Changes

We've just learned the open position C, F, and G Major major chords. Now let's learn some ''minor '' chords: E Minorminor, D Minorminor, and A Minorminor. E Minor minor consists of (E G B), D Minor minor contains (D F A), and A Minor minor has (A C E). A minor chord consists of root, minor third above root, and perfect fifth above root. The only difference between a major chord and a minor chord is the 3rd. For a major chord, the 3rd is the major 3rd; for a minor chord it is the minor 3rd.

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 difference is that the "middle" note is a minor 3rd above the root, instead of a major 3rd. So a <u>minor chord</u> consists of a root note and the notes a minor 3rd and perfect 5th above it. The only difference between a major chord and a minor chord is the 3rd. For a major chord, the 3rd is the major 3rd; for a minor chord it is the minor 3rd. 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 must be analyzedare 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 third3rd. Similarly, in a minor chord, the root-3rd interval is a minor third, but the 3rd-5th interval is a major third3rd. So in actuality, both major and minor chords contain 1 major 3rd, 1 minor 3rd, and 1 perfect fifth (and/or their inverses)5th. The reason the major chord sounds more consonant is because