as the root chord:

And the IV chord:

And the V chord:

But the V chord is often played as a V7. That's why you might instead see it with these notes:

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
G	A	B	C	D	E	F

But the V chord can be further extended to a 9th chord. This includes every other note, from 1-9, as follows:

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
G	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	A	B

And if you want to get really fancy, try a 13th chord

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
G	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	A	B	C	D	E	F

You may, at this point, have a few questions, such as why do they call it a "9" instead of a "2?"and why they skip the 11? These are good questions. They skip the 11 because it just doesn't sound right with the rest of the chord. They call it a "9" because, often, the special notes get played in the higher registry and it helps remind us of that.

To get back to the root chord again, let's look at how it can be extended. This creates a major 7th chord:

And this creates a major 9th chord:

Another very nice major key chord is the 6/9 chord:

Other major key chords, extended through the 9th (7th and 9th are usually optional):

ii: min9:

iii: min7^(b9):

IV: maj9:

vi: min9:

vii: min7^(b5b9):

This page is still under construction-- I have lots more chords to add, but this covers the basics.