Major & Minor Chord Notes
All 12 major and 12 minor chords with the notes that make them up.
What is a Chord?
A chord is three or more notes played together at the same time. The most basic chords — called triads — are built from three notes: the root, the third, and the fifth of a scale.
Major Chords
A major chord sounds bright, happy and resolved. Its formula is: root + major third + perfect fifth.
| Chord | Notes |
|---|---|
| C | C E G |
| C# / Db | C# F G# |
| D | D F# A |
| D# / Eb | D# G A# |
| E | E G# B |
| F | F A C |
| F# / Gb | F# A# C# |
| G | G B D |
| G# / Ab | G# C D# |
| A | A C# E |
| A# / Bb | A# D F |
| B | B D# F# |
Minor Chords
A minor chord sounds darker, sadder and more emotional. Its formula is: root + minor third + perfect fifth.
| Chord | Notes |
|---|---|
| Cm | C D# G |
| C#m / Dbm | C# E G# |
| Dm | D F A |
| D#m / Ebm | D# F# A# |
| Em | E G B |
| Fm | F G# C |
| F#m / Gbm | F# A C# |
| Gm | G A# D |
| G#m / Abm | G# B D# |
| Am | A C E |
| A#m / Bbm | A# C# F |
| Bm | B D F# |
How Chords Are Built
Take any major scale and pick the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes — those three together form the major chord.
For example, the C Major scale is C, D, E, F, G, A, B. The 1st note is C, the 3rd is E, the 5th is G. Together that's C – E – G, the C major chord.
For minor chords, take the 1st, 3rd, and 5th of the natural minor scale instead.