COMO CONSTRUIR ACORDES

You 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 know which three notes
Obviously, 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
types
Of each chord type, there are 12 possible chords: one for each note. So there is
a C major chord, a C#major chord (which is the same as the Db major chord),
a D major chord, and so on. There is also a Cminor chord, a C# minor chord you
get the drift.
The note that names the chord is called the root note. So in the Cmaj7 chord, the
root note is C. Thechord quality (or chord type) is maj7, 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
the Cmaj7 have a warm sound, while dominant-7 chords like C7 sound very
bluesy.

Chord formulas
To 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
scales first.
Lets put this knowledge into practice.
The formula for major chords is: 1 3 5
We know that the scale for C major is:
C

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
these extended tones because 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:
C

10

11

12

13

14

There are also formulas that contain the symbols b and #. The b stands 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 get b3 we 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 chart
Chord 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
the major scale.
Major chords:
Chord name

Chord symbol

Formula

Major

(nothing), maj, ma, M,

135

Major 6

6, maj6, ma6

1356

Major 7

maj7, ma7, M7, 7, j7

1357

Major 9

maj9, ma9, M9, 9, j9

13579

Major 11

maj11, M11, 11, j11

1 3 5 7 9 11

Major 13

maj13, M13, 13, j13

1 3 5 7 9 11 13

Major add 9

add9, /9

1359

Major 6/9

6/9, 9/6

13569

Minor chords:
Chord name

Chord symbol

Formula

Minor

m, min, mi, -

1 b3 5

Minor 6

m6, min6

1 b3 5 6

Minor 7

m7, min7

1 b3 5 b7

Minor 9

m9, min9

1 b3 5 b7 9

Minor 11

m11, min11

1 b3 5 b7 9 11

Minor 13

m13, min13

1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13

Minor major 7

m(maj7), mM7, m7

1 b3 5 7

Minor major 9

m(maj9), mM9, m9

1 b3 5 7 9

Minor add 9

m(add9), m/9

1 b3 5 9

Minor 6/9

m6/9, m9/6

1 b3 5 6 9

Dominant chords:
Chord name

Chord symbol

Formula

Dominant 7

1 3 5 b7

Dominant 9

1 3 5 b7 9

Dominant 11

11

1 3 5 b7 9 11

Dominant 13

13

1 3 5 b7 9 11 13

Diminished chords:
Chord name

Chord symbol

Formula

Diminished

dim,

1 b3 b5

Diminished 7

dim7, 7

1 b3 b5 bb7 (bb7 = 6)

Half-diminished (7)

m7b5, m7-5,

1 b3 b5 b7

Augmented chords:
Chord name

Chord symbol

Formula

Augmented

aug, +, +5

1 3 #5

Augmented 7

aug7, 7#5, 7+5

1 3 #5 b7

Suspended chords:
Chord name

Chord symbol

Formula

Suspended (4)

sus, sus4

145

Suspended 7

7sus, 7sus4

1 4 5 b7

Suspended 2

sus2

125

Tip: If the chord symbol is some kind of complicated chord, like Cmaj13, 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 only 1 3 5. It might not sound entirely as intended, but it will still
sound good.