Minor piano chords are just as essential to master as major ones. A minor chord can simply be thought of as a major chord with its third interval (i.e. middle note) reduced by half step.
To construct a minor triad chord, combine the first, third and fifth notes from their associated minor scale. To add additional chord tones you should count up from the root or number written near its symbol.
C Minor
C Minor triad piano chord is one of the most frequently found in music. You may recognize it from many songs such as “Let It Be” by The Beatles as its opening chord.
It is an interval-building chord which features both minor and major thirds; between C and Eb there is a minor third (1 1/2 tones), while between C and G it is a major second-tone third (2 tones).
Addition of additional notes can create different flavors which musicians refer to as ‘flavors’. One easy way of creating different tones within a chord is inverting it; this involves switching around its notes – for instance moving an Eb into its lower position and C up above.
C Minor has seven scale degrees – tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, and subtonic – each of which has its own name in music theory.
E Minor
E Minor is one of the most frequently seen minor chords, so it is wise to learn its movement to play this chord shape effectively.
To form an Em barre chord, begin by barring all strings but the open low E string with barring wire. Push fret 4 of the B string with your middle finger while fret 5 on D string is pushed with your ring finger.
This chord shape in E minor uses the interval structure m3 1 5. This chord type can be used to construct minor chords.
To form an Em7 bar chord, simply add a minor seventh. This can give your chords more of a somber sound and allow you to explore various inversions for unique tones – it really opens up all kinds of possibilities! Once you get comfortable playing this shape, use it to form other minor chords as needed!
G Minor
G Minor is one of the more widely used minor chords for piano. This chord can be found everywhere from EDM and Hard Dance songs, Drum N Bass tunes, Hip-Hop tracks and Pop. No matter its form or genre it conveys meanness, anger or disquiet in music.
Contrasting with its major counterpart, G minor chord features two intervals – a minor third and flat second – which alter its sound and feel, as well as making it easy to play through chord inversions (changing its notes’ order to create various versions of itself).
Inversions can help shorten chord progressions by shortening their distance between chords. Furthermore, adding notes to an G minor chord to create new flavors and extend it can add even further complexity while still sharing its key and chord quality with its root. This practice of “extending a chord” must be practiced thoroughly for optimal results.
A Minor
The A minor chord can be found in many rock songs, like Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” Additionally, piano players often employ this chord that creates a melancholic or sad sound due to its minor third, the lower note in its scale.
Minor chords often include numbers after their symbols, for instance Cmin7. This simply indicates that to convert this chord into a minor one, its seventh (usually sharp) must be flattened – this can be done by counting three half steps from its root before finding its seventh note.
By adding minor chords to your repertoire, adding minor chords can really enhance your playing ability and expand your ears, technique and interpretation skills. Practice major and minor chords together can also help your hearing for differences so you’ll always play the correct ones at the appropriate times.
Once you have mastered major piano chords, it is time to discover the subtler sounds of minor. These simple voicings can become powerful tools in furthering musical creativity.
As with major triad chords, minor triads consist of three notes stacked one semitone lower on top of each other.
Scales
Minor chords are one of the two primary forms of piano chords. Their unique sound can often be described as sad or melancholy. Building one is simple by starting from its root note (the initial note in a chord) and adding scale intervals; their distance determines whether a chord is minor or major.
Minor chords reduce the distance between their root and minor 3rd by reducing it by one semitone or half step; so if you take C major and change its middle note from C to E, this creates A minor.
Suspended chords are another way of creating minor chords, by switching out either the third for either second or fourth note, often used to add tension or suspense into a piece of music – these chords may also be known as minor sus2 and sus4 chords.
Inversions
An inversion is the process of switching around the order of notes in a chord by shifting one key higher or lower; inverting is intended to make playing it simpler by decreasing keyboard movement and thus making inversion more manageable for you.
In its root position, if you play a C major chord with A at its centre note in its root position, moving the A note up one place gives it its first inversion – changing its order so that C is now at the bottom and E at its centre.
Changes to the notes within a chord also alters their intervals; so, shifting up one semitone from a major second yields a minor second and going another semitone up yields a major third. Understanding these intervals will enable you to create more complex chords in future; you could even use these patterns to create scales and arpeggios!
Triads
Triads are groups of three notes, each having its own sound. Triads may be either major or minor and contain either major thirds or minor thirds between pairs of notes.
A chord symbol can also express the quality of a triad, such as its root letter and an indication of its quality (major, minor, diminished or augmented). Major triads are typically more familiar and widely used while seventh chords based on minor triads are less commonly employed in standards.
To create a major triad, begin on the initial white note in a scale (C), counting four semi-tones or steps until reaching E as your fifth note – this makes for a major triad as the distance between its lowest and highest notes is equal to one third. For minor triads simply lower one note by half step until getting C-Eb-Gb; which is technically considered minor triad as its distance remains within one minor third.
Semitones
Semitones in music theory refer to intervals between certain notes that create different tones and emotions in songs; specifically, they represent the difference between major and minor chords.
Minor chords feature a mournful or dark sound, complementing major chords in any genre of music and frequently used to add depth and emotion to songs.
To create a minor chord, start by building a major chord and then lower its middle note by one semitone (half tone). This means moving from white key to next lowest black key in your scales – such as going from C# to C – until you achieve the desired sound. It will help identify which notes make up each minor chord in your scales.
Minor chords add a unique depth to music. They consist of three parts – a root note, minor third (C), and perfect fifth (E). C is two semi-tone steps below A while E lies seven semi-tone steps above.
A minor chord
This piano chord is one of the most frequently encountered. A minor triad, it contains three semitones between its root and minor third and two semitones between middle and fifth notes; sometimes this chord is known by its initials: AM. When used in minor keys it often forms part of an Am chord sequence.
A minor chords are an iconic accompaniment for mournful songs and can create a deep, brooding sound that connotes sadness. Additionally, they act both tonic and dominant roles in minor key progressions, so building a solid foundation to learn them takes both time and patience – beginners should start slow and gradually increase speed so as not to rush through difficult passages. Furthermore, beginners should practice different finger positions and build dexterity so as not to accidentally muted adjacent notes with fingers accidentally moving across multiple finger positions or chord inversions or melodic embellishments in order to take their playing to an entirely new level of artistry!
C minor chord
C minor chords possess a melancholic sound and are frequently featured in songs. Major chords in C are frequently combined with it to add contrast, making this chord easy and accessible for beginners of all levels of playing ability to perform on keyboard. By practicing different inversions of this chord it helps develop finger dexterity and independence as well as finger strength.
Inversion 1 of a C minor chord uses Eb as its lowest note with G and C as higher notes above it. Alternately, Eb can also be placed at the bottom of the chord; however, this option is less often seen.
Once you’ve learned the C natural minor scale, chord progressions and accompaniment patterns, the next step should be adding some improv flair. Jonny offers two right hand techniques suited to beginner and intermediate piano players that sound fantastic over diatonic chord progressions in this Quick Tip video.
E minor chord
The E minor chord is an easy triad to learn for right-handed players as it doesn’t require any flats or sharps. To play it, place your left finger on E (5 keys to the right of middle C), your third finger on G and thumb on B notes before applying pressure with left thumb to produce sound.
Once you feel confident with this chord, try practicing its inversions for added variety and muscle memory development. Listening to songs featuring this chord can also give a better idea of its sound and application within music.
Once you have mastered the Em barre chord, it’s time to tackle other minor chords. While this step may prove challenging for some students, the effort will prove rewarding. Regular practice sessions will ensure maximum progress is made towards mastery of each new minor chord.
G minor chord
G minor chord is a versatile chord that can be found across many musical genres. It can help create tension or melancholy in songs that seek to evoke feelings of anger or hostility – common choices in EDM, Drum n Bass and heavy metal songs; additionally it often used by pop musicians in order to add menace or disquiet.
To play a G minor chord, first locate its note G on your keyboard. From here, move three half steps (or keys) higher until C is reached and four half steps higher again until Bb is reached – repeat this pattern to create a minor triad; once completed you can create inversions using it or create minor 7th chords by adding another seventh note – giving a G minor chord an option to be explored further!