What is a minor chord?
If a major chord sounds sunny, a minor chord is the cloud passing over. It's the same three-note shape with one note nudged down a half step — and that tiny change gives us the darker, more emotional color behind so much great music. Here's how it works.
A chord is three or more notes sounding together. The minor chord is the moody counterpart to the major chord — softer, sadder, more introspective. And like the major chord, it's built from one simple formula you can apply to any starting note.
Learn it by ear
Chords stick when you hear them. Our free game plays notes, you match them back — train your ear on the minor sound in minutes. Keep this guide open and jump in whenever.
1. The recipe: root, minor third, fifth
Every minor chord (a minor triad) stacks three notes:
- Root — the note the chord is named after.
- Minor third — three half steps above the root.
- Perfect fifth — seven half steps above the root.
The half-step formula from the root is 0 – 3 – 7. Compare that with the major chord's 0–4–7: the only difference is the third, which sits one half step lower in the minor chord.
2. Building A minor step by step
Start on A. Count up three half steps for the minor third: A → A♯ → B → C. Then count up seven half steps from A for the fifth: A, A♯, B, C, C♯, D, D♯ → E. So A minor = A, C, E — all white keys, which makes it a perfect first minor chord.
A few more, using the same 0–3–7 recipe:
- E minor = E, G, B
- D minor = D, F, A
- C minor = C, E♭, G
- G minor = G, B♭, D
3. Why a minor chord sounds sad
The darker mood comes from the minor third. By lowering the middle note one half step, the chord loses the bright "lift" of the major third and takes on a more somber, restless quality. The root and fifth stay rock-solid and consonant — so the chord still sounds settled, just melancholy rather than cheerful.
This is the single most useful comparison in harmony: play C–E–G (major), then C–E♭–G (minor), and you'll hear the lights dim. One half step in the middle changes everything.
Echo
Call-and-response pitch memory: hear the notes of a chord and sing them back. The fastest way to lock the minor sound into your ear.
4. Minor chords on the staff
On the staff, a minor triad makes the same neat snowman shape as a major chord — three notes stacked in thirds, all on lines or all in spaces, root at the bottom. What tells them apart on the page is the flat or natural on the middle note, not the shape.
For an E minor triad, picture E, G, and B stacked on the staff — root, minor third, fifth — three notes a third apart, all on lines.
5. How minor chords are used
Minor chords give music its emotional depth:
- They add contrast and shadow to songs that are mostly major.
- Songs in a minor key build their "home" feeling around a minor chord.
- Genres from sad ballads to dramatic film scores lean on minor chords for tension and feeling.
6. A quick practice plan
- Memorize the 0–3–7 recipe and build minor chords from a few roots.
- Sing root, minor third, fifth aloud (A–C–E) to internalize the shape.
- Flip between major and minor on the same root and feel the mood change.
- Train your ear daily in short bursts so the minor sound becomes instant.
Play the arcade
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Frequently asked questions
What is a minor chord?
A minor chord is three notes played together: a root, a minor third above it, and a perfect fifth above the root. For example, A minor is A, C, and E. It has a darker, sadder sound than a major chord.
What is the difference between a major and minor chord?
Only the middle note, the third, changes. A minor chord uses a minor third (three half steps above the root) instead of a major third (four half steps). That single half step turns a happy major chord into a darker minor one.
What notes are in an A minor chord?
A minor is A, C, and E — the root A, a minor third up to C, and a perfect fifth up to E. All three are white keys, so it is an easy first minor chord to learn.
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