Diatonic Chord Quality Order by Scale Type and Chord Structure

Notes:

  • Scale type = diatonic collection (mode or scalar system)
  • Chord structure = tertian stack (triads, seventh chords)
  • Columns I–VII correspond to scale degrees
Scale type Chord structure I II III IV V VI VII
Major (Ionian) Triads M m m M M m dim
7th chords maj7 m7 m7 maj7 7 m7 ø7
Natural Minor (Aeolian) Triads m dim M m m M M
7th chords m7 ø7 maj7 m7 m7 maj7 7
Harmonic Minor Triads m dim aug m M M dim
7th chords maj7 ø7 +maj7 m7 7 maj7 °7
Melodic Minor (ascending / jazz) Triads m m aug M M dim dim
7th chords maj7 m7 +maj7 7 7 ø7 ø7
Harmonic Major Triads M dim m m M aug dim
7th chords maj7 ø7 m7 m7 7 +maj7 °7
Dorian Triads m m M M m dim M
7th chords m7 m7 maj7 7 m7 ø7 maj7
Phrygian Triads m M M m dim M m
7th chords m7 maj7 7 m7 ø7 maj7 m7
Lydian Triads M M m dim M m m
7th chords maj7 7 m7 ø7 maj7 m7 m7
Mixolydian Triads M m dim M m m M
7th chords 7 m7 ø7 maj7 m7 m7 maj7
Locrian Triads dim M m m M M m
7th chords ø7 maj7 m7 m7 7 maj7 m7

Abbreviations:

  • M = major triad
  • m = minor triad
  • dim = diminished triad
  • aug = augmented triad
  • maj7 = major seventh
  • 7 = dominant seventh
  • m7 = minor seventh
  • ø7 = half-diminished seventh
  • °7 = fully diminished seventh
  • +maj7 = augmented major seventh

Stradella Chord Recipes — All in C

How to create chords out of root and major, minor, 7th triads. Format: Triad + Triad + … / C

Triads are the left-hand chord buttons (Major, Minor, 7th).
Root is the C bass button.

Example:
Em / C = press C bass + E minor chord.

Practically

How to identify what chord a stack of notes is? Example: Db, E, A.

  1. Root note tells us “X-something” chord. Ex: Db-something.
  2. Count semitones from root to other notes. Ex: Db, +3 semitones to E (minor 3rd), +5 semitones to A (minor 6th). 3.

A triad (A C# E) fits this?

Stradella Chords

  • 7th - omits 5th, plays only 1 3 b7
  • Implies dim7 can be made … hmm. Ddim7: D,F,Ab,B G7: G,B,_,F +

But wait there’s more

Interval Reference Sheet (By Semitones)

A complete list of intervals from 0–12 semitones, with formal names, common names, and an example starting from C.

Semitones

Semitones Interval Name Common Name Example (from C)
0 Perfect Unison (P1) Unison C → C
1 Minor 2nd (m2) Half-step C → Db
2 Major 2nd (M2) Whole step C → D
3 Minor 3rd (m3)   C → Eb
4 Major 3rd (M3)   C → E
5 Perfect 4th (P4)   C → F
6 Tritone (A4 or d5) Augmented 4th, Diminished 5th C → F# / Gb
7 Perfect 5th (P5)   C → G
8 Minor 6th (m6)   C → Ab
9 Major 6th (M6)   C → A
10 Minor 7th (m7)   C → Bb
11 Major 7th (M7)   C → B
12 Perfect Octave (P8) Octave, 8ve C → C

Stadella Chord Recipes in C

Family Chord Intervals Semitone jumps LH Recipe Notes
Basic Triads C Major 1–3–5 0–4–3

CM / C
C Minor 1–♭3–5 0–3–4

Cm / C
Major Family Cmaj7 1–3–5–7 0–4–3–4

Em / C

Em = 3–5–7 of C
Cmaj7 " "

CM / B

3rd Inversion, B C E G vs C,E,G,B
Cmaj9 1–3–5–7–9 0–4–3–4–3

CM + GM / C

C gives 1–3–5; G gives 5–7–9
Cmaj6 1–3–5–6 0–4–3–2

Am / C

Am = 6–1–3 over C missing G?
Cadd9 1–3–5–9 0–4–3–7

CM / C + D (RH)

Exact C–E–G–D, no 7th better way?
Minor Family Cm7 1–♭3–5–♭7 0–3–4–3

E♭M / C

E♭ major = ♭3–5–♭7 of C
Cm9 1–♭3–5–♭7–9 0–3–4–3–4

Cm + Gm / C

E♭ gives ♭3–5–♭7; G adds 9
Cm6 1–♭3–5–6 0–3–4–2

Am / C

Shared voicing with Cmaj6
Cm(Maj9) 1–♭3–5–7–9 x

Cm + GM / C

Shared voicing with Cmaj6
Dominant Family C7 1–3–5–♭7 0–4–3–3

Gm / C

Gm = 5–♭7–9 over C
C9 x x

Gm + CM / C
C11 1–3–5–♭7–9–11 0–4–3–3–4–3

GM + Dm + C7 / C

Dm adds 11. Root+Major with Major built on Root’s m7.
C13 1–3–5–♭7–9–11–13 0–4–3–3–4–3–4

GM + Dm + Em + C7 / C

Full set; RH recommended
Diminished Family Cø7 (Cm7♭5) 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 0–3–3–4

E♭m / C

E♭m = ♭3–♭5–♭7, half diminished
C°7 1–♭3–♭5–𝄫7 0–3–3–3

x

Ebm close but final is half too low
Cdim (triad) 1–♭3–♭5 0–3–3

E♭m / C

Hope the 7th not noticeable
Augmented Family C+ (aug) 1–3–♯5 0–4–4

EM / C

E major gives 3–♯5–7
C+7 1–3–♯5–♭7 0–4–4–2

E7 / C

E7 = 3–♯5–♭7
Cmaj7♯5 1–3–♯5–7 0–4–4–3

E check + Em / C

E gives ♯5; Em gives alternate voicing
Altered Dominants C7♭5 1–3–b5check-m7 0–4–2–4

G♭7 / C

G♭ is 5th flat of C. Maj3,Dim3,Maj3 stack intervals. A 7b5 chord is equivalent to a chord of the same kind built 3 steps up or 3 steps down. For example, C7b5 is equivalent to F#7b5 (F# is three steps above C) just as it is equivalent to Gb7b5 (Gb is three steps below C)
C7♭9 1–3–5–♭7–♭9 0–4–3–3–3

D♭M / C

♭2 major = ♭9
C7♯9 1–3–5–♭7–♯9 0–4–3–3–5

D♯M / C

#2 major = ♯9
C7♯11 1–3–5–♭7–♯11 0–4–3–3–6

Gm + DM / C

D gives ♯11
C7♭13 1–3–5–♭7–♭13 0–4–3–3–5

A♭M / C

♭6 major = ♭13
Misc, categorize C♭9 1–3–5–♭9 0–4–3–6

x

G♭9 = G7 + F7 / G. (F7 has A♭)
tritone x x

x

G tritone = G7 + D♭M / G
C9sus4 1–4–5–♭7–9 0–5–5–4

B♭M / C

Dom 9th sus4
C9(11) 1–3–5–♭7–9–11 x

B♭M + CM / C

can omit 5, maybe 3

Notes

  • Some multi-triad stacks (11, 13, altered) are theoretical full sets, not ergonomic LH voicings.
  • For actual playing: use 1 or 2 triads max; bring extra tensions in the right hand.
  • All chords here are specifically voiced for C; to transpose, shift everything by the same interval.