FREE ONILNE LESSONS (Family Chords)
As you probably know, there are many different chords. And one can imagine how is it possible to memorise every chord. But for now, there are these 3 chords you have to know. These 3 chords are known as the family chords (or primary chords), which most songs are made up of these 3 chords. Or rather, without these 3 chords, you can hardly play any song in the world.
But before we talk about the 3 family chords, let's understand t
he Roman Numeral method of naming chords.
When referring to specific chords in a key, it is a standard (especially in fake books) to use Roman Numerals instead of actual chord names.
For example, in the key of C:
(Major chords)
|
Roman Numerals: |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
|
Chord Names: |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
A |
B |
(Minor chords)
|
Roman Numerals: |
i |
ii |
iii |
iv |
v |
vi |
vii |
|
Chord Names: |
Cm |
Dm |
Em |
Fm |
Gm |
Am |
Bm |
(Major chords use upper case roman numerals; minor chords use lower case roman numerals.)
It is important to know that roman numerals refer to the chords in relation to the particular key of song that is used. So it does not mean that a I chord is always a C chord, and II chord is always a D chord, etc. The chords are named after the degree of scale from which it is formed.
These are the 12 different sets of roman numerals in all keys.
Key of C:
(Major chords)
|
Roman Numerals: |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
|
Chord Names: |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
A |
B |
(Minor chords)
|
Roman Numerals: |
i |
ii |
iii |
iv |
v |
vi |
vii |
|
Chord Names: |
Cm |
Dm |
Em |
Fm |
Gm |
Am |
Bm |
The combination of primary and their respective relative minor chords may about be all the chords you need to know to play any pop song for now. These are some examples of songs that use both primary & secondary chords:
Song: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
So now, these are the 3 family chords we were talking about.
These are the 3 chords that are used more often than any other chords in a song. And in fact, many traditional songs use only these 3 chords. These are some examples of songs that use the 3 primary chords exclusively:
Songs that use strictly only 3 primary chords are usually folk songs, country songs, hymns, rhymes and sometimes pop & rock songs. The ‘modern’ songs may involve relative minor chords. These are the relative minor chords of the 3 primary chords: F G C
These are the primary & secondary chords in all 12 keys.
Key
I
ii
iii
IV
V
vi
C
C
Dm
Em
F
G
Am
Db
Db
Ebm
Fm
Gb
Ab
Bbm
D
D
Em
F#m
G
A
Bm
Eb
Eb
Fm
Gm
Ab
Bb
Cm
E
E
F#m
G#m
A
B
C#m
F
F
Gm
Am
Bb
C
Dm
F#