Scales are very important. They are musical DNA—an essential building block. Now, it's time to revisit the C major triad. Look at FIGURE 7.9.

This triad can be constructed in a few different ways. First, take the first, third, and fifth notes of the C major scale and stack them together to build a

quick C major triad. This trick works in every major and minor scale, so in theory, you could build any major or minor chord you need. Since chords are built from third intervals, it would make sense that you could do more than just stack the first, third, and fifth notes. There are many possible third combinations in a scale if you start on each note in the scale and build triads. What would happen if you stacked these different combinations from each note? You'd get a lot of different chords, seven to be exact—one from each degree of the scale.

FIGURE 7.9 Your Old Friend: The C Major Triad

To learn how to make triads from every note in a C major scale, start with a C major scale and simply add triads (roots, thirds, and fifths) from each note in the scale. What you've just done is created all of the basic harmonies (and chords) in the key of C major by creating triads off each note. See FIGURE 7.10.

TRACK 30

FIGURE 7.10 Harmonizing the C Major Scale

Don't downplay the significance of this accomplishment. You've just learned the basis for understanding harmony and chord progressions. Contained within those triads are seven different chords and endless possibilities for creating music. When you create triads from a scale and use only those notes to do so, you use a technique called diatonic harmony. Diatonic means using the notes from only one scale/key to make chords.