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If you create a chord where all the notes are 4 semitones apart, you get an augmented chord, and this is often shown by a plus sign next to the letter. Cº would be C diminished, which would be C E b Gb. This is often shown by a superscript “o” next to the letter. Taking this idea a little further, if you create a chord where all the notes are 3 semitones apart, you get a diminished chord. You can find out more about how major and minor intervals work here.Ī C minor chord is C E b G because C and E b are 3 semitones apart and E b and G are 4 semitones apart. In pop music minor chords are often written as the letter plus “m”. C7 would be a C major triad with a minor 7th above the root. The "C" part of the symbol means C major, and the "maj 7" part of the symbol refers to an interval of a major 7th above the root. Cmaj7 means a C major triad with a major 7th. a 7th or 9th, and describes the quality of the interval formed between that note and the root. Incidentally: If you see “maj” next to the letter, this is referring to another note, on top of the basic triad, e.g.In pop music, the chord symbols for major triads are usually shown by the letter name alone, so “C” means C major. a C major chord is C E G because C and E are 4 semitones apart and E and G are 3 semitones apart. For a minor triad remember 3+4 semitones.Į.g.So for a major triad remember 4+3 semitones.It has a root, then the next note is 3 semitones up, then the next note is 4 semitones up. For a minor triad, it is the other way round.
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