Major, Minor, Diminished

How can i determine if a chord is Major, Minor, or Diminished. I Know if i take the root, third and fifth of a major scale it gives me those chords but I dont understand how to tell which one it is. Does it deppend on how many major and minor notes are in the chord? Or does it depend on how many half-steps thier are in between each note? Also if the diminished note is in the chord does that make it a diminished chord?

I really dont know how to put this question into words but here is my best shot. On a AMaj scale An AMaj chord is
A-C#-E does this chord have to follow this exact pattern or when I place the notes can I place it in a pattern like: (from low to high) A-E-C#, or can i change it totally around like C#-E-A.

Last question how can i tell when i can play a chord within the scale. For example if I'm playing through AMaj scale
A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A and I'M using this progression is the only time i can use the Amaj Chord is when I land on the
A-Note. For example if I pick A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G# the next note being A is this the best time for me to use an AMaj chord?

I Wanted to also thank everyone for helping me out. I've posted threads in the past and with all of your comments you have helped me to understand and see things more clearly. THANKS ALL!!!!!!

1st question; Chords are constructed by half steps & whole steps, or more commonly major and minor 3rds.
major chord; maj. 3rd, min 3rd (A C# E)
minor chord; min 3rd, maj 3rd (A C E)
Diminished; min. 3rd, min 3rd (A C Eb)

There is no such thing as a major, minor, or diminished note, These terms apply to intervals that are created when you apply these notes against the chords. If you stay on the same note the interval will change every time a new chord is applied.

2nd question; You can play the chord tones in any order, it is still the same chord. The technical term for this is called an inversion (a chord with something other then the root as the lowest tone).

3rd question; Use your ear to determine when to apply the diatonic chord over the melody, there are no rules for this.

your first question:
the major chord is built from the 1,3,5 degrees of the major scale, the minor chord is built from the same degrees but of the minor scale, where the 3rd degree is 0.5 tones lower than in the major scale.
the diminshed is based on the locrian mode, and built from the 1,3,5 degrees of the locrian mode, but the 3 degree of it is also half tone lower than in major chord, and the 5th degree is lower as well.
now if you will build the chord in 3,1,5 mode, or 5,3,1
that will be an inversion, so basicly you still have the same chord.

You're becoming quite the theory expert, Zep! :)

dont forget you and chris mood told me most of things i know
:)

Originally posted by chris mood
major chord; maj. 3rd, min 3rd (A C# E)
minor chord; min 3rd, maj 3rd (A C E)
Diminished; min. 3rd, min 3rd (A C Eb)

I've never even thought about it like that before . . . in terms of intervals I mean. I've always said that there's more that one way to look at all this stuff, and certain ways can prove useful in different situations. You've opened my eyes dude! :D



Zep, I guess I'm just not needed any more . . . :( LOL

[i]

Last question how can i tell when i can play a chord within the scale. For example if I'm playing through AMaj scale
A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A and I'M using this progression is the only time i can use the Amaj Chord is when I land on the
A-Note. For example if I pick A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G# the next note being A is this the best time for me to use an AMaj chord?
[/B]

You can play any of those notes over the A maj chord. Try it out. Have someone repeatedly strum an Amaj chord and play those notes over that chord. If you play any of the notes from the A major scale over the A Maj chord, you will find that they all sound "appropriate" over the chord.

As for your chord question, all Chords, Major, dominant, minor, diminished, etc... are created based upon certain formulas. Those formulas, almost always can be derived in some way from the "plain old vanilla" Major scale. Its just a matter of learning the formulas for the specific chords you want to play and how they relate to the major scale.

In some cases, those formulas use only the tones contained in the Major scale. For example, the Major 7th chord -- uses the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th tones right out of the Major scale. In other instances, those formulas require you to raise or lower one or more tones of the Major Scale. For example, the Minor 7th Chord --uses the 1st, and 5th tones right out of the Major scale, but requires you to lower or "flat" the 3rd and 7th tones by one half step, making the chord formula: 1, b3, 5, b7 for that chord.

There are other ways of looking at it, but I find that it is less confusing to just use the Major scale as the building block for everything that you do. Check out this website I stumbled upon a while back:

http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/

It should help you out to some degree with the different formulas for the different chords. And it will show you just where all of the notes for those various chords are on the guitar neck in any key.