COMO CONSTRUIR ACORDESYou dont need a 1000 Chords Dictionary to be able to read and play chords. You can learn how to form chords on your own, because chords are built using simple formulas.A chord is three or more notes played at the same time. Its as simple as that. Of course, the trick is to knowwhichthree notesObviously, not all combinations of notes sound good. Particular combinations each have their own name: there are major chords, minor chords, dominant-7 chords, diminished chords, and so on.See a demonstration of the different chord typesOf each chord type, there are 12 possible chords: one for each note. So there is aCmajor chord, aC#major chord (which is the same as theDbmajor chord), aDmajor chord, and so on. There is also aCminor chord, aC#minor chord you get the drift.The note that names the chord is called theroot note. So in theCmaj7chord, the root note isC. Thechord quality(or chord type) ismaj7, which is short for major chord with an added 7th.Whats the difference between all these chord types? The way they sound, of course: each type has its own unique sound. For example, major-7 chords such as theCmaj7have a warm sound, while dominant-7 chords likeC7sound very bluesy.Chord formulasTo form a chord you simply apply a formula to the major scale named by the root tone. This formula tells you which notes from the scale make up the chord. Each chord type has its own formula.So to build any type of chord, you need to know: the major scale for the root tone of that chord, and the formula for that chord.I am assuming that you already can play the 12 major scales. If not,learn the major scalesfirst.Lets put this knowledge into practice.The formula for major chords is:1 3 5We know that the scale for C major is:CDEFGABC

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If we fill in the numbers from the formula, we get:C E G. These are the tones of the C major chord. Make sense? Thats all there is to it.Tip: When we say: The 3rd of the chord we mean the third tone from its major scale, E in the previous example. (So we dont mean the 3rd note in the chord, but in the scale.)A major scale only contains 7 unique tones but sometimes we count to 13! We call theseextended tonesbecause they extend beyond the octave. The most common extended tones are 9, 11 and 13.Its important to realize that note 9 is the same as note 2, 11 is the same as 4, and 13 is the same as 6:CDEFGAB

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There are also formulas that contain the symbolsband#. Thebstands for flatten or lower by a half-step and#stands for sharpen or raise by a half-step.For example, the formula for a minor chord is:1 b3 5.You know that 3 is the third note of the scale, so to getb3we lower the third note by a half-step.Likewise, the formula for an augmented chord contains a#5: this is the fifth note raised by a half-step. Any note can be raised or lowered but 3, 5, and 7 are the most common ones.The chartChord naming rules and chord symbols are not always very consistent. Often the same chord can have multiple names. The chart lists the most common symbols.Note that the numbers in the formulas always indicate positions in themajorscale.Major chords:Chord nameChord symbolFormula

Major(nothing), maj, ma, M, 1 3 5

Major 66, maj6, ma61 3 5 6

Major 7maj7, ma7, M7, 7, j71 3 5 7

Major 9maj9, ma9, M9, 9, j91 3 5 7 9

Major 11maj11, M11, 11, j111 3 5 7 9 11

Major 13maj13, M13, 13, j131 3 5 7 9 11 13

Major add 9add9, /91 3 5 9

Major 6/96/9, 9/61 3 5 6 9

Minor chords:Chord nameChord symbolFormula

Minorm, min, mi, -1 b3 5

Minor 6m6, min61 b3 5 6

Minor 7m7, min71 b3 5 b7

Minor 9m9, min91 b3 5 b7 9

Minor 11m11, min111 b3 5 b7 9 11

Minor 13m13, min131 b3 5 b7 9 11 13

Minor major 7m(maj7), mM7, m71 b3 5 7

Minor major 9m(maj9), mM9, m91 b3 5 7 9

Minor add 9m(add9), m/91 b3 5 9

Minor 6/9m6/9, m9/61 b3 5 6 9

Dominant chords:Chord nameChord symbolFormula

Dominant 771 3 5 b7

Dominant 991 3 5 b7 9

Dominant 11111 3 5 b7 9 11

Dominant 13131 3 5 b7 9 11 13

Diminished chords:Chord nameChord symbolFormula

Diminisheddim, 1 b3 b5

Diminished 7dim7, 71 b3 b5 bb7 (bb7 = 6)

Half-diminished (7)m7b5, m7-5, 1 b3 b5 b7

Augmented chords:Chord nameChord symbolFormula

Augmentedaug, +, +51 3 #5

Augmented 7aug7, 7#5, 7+51 3 #5 b7

Suspended chords:Chord nameChord symbolFormula

Suspended (4)sus, sus41 4 5

Suspended 77sus, 7sus41 4 5 b7

Suspended 2sus21 2 5

Tip: If the chord symbol is some kind of complicated chord, likeCmaj13, and you dont know how to play all the additional tones, then you can simplify the chord to its basics. In this case, the basic chord is the major chord, so you can get away by playing only1 3 5. It might not sound entirely as intended, but it will still sound good.