Building Chords From Scratch
Every chord is just a root, a 3rd, and a 5th (plus maybe a 7th) stacked together. Pick a root and quality below and watch the fretboard fill in.
A chord is a recipe, not a shape
Chord quality tells you which scale degrees to stack on top of the root: major is R-3-5, minor is R-b3-5, dominant 7 is R-3-5-b7, major 7 is R-3-5-7, and minor 7 is R-b3-5-b7. Once you know your note names and interval shapes, you can build any of these anywhere on the neck — not just where a chord book happens to show you a diagram.
Finding your own voicing
Pick a root note anywhere on the neck. Find its 3rd (4 semitones up for major, 3 for minor) and its 5th (7 semitones up) nearby, using the string/fret note map you already know. Mute any string you can't comfortably fit a chord tone on. That's it — you've built a voicing from scratch.
Why this beats memorizing 200 shapes
Memorized diagrams run out the moment you need an unusual chord, a capo'd position, or a voicing higher up the neck. Building from note names and interval shapes means you're never stuck — you can construct any chord, in any position, on demand.
Common questions
What notes make up a basic major or minor chord?
A major triad is root-3rd-5th (the 3rd sits 4 semitones above the root). A minor triad flats that 3rd (3 semitones above the root) — same root and 5th, just a different middle note.
What's the difference between a dominant 7th and a major 7th chord?
Both add a fourth note to the major triad, but a dominant 7th adds a flatted 7th (10 semitones above the root) while a major 7th adds a natural 7th (11 semitones). The flatted 7th gives dominant chords their bluesy, unresolved pull.
Do I need to play every note of a chord?
No — guitarists routinely double the root or 5th and drop notes that are hard to reach. As long as the root, 3rd (or flatted 3rd), and 7th (if present) are covered, the chord's quality still comes through clearly.
How is this different from just memorizing chord diagrams?
Memorized diagrams only cover the shapes you've already learned. Building from root-3rd-5th(-7th) lets you construct any chord, in any position, including ones you've never seen a diagram for.
Build any chord in the app
Melody Monkey shows every chord's notes, intervals, and voicings live on the fretboard.
Open the chord & scale library →Still stuck? Ask Your Personal Music Teacher about Building Chords From Scratch →