Here is another way to get chords under your fingers really well and to discover sounds you have never played before: a cycle of major thirds. In part 1, I showed you the same idea with a cycle of minor thirds.
The cycle of major thirds: C, E and G# (Ab)
Let’s say I start on C. A major third up, I get E. Another major third up, I get G# – or Ab – and with one more major third I’m back on C.
On their own, these notes would simply give you an augmented triad (C, E, G#).
A maj7 chord on every root
But now say that every one of these notes deserves to be a root of its own, and put a major chord on top of each one – a maj7 chord:
- Cmaj7
- Emaj7
- Abmaj7 (G#maj7)
- and back to Cmaj7
That sounds really cool, too. You suddenly notice: these are sounds I have never played before. That’s how easily you can explore new chord progressions and create new sounds.
Try it yourself
Play the four chords slowly, one after another, and let each one ring. Listen to the unusual colors that appear when the root moves by a major third each time. Then go back to part 1 and compare it with the cycle of minor thirds on C, Eb, F# and A.