Chord Patterns



Welcome to chord patterns - Chord patterns are the way songs are made. The most common chord pattern is the 1-4-5-1 pattern found in all types of music. A chord is two or more notes held at the same time. The most common chord is the triad three notes held at the same time. The 1, 3 and 5 notes make up the major one chord - see
The Major Scale to learn note numbers.


Chord patterns also known as
Diatonic Harmony are easy and fun to practice. Here are a few of the more common chord patterns.



Examples 1
 
1 - 4 - 5 -1 Chord Pattern
aka
I - IV - V - I Chord Pattern
 
Key of C the chords are: C - F - G - C
Key of D the chords are: D - G - A - D
Key of E the chords are: E - A - B - E





Examples 2
 
1 - 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 Chord Pattern
aka
I - iii - IV - ii - I Chord Patterns
 
Key of F
the chords are: F - A - Bb - G - F
Key of G
the chords are: G - B - C - A - G
Key of A
the chords are: A - C# - D - B - A




Examples 3
 
1 - 6 - 2 - -5 - 1 Chord Pattern
aka
I - vi - ii - V - I Chord Patterns
 
Key of B
the chords are: B - G# - C# - F# - B
Key of Db
the chords are: Db - Bb - Eb - Ab - Db
Key of Eb
the chords are: Eb - C - F - Bb - Eb
Key of Gb
the chords are: Gb - Eb - Ab - Db - Gb




Examples 4
 
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 1 Chord Pattern
aka
I - ii - iii - IV - V - I Chord Patterns
 
Key of Ab the chords are: Ab - Bbm - Cm - Db - Eb - Ab
Key of Bb the chords are: Bb - Cm - Dm - Eb - F - Bb




Again notice how at the top of the example it show roman numerals and then the chord names for the key below try to think in numbers theres much less to think about and your doing yourself a favor.

At
Diatonic Harmony I have a chart that shows how chord patterns can work using chord numbers 1-4-5-1 instead of chord names ( C-F-G-C). Please have a look its very easy and has been a great great tool for me.

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About Diatonic Modes



In a Scale you can start on the first note of the scale and call it the 1 tone or you can change Diatonic Modes and start on the second note of the scale and call it the 1 tone. This leads to big confusion so its a good idea to have a look at Diatonic Modes to get a picture in your head. It's very easy once you see it.

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By Michael Pelletier





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