In this lesson we are going to take a closer look at the intervals that compose the C major chord. Our goal is to find a relationship between the intervals inherent in the C major chord and how this relates to the C major scale.

Remember, the C major scale is:

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

And our C major chord was given to be,

[A3, D2, G0, B1]

Using our chromatic pattern for determining notes on the neck of the guitar, we can easily determine what notes this tab chord form represents. Okay, it is a little tedius, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes like second nature.


A0 = A
A1 = A sharp
A2 = B
A3 = C

So, our first note A3 is a C note. And as we know, C is certainly a note found in the C major scale.

D0 = D
D1 = D sharp
D2 = E

Our second note on D2 is an E note. And E is also a note found in the C major Scale. Interval wise, we say that E is a major third above C. Remember, a major 3rd is a note that is four half steps above the starting note of your scale as we discussed back in lesson 12.


G0 = G

The G note on the open G string is also a note in the C major scale. The G note is seven half steps above C and is called a perfect 5th. The G note is 3 half steps above E (which means that it is a minor 3rd interval above E also). So, we can either think of G being a perfect 5th above C (aka...seven half steps above C), or we can think of G being a (major 3rd + a minor 3rd above C). Because a major 3rd interval (or 4 half steps up) and a minor 3rd interval up from there (or another 3 half steps up) is 4 + 3 = 7 half steps up from C in totality. From here we can see that stacking notes in a chord is simply a matter of adding intervals on top of other intervals. We will be doing a lot of this adding intervals (or note stacking), as we build more chords in the future. So, learn to love it.

Continuing onward, we have,

B0 = B
B1 = C

Obviously, the C note on the first fret of the B string is an octave with respect to the C note on A3. Technically, we could drop this note from our chord and simply play [A3, D2, G0] and still have a C chord by realizing that the C on B1 is redundant.

A3 = C
D2 = E
G0 = G

But, we usually include the octave by adding the C note on B1, because it makes the chord sound fuller on guitar to do that.


So, to construct a major chord, we must have a root, a major 3rd above the root, and a perfect 5th above the root.

Alternatively, we must have a Root, a major 3rd above the root, and a minor 3rd above the major 3rd.

Either way you look at this, the result is the same as we saw earlier. Even if all this theory seems complicated and hard to follow, you can still advance easily by recognizing that once you know the shape of one major chord, you can simply move that entire shape up the neck in half steps to find other major chords. In other words, simply move every note in your shape up a half step to get the next major chord having the same shape. WARNING! Moving all the notes in a chord shape up a half step may require you to change how you fret the chord. So, be aware of this and adjust your fingers accordingly. With the open g string in the C major chord, we got off easy for a while not having to hold that note down. But, when we move everything up a half step to form C sharp major, we will have to fret the shape differently because the G string will no longer be played open as we move this major chord shape up the neck.

C SHARP MAJOR
[A4p, D3r, G1i, B2m]


It may seem more natural to some folks to simply bar all six strings on the first fret with their index finger instead of holding down G1 with the tip of their index finger. Personally, I like both methods of fretting this chord, because they both work different muscles in your fretting hand. Keep in mind that if you learn to move this shape by using your index finger to bar all the strings, it may be easier to slide the chord around. But, I'll leave the choice up to you as to how you want to fret this chord. So, since A3 was a C note and A4 is a C sharp, we are now playing C sharp major. If we move the chord up another fret, we get D major.

D Major
[A5p, D4r, G2i, B3m]

So, whatever note we play on the A string, that is the root note of our chord. Hence, we determine the name of the major chord we are playing by its root. If we moved this chord shape up so that our pinky was on the F note on A8, maintaining the same major chord shape would give us an F major chord.

F major
[A8p, D7r, G5i, B6m]

So, even if you don't know any complicated music theory, if you can pay attention to the shapes of chords that you learn, you can move that chord shape up and down the neck and know that you are playing the same type of chord. Because as long as you have the same shape, the interval structure of that chord is the same. Thus, all the chords we discussed above had the same shape and were therefore all major chords.

For your homework, I want you to practice moving this shape up the neck starting out with the C chord at the beginning of this lesson. As you move up the neck in half steps, verbally call out the name of each major chord, using the notes on the A string as a guide to help you name each chord. If you do this correctly, you should find that you get another C major chord (but one octave higher) when your pinky is on A15. Here is the tab for that chord so that you can discern that the shape will in fact be the same as all the other chords you played.


C Major
[A15p, D14r, G12i, B13m]

If you have trouble naming the chords as you move along, write out the chromatic scale from the C note on A3 to the next higher C note on A15. Remember, the Chromatic scale changes when it ascends verses when it descends (from using sharps on the way up to using flats on the way back down). So, when calling out a major chord with a root that is either sharp or flat, you will want to mention both names of that chord. Remember, you can always refer back to lesson 12 for help on recalling how the Chromatic scale works.


Corey J. Bray