Hi there,
I started learning music theory a bit more serious recently. Having read two books already (Music theory for dummies & Idiot’s Guides: Music Theory, now reading Idiot’s Guide: Guitar theory) I learnt many many new things. But one thing still I can’t understand.
So D major chord consists of notes D-F#-A (D being root, F# major 3rd, A perfect 5th) and on guitar is played as xx0323, or D-A-D-F# (D being root, A being perfect 5th, D being perfect fourth /in relation to previous note A/, and F# being major 3rd /in relation to previous note D/).
So what I simply can’t understand is how come it’s a D major chord when inside there is perfect 4th and after D comes perfect 5th instead major 3rd? It’s same with many other chords like A major, E major, etc. Can someone please explain it to me? Is it actually inversion of a chord because how guitar is made with strings tuned to different notes, unlike on piano? Or does that mean that as long as I play D-F#-A notes it’s D major regardless where on fret board (or any other instrument) and in what order I play the notes?
[quote=“SkyBlue, post:1, topic:215054”]
So D major chord consists of notes D-F#-A (D being root, F# major 3rd, A perfect 5th).
Yes. 100% correct.
and on guitar is played as xx0323, or D-A-D-F#
For that chord shape yes, 100% correct.
(D being root, A being perfect 5th
Yes, 100% correct.
D being perfect fourth /in relation to previous note A
NO. 100% oncorrect and the place where you have confused yourself.
Within any chord construction, all notes and their intervals are always referenced to the root. No other note takes its place as the marker to measure an interval from.
So what I simply can’t understand is how come it’s a D major chord when inside there is perfect 4th
There is not a perfect 4th as explained.
and after D comes perfect 5th instead major 3rd?
So long as the notes appear at least once, the order and the number of repeats of any note is immaterial in terms of what the chord actually is.
Only if the root note is not the very lowest note do you need to think of a different way to describe a chord - using slash chord notation and inversions.
Examples
D/A is a slash chord with A (the 3rd) in the bass so is a D major chord in 1st inversion.
D/F# is a slash chord with F# (the 5th) in the bass so it is a D major chord in 2nd inversion.
That D note after A note is what interval? An octave? So D on 4th string is root, A on 3rd stirng is perfect fifth, D on 2nd string is an octave (duplication of root, but octave higher) and F# on 1st (thinnest) e string is major third?
Hopefully I didn’t confuse something again. But I guess it’s true that music theory is much easily understood on piano
If it was the same pitch it would be a Unison. eg D on the 5th string at 5th fret and open D string are same pitch. D on the B string 3rd fret is higher therefore its an octave.
