However, this is not always the case (as in the above example), so make sure you are aware of whether they are mentioning the scale degree (the order in which the tone appears in the scale) or the interval (the distance that tone is from the root of the scale.) This sort of relates to what I mentioned previously - in the case of C Major, we are referring to both the scale degree and the intervalic relationships because they happen to be one of the same. Do the numbers represent intervals, e.g., 5 equals a Perfect Fifth or can they just as well represent the note names at those positions in the scale? That way you won't be pulling scale degrees and making assumptions about chord quality - you'll have a deeper understanding of the entire tonal function of that particular scale.įinally, and in the same vein, the chord formula for the Major Chord is 1- 3 - 5. To answer your question, there is a better rule to follow: Know the chord tones that comprise those scales. But, as you can see, that doesn't really encapsulate the entire story that this scale tells - especially considering the tonality of this scale becomes a bit obscured by the presence of both a minor and major 3rd and the absence of a 7th. If I were to pull the 1st, 3rd, and 5th scale degrees from this scale, I would have myself a minor triad. If you wind up trying to improvise an idea or compose a melody over a C Major triad, for example, you can use any of the scales pictured to create ideas which include those tones (and introduce new ones).Īnd doesn’t the latter method work for all scale types: major, the minors, the pentatonics, blues, and diminished? I'll expound upon this in a moment.Īlso, you should understand that this is not the exclusive relationship that the root, major 3rd, and perfect 5th combination have to a scale. The 3rd degree of this scale happens to be a major 3rd, and the 5th degree happens to be a perfect 5th. It works for major scales, yes, because the major scale is such a scale that the interval relationships line up with the scale degrees. Isn’t it just as correct (and, if not, why not), to simply know the notes in the C Major Scale and take the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes to arrive at the same chord? As an example, here are several chords that can be derived from the C Major Scale:Īnd, similarly, several scales which include a C Major triad: In our chromatic system of harmony, there exists a scale (or many scales) for every chord, and there exists a chord (or several chords) for every scale.
The relationship of chords to scales is an important one to understand, as it serves as a foundation for songwriting, composition, and improvisation.
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