How to Form Chords

Although chord finders are valuable tools on the Internet, what do we do when we're sitting at the piano and don't have access to the computer, trying to figure out chords? Here's a breakdown on forming many chords you'll use in your piano playing. Yes, there are augmented chords, and there are 9, 11 and 13 chords. I have chosen a few basic ones to start with.

Major

Minor

Dominant 7th

Sus4

Sus2 and add9

Diminished

Major Sevenths

Major Chords

Starting from the root note, count up FIVE semi-tones (5 half steps). Always use the root note when counting. This will bring you to the second note in the chord. From and including this note, count up FOUR semi-tones (4 half steps). This will bring us to the final note in the chord.

Example: C Major - C is the root note in this chord. Count up 5 semi-tones from the C: C=1, C#= 2, D=3, Eb=4, E=5. Then, count up 4 semi-tones from the second note in the chord: E=1, F=2, F#=3, G=4. Play the C, E and G together and you have a C Major chord. By using this 'FIVE then FOUR' rule, you can work out any major chord.

Minor (m) Chords

For minor chords, simply reverse the rule for working out major chords. Instead of counting 5 then 4, count 4 then 5.

Example: C Minor - C is the root note in this chord. Count up 4 semi-tones from the C: C=1, C#=2, D=3, Eb=4. Then, count up 5 semi-tones from the second note in the chord: Eb=1, E=2, F=3, F#=4, G=5. Play the C, Eb and G together and you have a C Minor chord. By using this FOUR then FIVE rule, you can work out any minor chord.

D'Accord iChords is a harmony (chords) transcription software. It recognizes chords on audio files (MP3, WMA*, WAV and Audio CDs) or and presents them on a virtual guitar.

With iChords you will be able to see the chords of any song, without having to search for tablatures and sheet music. Experienced musicians can save time when transcribing "by ear" using iChords to make fast harmonic transcriptions.

iChords is very easy to use, after opening a song file the software automatically processes and extracts the chords!

iChords is based on D'Accord's unique audio processing technology. It provides the best results in terms of chord recognition. The software itself runs as a Windows Media Player plugin, offering a convenient interface for musicians and enthusiasts.