lesson6

Minor and Diminished Chords

Harmony Reform

28 Mar 2025 — 2 min read

In this lesson, we will explore minor chords. From previous lessons, you’ve learned how to construct a minor scale. Using simple techniques, we’ll now transform minor scales into minor chords, introduce common ways to play minor chords, and explore minor chord progressions.

Number of Keys vs. Chord Types

Number of Keys	Chord Type
3	Triad
4	Seventh Chord
5	Ninth Chord
6	Eleventh Chord
7	Thirteenth Chord

Minor Triads

In this lesson, we focus on minor triads, which are three-note chords.

Minor Triad Construction
Just as a major triad is built using the 1st, 3rd, and 5th intervals of a major scale, a minor triad is built using the 1st, 3rd, and 5th intervals of a minor scale.

C Major Scale: C → D → E → F → G → A → B → C
- C Major Triad: C, E, G (1, 3, 5).

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C Minor Scale: C → D → Eb → F → G → Ab → Bb → C
- C Minor Triad: C, Eb, G (1, 3, 5).

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  Piano.Keyboard:
    children: Cm

Three Ways to Build a Minor Triad

Use the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the minor scale.
- Example: For the C minor scale (C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb), the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes are C, Eb, G.
Stack a minor third (3 half-steps) followed by a major third (4 half-steps).
- A minor triad = minor third + major third (opposite of a major triad).
Lower the major third of a major triad by a half-step.
- Example: C Major Triad (C, E, G) → Lower E to Eb → C Minor Triad (C, Eb, G).

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Triads in a Major Scale

In a major scale:

Major triads are built on the 1st (I), 4th (IV), and 5th (V) scale degrees.
Minor triads are built on the 2nd (ii), 3rd (iii), and 6th (vi) scale degrees.

Major Triads	Minor Triads
I, IV, V	ii, iii, vi

Inversions of Minor Triads

The same inversion rules apply to minor triads:

Root Position: The root (tonic) is the lowest note.
First Inversion: The minor third (3rd) is the lowest note.
Second Inversion: The fifth (5th) is the lowest note.

C Minor Triad Root Position: C (bottom), Eb, G
C Minor Triad First Inversion: Eb (bottom), G, C
C Minor Triad Second Inversion: G (bottom), C, Eb

Note:

In root position, the root is always the lowest note.
In first inversion, the root moves to the top.
In second inversion, the root sits in the middle.

Improvisation Techniques

In the previous lessons, you’ve learned to harmonize hymns step-by-step. Now, let’s dive into improvisation—the art of creating music spontaneously! What is Improvisation? Improvisation is composing and performing in real-time without prior preparation. Essential in jazz, blues, and gospel, it allows flexibility in reharmonizing, modulating keys, or

Harmonising Melodies

In this lesson, we will learn how to transform a melody into a variety of chord accompaniments. This is a common technique, especially among music players who work with choirs. For example, if someone creates a melody that includes the i, iii, iv, vi, vii, and viii notes of a

Altered Chords

Congratulations on mastering triads, seventh chords, ninth chords, eleventh chords, and thirteenth chords. Now, we’ll learn how to modify these chords for different musical contexts. Introduction to Altered Chords Any chord—major, minor, augmented, or dominant—can be altered to change its character or "color." For example,

11th and 13th Chord Progressions

In this lesson, we will learn about 11th and 13th chords. In previous lessons, you studied triads, four-note, and five-note chords (triads, seventh chords, and ninth chords). Here, we will explore six- and seven-note chords, known as 11th and 13th chords. Number of Keys & Chord Types Keys Chord Type