E Minor, D Minor, and A Minor Chords
We've just learned the open position C, F, and G major chords. Now let's learn some minor chords: E minor, D minor, and A minor. E minor consists of (E G B), D minor contains (D F A), and A minor has (A C E).
Like major chords, minor chords consist of every other note in the scale from a root note, and they contain a root and the note a perfect 5th above the root. The only difference is that the "middle" note is a minor 3rd above the root, instead of a major 3rd. So a minor chord consists of a root note and the notes a minor 3rd and perfect 5th above it.
Minor chords may sound slightly more dissonant than major chords. The major third is a more harmonic interval than a minor third; however, remember that all the intervals inside the chord are audible, not simply those between the root and the other notes. While the major chord has a major 3rd between its root and 3rd, the distance from the 3rd to the 5th is actually a minor 3rd. Similarly, in a minor chord, the root-3rd interval is a minor third, but the 3rd-5th interval is a major 3rd. So in actuality, both major and minor chords contain 1 major 3rd, 1 minor 3rd, and 1 perfect 5th.
The reason the major chord sounds more consonant is because the more consonant interval is lower in pitch than the more dissonant interval. Lower pitches amplify the perceived dissonance, which is why you often see piano chords voiced with greater space in the left hand than the right. Also, the intervals against the root are more perceptible than the intervals between other notes in the chord.
Contents
PreReqs
E Minor
The E minor chord consists of (E G B). This is probably the easiest of all the open string triads to play, as all of its notes exist as open strings.
| Root Position | 1st Inv. | 1st Inv. Alt | 2nd Inv. |
|---|---|---|---|
E o|-|-|-|-| B o|-|-|-|-| G o|-|-|-|-| E ||-|r|-|-| B ||-|m|-|-| E o|-|-|-|-| |
E o|-|-|-|-| B o|-|-|-|-| G o|-|-|-|-| E ||-|i|-|-| B ||-|i|-|-| G ||-|-|r|-| |
E o|-|-|-|-| B o|-|-|-|-| G o|-|-|-|-| E ||-|r|-|-| B ||-|m|-|-| G ||-|-|p|-| |
E o|-|-|-|-| B o|-|-|-|-| G o|-|-|-|-| E ||-|r|-|-| B ||-|m|-|-| ||-|-|-|-| |
You only use two or 3 frets - the rest of the shape is open strings.
Notice that the E Minor has the E and G from the C Major chord, but there is a B instead of a C. It also shares two notes with the G Major Chord, G and B.
Harmonic Theory: Mediant
E is the 3rd note in the C Major scale, which means the E Minor chord in the context of C Major is called the iii Chord. Again that's the roman numeral 3. Notice we use lower-case for minor chords. The iii Chord is also called the mediant, since its root is halfway between the roots of the I and V chords (and thus shares a pair of notes with each of them).
The mediant is often thought of as a parallel or substitute for the dominant chord. The 5th of the mediant is the leading tone or 7th note of the scale, which tends to "want" to resolve to the tonic note. Thus, they often serve the same harmonic function of resolving to the tonic chord (dominant), although the resolution is weaker than V - I.
C F Em C I IV iii I E-0-------|-1-------|-0-------|-0-------| B-1-------|-1-------|-0-------|-1-------| G-0-------|-2-------|-0-------|-0-------| D-2-------|-3-------|-2-------|-2-------| A-3-------|---------|-2-------|-3-------| E---------|---------|-0-------|---------|
D Minor
The D minor chord consists of (D F A).
| Root Pos. | 1st Inv. | 2nd Inv. |
|---|---|---|
F ||i|-|-|-| D ||-|-|r|-| A ||-|m|-|-| D o|-|-|-|-| ||-|-|-|-| ||-|-|-|-| |
||-|-|-|-| D ||-|-|r|-| A ||-|m|-|-| D o|-|-|-|-| ||-|-|-|-| F ||i|-|-|-| |
F ||i|-|-|-| D ||-|-|r|-| A ||-|m|-|-| D o|-|-|-|-| A o|-|-|-|-| ||-|-|-|-| |
The D minor shares two notes with F Major, the F and A.
Harmonic Theory: Supertonic
D is the 2nd note in the C Major scale, which means the D Minor chord in the context of C Major is called the ii Chord. Again that's the roman numeral 2. The ii Chord is called the supertonic. It is a parallel of the IV or subdominant chord, and can be used to substitute for it, giving it a subdominant harmonic function.
C Dm G C I ii V I E-0-------|-1-------|-3-------|-0-------| B-1-------|-3-------|-3-------|-1-------| G-0-------|-2-------|-0-------|-0-------| D-2-------|-0-------|-0-------|-2-------| A-3-------|---------|-2-------|-3-------| E---------|---------|-3-------|---------|
Note: the ii - V - I progression seen here is extremely popular in Jazz.
A Minor
The A minor chord consists of the notes (A C E).
| Root Pos. | 1st Inv. | 2nd Inv. |
|---|---|---|
E o|-|-|-|-| C ||i|-|-|-| A ||-|r|-|-| E ||-|m|-|-| A o|-|-|-|-| ||-|-|-|-| |
E o|-|-|-|-| C ||i|-|-|-| A ||-|r|-|-| E ||-|m|-|-| C ||-|-|p|-| ||-|-|-|-| |
E o|-|-|-|-| C ||i|-|-|-| A ||-|r|-|-| E ||-|m|-|-| A o|-|-|-|-| E o|-|-|-|-| |
Like the E Minor, A Minor shares two notes with C Major, but this time it's C and E. Notice how the fingering for the A Minor is very similar to the C Major - you only need to move your ring finger to alternate between the chords.
Harmonic Theory: Submediant
A is the 6th note of the C Major scale, which makes this the vi Chord, also called the submediant (because it's halfway between tonic and subdominant when descending).
The submediant is a parallel of the tonic, having some of the same functionality; but without its resolution. Thus, the vi chord serves mostly as a transition between two chord groups.
C Am G C I vi V I E-0-------|-0-------|-3-------|-0-------| B-1-------|-1-------|-3-------|-1-------| G-0-------|-2-------|-0-------|-0-------| D-2-------|-2-------|-0-------|-2-------| A-3-------|-0-------|-2-------|-3-------| E---------|---------|-3-------|---------|
Homework
- Know that the Em chord is made of (E G B).
- Know that the Dm chord is made of (D F A).
- Know that the Am chord is made of (A C E).
- Know that the Em chord is the iii chord, or mediant, of C Major.
- Know that the Dm chord is the ii chord, or supertonic, of C Major.
- Know that the Am chord is the vi chord, or sub-mediant, of C Major.
- Know that the Em chord is a parallel of G, taking dominant function.
- Know that the Dm chord is a parallel of F, taking sub-dominant function.
- Know that the Am chord is a parallel of C, taking tonic function.
- Focus on making the above chord shapes.
- Practice some bass-strum patterns on them for a while until you are comfortable making the shapes.
- Try out the progressions written above trying to hear how these minor chords substitute for their parallels in a common I - IV - V - I progression. We will use them in the context of larger chord progressions soon.