Minor chord: how to build one in any key
A minor chord is a triad built from a root, a minor third and a perfect fifth. The formula is 3 + 4 half steps. It is a major chord with its middle note lowered by one half step, and it often sounds darker or more serious.
A minor chord is one of the two most common chords in music, alongside the major chord. It has three notes: a root, a third and a fifth. What makes it minor is the third, which sits three half steps above the root instead of four. Everything else about the chord stays the same as a major chord.
This page shows how to build a minor chord on any note, how to write its symbol, where minor chords live in a key and how they sound.
How do you build a minor chord?
Choose a root. Count 3 half steps up to find the third. Count 4 more half steps to find the fifth. The formula is 3 + 4. The root-to-fifth distance is 7 half steps, a perfect fifth, just as in a major chord.
| Step | Interval from the root | Half steps from the root |
|---|---|---|
| Root | unison | 0 |
| Third | minor third | 3 |
| Fifth | perfect fifth | 7 |
A fast way to do it: play a major chord and lower the middle note by one half step. C major is C, E, G. Lower the E to E♭ and you have C minor: C, E♭, G. This works in every key, as you can see on the piano chords page.
How do you write a minor chord symbol?
The most common symbol is a lowercase m after the letter: Cm, Am, F♯m. You will also see min (Cmin), a minus sign (C-) or mi (Cmi). In Roman numeral analysis a minor chord uses a lowercase numeral: ii, iii, vi. Take care with capital M, which in some books means major, as in CM7.
Where are the minor chords in a major key?
In any major key, three of the seven diatonic triads are minor: the chords on the second, third and sixth notes (ii, iii and vi). In C major those are Dm, Em and Am. In G major they are Am, Bm and Em. You can see the whole set on the chord progressions page.
How are major and minor keys connected?
Every major key has a relative minor that shares its key signature. The relative minor starts on the sixth note of the major scale. C major's relative minor is A minor, and neither has any sharps or flats. The chord on the sixth note, vi, is the home chord of the relative minor key. Learn more on the relative minor page.
The parallel minor is different. It shares the same tonic (starting note) but has a different key signature. C major and C minor are parallel. Switching between them borrows chords, for example using F minor in a C major song to get a bittersweet effect.
What are the chords of a minor key?
In natural minor, the triads built on each note are: i (minor), ii° (diminished), III (major), iv (minor), v (minor), VI (major) and VII (major). In A minor those are Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G. Many songs use a major V instead of the minor v, taken from the harmonic minor scale. See minor scales for all the versions.
How does a minor chord sound?
Minor chords are often described as sad, serious or dark, while major chords sound bright or happy. This is a tendency, not a rule. Tempo, rhythm, instrument, register and the chords around it all change the feeling. A fast minor tune can sound energetic, and a slow major tune can sound sad. Cultures also differ in what they associate with these sounds.
What famous works are in a minor key?
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is in C minor. His Piano Sonata No. 14, nicknamed the Moonlight Sonata, is in C♯ minor. Mozart's Symphony No. 40 is in G minor. Many folk songs are also in minor keys, and many pop songs move between minor and major chords.
How can you practice minor chords?
- Play A minor, C minor and E minor with fingers 1, 3 and 5.
- For each one, play the major version first and then lower the middle note.
- Move the pattern up by half steps and check each chord by counting 3 + 4.
- Try the chords one after another in a loop: Am, F, C, G.
Memory trick: minor means smaller, and the small third is the one that makes the chord minor. If the first interval is 3, it is minor. If it is 4, it is major.
Try the twelve minor chords on the chord pages, starting with C minor, A minor and E minor. Each page shows the notes on a staff, piano and guitar.
Check yourself
1. What is the half step formula for a minor triad?
Answer: 3 + 4. A minor third (3) goes first, then a major third (4) on top.
2. How do you turn C major into C minor?
Answer: Lower the E to E♭. Only the middle note, the third, changes.
3. Which note is the relative minor of C major?
Answer: A. A minor starts on the sixth note of C major and shares its key signature.
4. Which chords are minor in C major?
Answer: Dm, Em and Am. The ii, iii and vi chords of a major key are minor.
5. What does Am mean?
Answer: A minor. A lowercase m after the letter means minor.