People often believe that Major chords represent happiness while Minor chords indicate sadness; however, this assumption is inaccurate.
Psychologically, wider intervals seem brighter to us; thus possibly explaining why Major chords seem cheerful. But is this really the case?
What is a Major Chord?
Major chords are composed of pitches that occupy equal duration in music. Chords play an essential part of musical harmony and learning the basics of major and minor chords will give you a great foundation from which to build upon.
Every major chord contains three components – its root, major third interval and perfect fifth interval – known as its elements. A triad is the basic form of any major chord; however, other interval relationships, including augmented and diminished chords can also be utilized when building major chords.
To play a major chord, bar your index/pointer finger flat across the bottom five strings and your middle finger at the second fret of the sixth string. This will produce a chord in G major; to change its sound you can move this shape up or down the neck while remembering that changing its order changes its feeling.
What is a Minor Chord?
Minor chords might sound less significant, but they’re among the two most frequently employed in music. Usually associated with sadness and melancholy melodies, minor chords provide a powerful means of conveying emotion while giving shape to lyrics.
Recognizing a minor chord is straightforward if you understand intervals. An interval refers to the space between two musical notes; typically three half steps below the root note characterize a minor chord.
To create a minor chord, simply take the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes from any major scale and flatten them by one third. This creates a minor triad which remains consistent across keys.
How do I play a Major Chord?
Chords consist of more than two notes connected by intervals that give the chord its unique sound and can even make it more or less major. Chords made up of only three notes are known as triads and usually indicated with their root note followed by “maj or M”, with “M” denoting that it is major.
Major chords can be one of the easiest chords to learn on the fretboard. To play them, place your pointer finger at the second fret of the fourth string and play an A augmented chord by placing your middle finger a half step higher on the fifth string (instead of on A itself).
Major chords sound brighter because their intervals are larger than in minor chords, creating larger intervals and brightening up their sound. According to recent research, major chords make people happier.
How do I play a Minor Chord?
Switching from Major to Minor chords on the guitar can sometimes be as easy as lifting off one finger, or using alternative fingerings and the Chord Chart page is here to help – simply click on a chord name and it will show how to play both grips as well as any shapes (barre chords) or capoes for that chord type.
Chords are essential parts of harmony, present in virtually every song imaginable and must be learned as part of playing guitar. Thankfully, they’re not as difficult as you might think and once under your belt it will soon become second nature! Happy practicing!