Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum C Major Scale Question

I've read on two different sites different explanations.

http://www.pianoclues.com/2008/01/11/how-to-construct-chords/

says 1-3-5 would = C-E-G

but http://www.cuug.ab.ca/~lukivr/KeyChd.html says

1-3-5 would = C-Em-G

which is it please?

I thought the chord formula for a major chord is M m m M M m o M like the second site says, if so shouldn't C Em G be the right 1-3-5 ?

Cmajor, 1-3-5 , is C E G
If the scale went C Em G that would be Cminor

The third note of the C Major scale, is E, therefore the C Major chord comprises the 1st,3rd and 5th notes of the scale. (C, E, G)
All major chords follow this formula.

Yea, try it at the piano, hear the difference.
CMajor (CEG) has a positive, happy sound.
CMinor however (CEbG) has a slightly melancholy sound.
The pic in my avatar is me playing Cmajor

The two sites are talking about two different things.


The letters are being used as note names.


The letters are being used as chord names.


The first site is using the numbers to specify which notes of the scale are included in the chord. So, given notes 1-3-5 of the C major scale, those are C E G, which gives you a C major chord.

The second site is using the numbers to specify which is the starting note of the chord. So, in the C major scale, start on note 1 and build a triad. The notes are C E G. That's a C major chord. Start on note 3 and build a triad. The notes are E G B. That's an E minor chord. Start on note 5 and build a triad. The notes are G B D. That's a G major chord. In shorthand: start on note 1, C. Start on note 3, Em. Start on note 5, G.

The second site points out the pattern for starting on each note of the major scale in turn and building a triad. In the C major scale, you get the chords C Dm Em F G Am Bdim, which gives you the pattern M m m M M m dim corresponding to starting on notes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 in turn.


M m m M M m o M is not the formula for a major chord. It is the pattern for triads built on successive notes of a major scale. Three are major triads, three are minor triads, and one is a diminished triad. The letters M and m refer to the type of CHORD: major or minor.

The formula for a major chord, if you want to use this language, is M m, where the letters stand for the type of THIRD: major or minor. A major triad in root position is a major third and a minor third stacked on top of each other.

thank you so much for the quick replies, this place is so helpful I really appreciate it, I'm sorry for the confusion

so when someone says that their song is played in the key of say Bminor how do we find out what chord progression was used? or is that just a matter of listening to the piece and figuring it out for yourself?
I'm aware I am nowhere near this level but it's just something that I've always wanted to know from you experienced pros out there.

Ah now that's beyond my ken, but Im sure there's a chord wheel that, like the colour wheel, shows complimentary chords.

Kent: Figuring out a chord progression, assuming you don't have the music, is just a matter of listening and piecing it together. However, if you study songs of any style (jazz, blues, pop) for a while, you'll see certain common chord progressions that are used a lot in that style. This makes figuring out a chord progression by listening to a tune easier because you learn to hear the common chord progressions.