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How to Use Harmonized Scales

Harmonized scales are an integral part of musical study and theory. They form the basis of literally thousands of chords that are played in common or familiar songs and tunes. To create a harmonized scale, the musician builds chords off of every note within the scale. All the notes played in these triads are the original notes from the root scale. The common format most musical books write this as are: I, or the root chord; then ii, or the minor second chord; then iii, or the minor third chord; IV, or the major fourth chord; V the major fifth chord; vi, or the minor sixth chord; vii, or the diminished seventh chord; finally, the VIII, or the root chord one octave higher.

Things You'll Need

  • Instrument or Sheet Music
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Instructions

  1. Instructions

    • 1

      Locate your root note, or the key signature, and designate that with the number one. To form the root chord, or I, play or write the first, third and fifth note of the scale. This is a major triad because the intervals that create this chord are a root, a major third and a minor third. For the key of C it will be the notes C, E and G, or a C major chord.

    • 2

      Find the second note in the root scale. Form the triad, or ii, from this note by playing or writing the second, fourth and sixth notes of the original scale. This is a minor chord because the intervals that create this chord are a root, a minor third and a major third. For the key of C it will be the notes D, F and A, and will create a D minor chord.

    • 3

      Locate the third note in the root scale. Create the triad from this note by playing or writing the third, the fifth and the seventh note of the original scale. Again, this is a minor chord because the intervals that create this chord are a root, minor third and a major third. For the key of C it will be the notes E, G and B, and will form an E minor chord.

    • 4

      Find the fourth note in the root scale. To create this triad, play or write the fourth, sixth and eighth notes in the original scale. This is a major triad. For the key of C it will be the notes F, A and the next C, which will be one octave higher from the root, and will form an F major chord.

    • 5

      Locate the fifth note in the root scale, and again create the triad by playing or writing the fifth, seventh and ninth notes in the original scale. This is also a major triad. For the key of C it will be the notes G, B and D, or a G major chord.

    • 6

      Find the sixth note in the root scale and again create this triad by playing or writing the sixth, eighth and 10th notes of the original scale. Again, this is a minor chord. For the key of C, the minor sixth chord will be A, C and E, which also creates an A minor chord.

    • 7

      Locate the seventh note in the root scale and follow the same pattern as in the steps above. This is not a minor or a major chord, but a diminished chord because the intervals that form this chord are two minor thirds. For the key of C it will be the notes B, D and F or a B diminished chord.

    • 8

      Complete the scale by following the same pattern as in step one, with the notes one, three and five from the original scale, but this time, they will be played or written one octave higher.

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