subject: Guitar Lesson -- The Key Of C [print this page] Every key has chords that are natural to that key. There are also certain scales that can be played in that key naturally. Let's start with the key of C.
The key of C is named so because of the notes associated with it. These notes come from the C major scale:
C D E F G A B C
There are no sharps or flats natural to this key.
Chords are constructed in 3rds. "3rds" are what are called intervals -- or the distance between each note.
C D E F G A B C
To get the 3rd of C, simply count to 3 starting from the note that you want to build the 3rd from. Doing this, you can see that the 3rd of C is E.
Now, all basic chords have what's called the "root" (R) which is the chord letter name, a 3rd and a 5th. The 5th, incidentally is also the 3rd "of the 3rd".
E F G
So to build a C chord, start with the root C. The 3rd of C is E, and the 5th of C is G (G also being the 3rd of E).
C E G
R 3 5
Let's carry this through for all of the notes in the C major scale. Read the chords from bottom to top for each chord.
5th -- G A B C D E F G
3rd -- E F G A B C D E
R ---- C D E F G A B C
There are also 2 types of 3rds, major (M) 3rds, and minor (m) 3rds. What determines whether a 3rd is major or minor depends on the number of half steps involved. A M3 has 4 half steps, and a m3 has 3 half steps.
A major chord by definition is a R + M3 + m3. A minor chord by definition is a R + m3 + M3.
.By convention, we use Roman numerals to describe the chords in a scale. An upper case numeral means that that chord is major. A lower case numeral will indicate a minor chord.
The I chord in the key of C is C
The ii chord is Dm
The iii chord is Em
The IV chord is F
The V chord is G
The vi chord is Am
The 7 chord is neither major nor minor and will not be discussed here.
So when you listen to song that is in the key of C, there's a good bet that C, Dm, Em, F, G and Am will be in the mix as far as the chord progression is concerned. There may, perhaps be other chords as well, but these chords are natural to the key of C.
As far as playing lead against this scale, you can play the C major scale. If you know what pentatonic scales are you can also play the C minor pentatonic to get a bluesy sound, or you also use a C major pentatonic for more of a country rock feel. If you don't know what these scales are, I would strongly advise you to learn them as they are a staple in pop and rock music.
