Chord Types

Here is an overview of the basic chord types necessary for a working knowledge of
music. This list will contain two groups:

• Triads, which are made of three notes: the 1, the 3, and the 5
• Seventh chords, which have four notes: the 1, the 3, the 5, and the 7

Triads
Major……………. 1 3 5
C chord…………C E G

minor…………… 1 b3 5
Cm chord………. C Eb G

Diminished…….. 1 b3 b5
CL chord………… C Eb Gb

Augmented…….. 1 3 #5
C+ chord……….. C E G#

You could also say sus4 and sus2 chords are triads:
Sus4…………….. 1 4 5
Csus4…………… C F G

Sus2…………….. 1 2 5
Csus2…………… C D G

Both Sus4 and Sus2 have the tendency to want to resolve to a major or minor chord by
simply moving the 4 downward to a 3, or the 2 upward to a 3. Note that I said they have
the tendency. In many cases they are used without resolving, especially the Sus2. If
you listen to contemporary Christian music, and a lot of pop in general, you’ll hear many
Sus2 chords substituting for major or minor chords without resolving. If you listen to a
lot of jazz, you will hear a lot of both Sus4 and Sus2 with no resolution. In most classical
and in a lot of pop songwriting, the Sus2 or Sus4 is typically followed by a resolution to
a major or minor chord.

7th Chords
Major 7………………1 3 5 7
Cmaj7………………. C E G B

Dominant 7…………1 3 5 b7
C7…………………… C E G Bb

Minor 7………………1 b3 5 b7
Cm7………………… C Eb G Bb

Half Diminished…….1 b3 b5 b7
Cø…………………… C Eb Gb Bb

Fully Diminished……1 b3 b5 bb7 (same note as 6)
CL……………………. C Eb Gb A

Notice a C7 chord is a C Dominant 7 chord. Any time you see just the letter name (C)
plus the number seven (C7), it means Dominant 7 (the 3rd is natural, so it’s like a
‘major’, but the seventh is flatted).

 

Power Chords

One other group that could be summarized pretty easily are power chords, which
only contain a root and a fifth. They are written with the letter name followed by the
number five.

Power Chord………..1 5
C5…………………… C G

From here we could talk about extended and altered chords, and that would give you a
more complete list. You ultimately want to be able to play any chord by name, or solo
over any chord by knowing the scale possibilities that match each chord.