Piano and Music Zone Chord Formulas

Vocabulary flashcards defining chord formulas across major, minor, dominant, add, sus, altered, diminished, and augmented chord categories from the Piano and Music Zone notes.

Chord formula

A numerical key defining the exact intervals (steps in a scale) that create a specific chord. Each number represents a note of the major scale, with modifications indicated by sharps (8) or flats (b) to adjust intervals, allowing for consistent chord construction across all 12 keys.

Major

1 3 5

Major6

1 3 5 6

Major6/9

1 3 5 6 9

Major7

1 3 5 7

Major9

1 3 5 7 9

Major11

1 3 5 7 9 11

Major13

1 3 5 7 9 11 13

Minor

1 b3 5

Minor6

1 b3 5 6

Minor7

1 b3 5 b7

Minor7b5

1 b3 b5 b7

Minor9

1 b3 5 b7 9

Minor11

1 b3 5 b7 9 11

Minor13

1 b3 5 b7 13

Dominant7

1 3 5 b7

Dominant9

1 3 5 b7 9

Dominant11

1 3 5 b7 9 11

Dominant13

1 3 5 b7 9 11 13

Add9

1 3 5 9

Add11

1 3 5 11

Sus2

1 2 5

Sus4

1 4 5

Dominant7#9

1 3 5 b7 #9

Dominant7b9

1 3 5 b7 b9

Dominant7#5

1 3 5 b7 #5

Dominant7b5

1 3 5 b7 b5

Diminished

1 b3 b5

Diminished7

1 b3 b5 bb7

Augmented

1 3 #5

Augmented7

1 3 #5 b7