Major vs Minor Chords

Two Ways to Look at the Difference Between Major and Minor Chords

Part 1

In Chord Lesson 3 we learned chords are built from scales and of the 7 chords that all belonged to the key of C, three were major, three were minor and one was called diminished.

C Major Scale

A chord is major or minor depending on the distance between the root and 3rd degree of the chord. In all the chords from lesson 1 of this series the root was the bottom note and the 3rd was the middle. The top note was the 5th but will not play a factor in a chord being major or minor. However if you remember from last lesson the 5th does play a part in diminished chords.

The first chord built in the key of C is a C major chord and contains the notes C, E and G. The distance between the C and E would be two whole steps. The distance between these two notes is called a major third, making the chord major.

C

The chord built from the second degree is D minor and contains the notes D, F and A. This chord is minor because of the distance between the root (D) and the third (F). In this case the distance is one and a half steps or 3 half steps. This interval is called a minor third and therefore makes the chord minor.

Dm

D minor triad on the staff in root position

Part 2

Another way to think of major vs minor: The 1st, 3rd and 5th degree taken from a major scale equals a major chord (1 3 5) . Lower the 3rd degree one half step and you have a minor chord (1 b3 5) .

Stack space space from the fourth degree (F) of the C major scale and we have the IV chord (F).

The distance between the root (F) and the third (A) is a major third (2 whole steps or 4 half steps).

This major 3rd makes the chord major.

Major 3rd (M3) = 4 half steps