As time goes on, the chords you play on your ukulele may become second nature to you – but this doesn’t mean they can’t be spiced up with minor chords.
Minor chords are just as easy to play as major ones–but can add an ominous, dark tone to your music.
C Major
C minor chord is a standard chord found in many popular songs. When learning this chord, be sure to practice with a metronome and concentrate on finger placement and strumming technique; this will help build muscle memory and dexterity.
This chord features an interval structure of one minor third and five major seconds, creating a sad sounding chord. However, this chord can still be utilized effectively within many songs to add depth and flavor.
Try playing this chord while listening to Christina Perri’s “Jar of Hearts”, and you will quickly experience how it creates an emotionally moving sound. Additionally, use it in songs by The Isley Brothers like “Shout” where it adds hopefulness.
D Major
This chord is the relative minor of C Major. It follows a similar interval pattern beginning from note six in the major scale but produces a different sound due to its minor third.
Musicians of all genres use its sad yet captivating tonality to convey deep emotional sentiments in their music, from creating tranquil acoustic tracks that convey peacefulness to injecting bittersweet elements into powerful rock anthems – musicians all around use A minor chords to evoke contemplation and introspection in their listeners’ listening experience. An A minor chord’s universal appeal also makes it a beloved feature in modern folk, blues, and pop songs –
E Major
E minor chords are an invaluable asset in any musician’s toolkit, used across genres and adding a melancholic mood to songs of any genre. E minor is an indispensable chord type!
The E minor chord consists of its root note ‘A’, minor third C and perfect fifth E; additionally it may be extended further by adding extra chord tones to create more complex versions of it; these extensions are known as augmented or diminished chords in music theory and may include Cm7 and Cm9 variations respectively.
Chord progressions are groups of chords played together in a specific order to produce different musical modes. For instance, in C Major key a minor IV chord could serve both functions and sound quite different when used both as tonic and dominant chord.
G Major
G Major is a favorite key for songs, accounting for around 20% of total progressions in our TheoryTab database. Additionally, its chords make up an important portion of many classical compositions like Camille Saint-Saens String Quartet No 2 and Gabriel Faure’s Barcarolle for piano. However, playing G Major requires different finger positioning on guitar – with thumb playing D (the first fret), index finger on C (middle finger on B), middle finger on A, ring finger playing A (ring finger on A).
As with other Major scales, G can be divided into two major tetrachords; the lower based on G, A, C and E respectively while its upper counterpart containing D, E & F as chords. Each of these tetrachords are given specific names based on their position on the Harmonic Mixing Wheel.
A Major
Minor chords add depth and melancholy to music, often featured in popular songs. To master this chord type, one must recognize its root note, minor third interval and perfect fifth intervals.
Root note A serves as the tonal center, giving an a minor chord its identity. C represents its minor third; these two notes together form an a minor triad.
To play an A minor chord, start by positioning your thumb on the first fret of the second string (B), with your middle finger (3rd finger) placed on the second fret of the fourth string (D), and your pinky (5th finger) placed on the second fret of the third string (E). Strumming each strum with light hands to achieve harmony in harmony.