Mastering Minor Triads: A Beginner's Guide to Playing Emotional Chords

Are you a beginner musician looking to spice up your music? Minor triads are a great way to add some emotion to your chords! In just five easy steps, I'll teach you how to play these dark and moody chords that are used in many different genres of music. Let's get started!

Step 1: What are triads?

Before we dive into minor triads, let's quickly review what triads are. Triads are chords made up of three notes - the root note, the third note, and the fifth note of a scale. For example, in the key of A minor, an A minor triad would be made up of the notes A, C, and E.

Step 2:

Natural minor scale To understand minor triads, you need to first understand the natural minor scale. The natural minor scale is a seven-note scale that has a specific pattern of whole steps and half steps between each note. That pattern is W-H-W-W-H-W-W. If you don’t know what wholes steps and half steps are, check out this helpful video! The natural minor scale is used in many genres, from classical to metal to pop.

Step 3:

Building minor triads Now that you understand the natural minor scale, let's look at how to build minor triads. To build a minor triad, you start with the root note of the chord, then add the note that is a minor third above it, and finally add the note that is a perfect fifth above the root note. Another way to look at it is as a numerical formula. Simply play the 1-b3-5 of any moajor scale to create a minor triad. For example, in the key of A minor, the first note is A, the third note is C, and the 5th note is E. Now we have an A minor triad! Let's try the key of D minor. Once again, our formula to create a minor triad is by playing the 1-3-5 of any natural minor scale, so in the key of D minor that is D, F, and A. Lastly, let's try the key of G# minor. The 1 is G#, the 3rd note in the G# natural minor scale is B, and the 5th note in the G# natural minor scale is D#. Now we have a G# minor triad!

Step 4:

Inversions Now that you can play minor triads, you can take it a step further and play them in different inversions. There are three possible inversions of a minor triad: root position (when the root note is the lowest note), first inversion (when the third note is the lowest note), and second inversion (when the fifth note is the lowest note). If you are new to inversions and want to learn more about them, check out this informative video about inversions!

Step 5:

Using minor triads in your music Now that you understand minor triads, you can start using them in your music. Minor triads are commonly used in rock, metal, blues, and many other genres of music. They're great for creating dark, emotional, and tense sounds in your music. Experiment with different chord progressions and inversions to find the sound that you like..

And that's it - those are the five easy steps to Mastering Minor Triads: A Beginner's Guide to Playing Emotional Chords. Remember, a minor triad is made up of the 1-b3-5 of a major scale or the first, flat third and fifth note of a natural minor scale. Play around with different inversions and chord progressions to find the sound that you like.