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Finding the Diatonic Chordsby Shane Chapman
Hello, and welcome to the first post of the Brooklyn Guitar School blog. I thought I'd start off with something everyone uses every time they pick up a guitar, whether they realize it or not.
The Diatonic Chords
The diatonic chords are the seven chords that always work together in any given key. To find them you just need to remember how to find them in the key of C Major. Then you can find them for every other key! Here's how -
1. First you find your root notes (the notes of the major scale). In the key of C it's easy. Just start at C and go up the musical alphabet.
C D E F G A B
C is always easy because there are no sharps or flats in the C major scale. Before you can do another key you have to ask yourself why these are the notes in C Major because in other keys it's not as simple as just going up the alphabet. Remember that there is no half step between B and C or E and F. So to get the major scale we use this road map.
Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Whole Step
In other words we went from C to D (whole step), from D to E (whole step), from D to E (whole step), from E to F (half step) and so on. People will tell you to memorize that, but in my experience it's a lot easier to just remember that it's a half step from the 3 to the 4 and that everything else is a whole step (yes it's a half step from the 7 back to the 1 but by then we have everything we need). Try finding the notes for a different scale - like D.
D E F# G A B C#
F# is the three because it's a whole step from E (no E#) and the four is G because that's a half step from F# (always a half step from 3 to 4).
Now you know how to find the notes in the major scale, which is more than most guitarists. All that's left is for you to decide which ones are major and which ones are minor and you've got the seven diatonic chords!
Hopefully, you remember that the 1, 4 and 5 chords are always major. Think of those chords as the primary colors of rock. Knowing that, you just make the rest of them minor (the 7 chord is actually a minor 7 flat 5 and it doesn't get used as much but that will be another post).
So it goes - Major 1 chord, minor 2, minor 3, Major 4, Major 5, minor 6 and minor 7b5. Musicians notate that as follows -
I ii iii IV V vi vii7b5
or in the case of C Major -
C Dm Em F G Am Bm7b5
So, to sum it up, that's -
1. Pick a key.
2. Find your major scale, (the root notes of the diatonic chords) by remembering that it's always whole steps from the 1 chord except going from 3 to 4.
3. Determine which chords are major and minor by remembering that the I, IV and V are always major and that everything else is minor (except crazy VII).
Try one more key! Let's say A. You should come up with -
A Bm C#m D E F#m G#m7b5
It's just that easy! The great thing about these chords is that you can throw them together in any random order! As long as you start with the one you're going to have a hit almost every time.
That was "Finding the Diatonic Chords". Stay tuned for "Using the Diatonic Chords".
If, for any reason, this post has left you confused, give us a call at 718-855-5400, e-mail us at info@brooklynguitarschool.com or sign up online for a class today!
Continue to Rock!
Shane Chapman
Director
Brooklyn Guitar School
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