Is key to building a minor chord progression.

Therefore minor chord progressions aren't just defined by their notes, they are also categorized by the context in which they are played. The context of notes, or the order in which they're played, can totally define tonality.ĭo you find yourself getting lost in music theory? Don't worry! The main point is to understand that major and minor chord progressions can share the same keys, and therefore the same set of notes. You could also say that C Major is the relative major of A minor.Īs you can see, these scales, despite being a major or minor key, showcase the same notes. This makes A minor C major's relative minor chord. In this case, a chord might be referred to as a major chord's relative minor.įor instance, the C major scale ( C D E F G A B ) shares the same notes as the A minor scale ( A B C D E F G ), just in a different order and context. Major and minor chords can share the same scale notes, though the context will determine whether the chord is major or minor. This is because minor chords naturally create more feelings of dissonance or tension in the way that they are built. Minor chords, however, are a little more complex and come with more depth which usually translates to a sadder or darker sound. Major chords usually depict a 'happier' sound which is commonly heard throughout rock and pop music. So when it comes to chords, we usually think of minor or major as the main descriptors for identifying tonality in a chord progression. Tonality refers to a method of describing the overall sound in a piece of music. In music, there are two major tonalities to consider when it comes to describing chords. Minor and Major Chord Progressions: What's The Difference? But how do minor chord progressions work? And how can you incorporate your own minor chord progressions into your music?īelow, we'll dive into everything you need to know about minor chords and share how you can start building your own minor chords and scales into your music. While we often rely on the accessibility and widespread appeal of major chord progressions, minor chord progressions are just as important for any musician. Put all this together, and you’ll get a C major chord.Are the building blocks of music. So in our example, this would be the distance between C and G. Since C is our root, E is the note a major third above.įor the third note, the perfect fifth is seven semitones above the root. The major third interval is the distance between the root and the note four semitones above it.

The root, by the way, is the starting note of the chord (in this example our root is C). Major chords are built by adding the intervals of a major third and perfect fifth above the root.

Everything from Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” to the “Happy Birthday” song are built from simple progressions of major chords. Major chords sound full, resolved and complete. Remember, it’s important to master the basics before moving on to more complex material like adding extra intervals to basic chords to transform them into extended chords, but I’m getting ahead of myself!

A minor key all chords piano