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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 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.
== PreReqs ==