Minor chords

This is a lesson on how minor chords are constructed and how you can use them in your playing.

Minor chords are made up of a minor triad. The minor triad is a three-note structure made up the notes 1, b3, and 5. In the key of C a minor triad would contain the first note (C), the minor third note (Eb) and fifth note (G)

Look at the voicings below to hear the sound of the minor triad chord

Once you understand the basic minor triad you can start adding other colour notes to the chord. The most common notes to add to a minor chord are the seventh note and the ninth note. Try playing through the examples below to hear the sound of these chords.

You can add other notes to a minor triad. Other common additions are the sixth note to create a minor six chord.

It is worth mentioning the creepy sounding minor major seven chord. This is the first chord in the melodic minor and harmonic minor scales. It is a minor triad with a major seven note added and it has a really distinct sound to it.