{"id":5323,"date":"2017-07-27T16:55:49","date_gmt":"2017-07-27T14:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jazzguitar.be\/blog\/?p=5323"},"modified":"2024-11-26T15:39:16","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T14:39:16","slug":"jazz-guitar-chord-theory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jazzguitar.be\/blog\/jazz-guitar-chord-theory\/","title":{"rendered":"Jazz Guitar Chord Theory – How to Construct Chords?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are jazz guitar chords? How are jazz guitar chords built? What makes a chord minor or major? In this lesson, you will learn how to construct jazz guitar chords. Learning the (relative) simple theory behind chords will make your life as a jazz guitar player a lot easier and is essential when learning how to play guitar chords, so let’s dive straight in!<\/p>\n<\/span><\/span>\n

Major Chord Construction<\/h2>\n

To get started, we begin with a scale we all know, the C major scale<\/b>. The 7 notes in this scale are numbered, these numbers are important (they are like a formula).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
C Major Scale<\/th>\nC<\/td>\nD<\/td>\nE<\/td>\nF<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/th>\n1<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chords are based on third intervals<\/b>. There are 2 kinds of thirds (or 3rds):<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Minor Third<\/th>\nInterval of 3 half steps<\/td>\nSymbol: minor 3rd<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Major Third<\/th>\nInterval of 4 half steps<\/td>\nSymbol: major 3rd<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let’s start by stacking 2 thirds on the first note (1, also called the root<\/em>) of the C major scale:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
C<\/td>\nE<\/td>\nG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

The result is a C major triad<\/strong> or C (a triad is a chord that contains 3 notes).<\/p>\n