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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 <u>'''minor chord</u> ''' 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.
|E Minor, D Minor, and A Minor Chords#A Minor|A Minor}}
The <u>'''E minor chord</u> ''' 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.
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=== 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 <u>'''iii Chord</u>'''. Again that's the roman numeral 3. ''Notice we use lower-case for minor chords.'' The iii Chord is also called the <u>'''mediant</u>''', 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 <u>'''parallel</u> ''' or <u>'''substitute</u> ''' 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
|E Minor, D Minor, and A Minor Chords#A Minor|A Minor}}
The <u>'''D minor chord</u> ''' consists of (D F A).
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=== 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 <u>'''ii Chord</u>'''. Again that's the roman numeral 2. The ii Chord is called the <u>'''supertonic</u>'''. 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
|E Minor, D Minor, and A Minor Chords#A Minor|A Minor}}
The <u>'''A minor chord</u> ''' consists of the notes (A C E).
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=== Harmonic Theory: Submediant ===
A is the 6th note of the C Major scale, which makes this the <u>'''vi Chord</u>''', also called the <u>'''submediant</u> ''' (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.