Major Diatonic Chords

Diatonic chords are chords from the same key (e.g. C major). Chords from more than one key are called chromatic. Start with the C major scale:

The numbers are the degrees of the scale, with being the tonic and ! being the leading tone, so called because it leads back to the tonic. The leading tone "lays a major role in classical music.

Triads
#f we add two successi$e thirds on to" of each note in the scale, we get the set of triads in the major scale.

The roman numerals label each triad, and are deri$ed from the scale degree on which each triad is built. There are three ty"es of triad in a major scale: . %""ercase numerals indicate a major triad (#, #& and &), which is com"osed of a major third followed by a minor third abo$e that. Thus C to ' is a major third, and ' to ( is a minor third, so the # triad is a major triad. ). *owercase numerals indicate a minor triad (ii, iii and $i), which is com"osed of a minor third (e.g. D to + in the ii triad) followed by a major third (+ to ,). -. +inally there is one diminished triad ($iio ) which is com"osed of two minor thirds (. to D and D to +).

Seventh chords
.y adding another third on to" of a triad, we get the se$enth chords:

The ty"es of se$enth chords are: . The chords #! and #&! are major/major se$enth (00!) chords because they are com"osed of a major triad with a major se$enth inter$al (C to . in #!) on to". ). ,t ii!, iii! and $i! we ha$e minor se$enth (m!) chords, which are com"osed of a minor triad and a minor se$enth inter$al (D to C in ii!) on to". -. The &! chord is uni1ue in the scale as it consists of a major triad with a minor se$enth on to", known as a major/minor se$enth (0m!). 2. The $iio! is a half-diminished chord, consisting of a diminished triad with a minor se$enth on to" (dim!).

Minor Diatonic Chords

Minor Triads
3e can follow the same "rocedure for the minor scale. #n C minor, we ha$e the triads:

3e now ha$e the following triad ty"es: . The i and i$ triads are minor (minor third 4 major third). ). The ###, & and &# are major triads. The ### and &# are naturally major triads (that is, just by using notes from the scale they automatically come out as major triads). The & triad, howe$er, would be minor if we had used the .b from the scale. The note is changed to a . natural as a minor triad in the dominant "osition does not fit in well with the rules of harmonic "rogression. (0ore on this later.) -. There are two diminished triads at iio and $iio (minor third on to" of minor third). ,gain, the .b in the $ii triad is raised to a . natural to make it fit in with harmonic "rogression. #f we had used the .b here, then this triad would be major (&##), but this is used mainly when we are "rogressing out of minor.

Minor Sevenths
The C minor se$enth chords are as shown:

The chord ty"es here are: . i! and i$! are minor !ths. ). iio! and $iio! are diminished !ths. -. ###! and &#! are major/major !ths 2. &! is a major/minor !th. #n classical music, some of these !th chords (iio!, i$! , &! and $iio!) a""ear fre1uently. The i! and ###! chords are $ery rare. &#! occurs usually as "art of a "rogression of !th chords. 5ote that the only note that is modified in the minor chords is the .b to a . natural, which is the leading tone in the major scale. The leading tone "lays such an im"ortant role that these chords ha$e been modified to include it. The triads and !th chords shown abo$e re"resent the o$erwhelming majority of chords that are used in classical music.

Other chord types

6ther ty"es of music, such as ja77 and "o", often contain other ty"es of chords than those shown abo$e. +or e8am"le, the first chord in the e8cer"t below is often found in ja77:

The notes in the base clef are +, C and ,, and together with the 'b in the treble, form a dominant !th chord (that is, a &! chord with a major/minor structure). , ja77 musician would take the to" two notes (the ( and D) as "art of the o$erall chord, which then becomes an + - chord. #n classical music, the bottom four notes form the dominant + !th chord, but the to" two notes are classified as non-chord tones or 5CTs9 they do not form "art of the chord. ,s such, these two notes must be resol$ed into "art of the dominant !th chord, so the ( mo$es u" to the , and the D mo$es down to the C, with the result that all si8 notes in the second chord are "art of the dominant !th chord. #n diatonic classical music, harmony is essentially restricted to the chord ty"es described here.