Can you hear the difference between major and minor every time?
Not sure? Try this quiz!
It’s generally perceived that the sound of major is happy or bright, and the sound of minor is sad or dark. But technically what makes major or minor, and why do we call it major or minor?
The difference between major and minor chords comes down to one single note: the 3rd.
ABC and 123
It’s easy to find a 3rd:
- Start with your root note (like C)
- Count up three letter names (C → D → E)
- This E might be natural, flat, or sharp, but it’s still an E (still a 3rd up from C).
For Good Measure
If the distance from root to third is two whole steps (going up 4 frets), then the 3rd is major. Here are some some major 3rds.
If the distance from root to third is one and a half steps (going up 3 frets), then the 3rd is minor. Here are some some minor 3rds.
If a chord or a scale doesn’t have a third at all, we can’t call it major or minor. For example, the power chord doesn’t include a third (just the root and 5th) — so a power chord is neither major nor minor. And if you play a barre chord, for example, you only need to change the 3rd by a half-step to change the major/minor quality of the chord.
Major Minor History
Although there is some debate on how it happened, the major/minor tonal system was established by around the time of the Baroque period. Before that, musicians used a modal system (several different scales). However, musicians eventually started to just distinguish whether the mode had a major 3rd or a minor 3rd above the tonic. That led to the widespread distinction of “major” or “minor” for keys, scales, and chords.