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Music Theory - Diatonic Chord Progressions

9 bytes added, 19:35, 8 May 2014
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Diatonic Chords
Chords are considered ''diatonic'' to a particular key if they only contain notes found inside that key. The major scale has 7 distinct notes, giving us 7 possible choices for the roots of diatonic chords. Using the 3rds and 5ths of each root that are also found inside the key gives each chord a particular quality. In a major key, there are 3 major, 3 minor, and 1 diminished diatonic chords.
{|
{|class="wikitable"
|+ Diatonic Chords in the Key of C Major
| 7 || B° || B || D || F
|}
 Note that simply because the root of a chord is in the scale doesn't mean that any chord with that root is diatonic to the key. Gm, A, and Bm all have roots in C Major but are ''not'' diatonic to C Major. Gm has a Bb, A has a C#, and Bm has a F#. Bb, C#, and F# are not found in C Major. Let's compare to G Major, which has the exact same notes as C Major, except an F# instead of F.|-
{|class="wikitable"
|+ Diatonic Chords in the Key of G Major
| 7 || F° || F# || A || C
|}
|}
 
Note that simply because the root of a chord is in the scale doesn't mean that any chord with that root is diatonic to the key. Gm, A, and Bm all have roots in C Major but are ''not'' diatonic to C Major. Gm has a Bb, A has a C#, and Bm has a F#. Bb, C#, and F# are not found in C Major.
 
Let's compare to G Major, which has the exact same notes as C Major, except an F# instead of F.
Changing that one note (F -> F#) affects 3 of the chords. B° becomes Bm, Dm becomes D, and F becomes F°. Notice that G, Am, C, and Em are diatonic to both C Major and G Major.