Finding a minor chord on the piano

This couldn’t be any more simple if you’ve learned your 12 Major chords on the piano.  Finding a minor chord on the piano is as simple as a half step.  You’ll also notice that minor chords on the piano have a different sound than their Major counterparts.  Be sure that you know them well.

An interesting thing happens when you convert a Major Chord into a minor chord.  First of all, the middle note (also known as the third) makes all the difference in the world.  This happy, bright sounding chord all of a sudden sounds sad and dark.  But it’s the contrast between the two that makes any song sound more interesting than just having all Major or all minor chords.  Finding a minor chord on the piano couldn’t be easier. Just take this one simple step…or shall I say half step.

c major to c minor chord on the piano keyboard finding a minor chord

Just take the middle note and move it to the left one key. C Major now becomes C minor.

d major and d minor

D Major becomes D minor.

Building a minor chord on the piano also alters the visual order that you learned while building the Major Chords.  I want to emphasize that you do not have to memorize or learn a new visual order of the minor chords. Just notice how the visual appearance of the chords change as you alter them.

The Marshmallow Chords now become the Blackberry Jam Sandwich Chords. d minor e minor a minor chords The Blackberry Jam Sandwich Chords now become the marshmallow chords. d flat minor e flat minor and a flat minor chords on the piano The Oreo Cookie chords remain the same except for E flat minor.  It becomes one of the Chocolate and Vanilla Chunk Chords. g flat minor b flat minor and b minor piano chords The Chocolate and Vanilla Chunk Chords remain the same except for G flat minor.  It becomes an Oreo Cookie Chord.

Now you’ve seen how easy it is create a minor chord on the piano, spend some time with them.  They’re going to become second nature to you.  You’re going to recognize them just as easy as all of the Major chords on the piano. Remember what I said earlier.  You do not have to remember the visual order of the minor chords.  In fact, it’s better that you don’t try to remember the visual order of the minor chords as you did the Major Chords because it’s not as straight forward.  It’s a little mixed up as you can see here. Just be sure that you understand how to build a minor chord on the piano.  Take the middle note (which is the third) and move it down one half step. Now that you’ve finished the tutorial.  Download the instructional guide color notes online magazinefor free and also get a free subscription to Color Notes.  The online magazine with tons of tips, articles, videos and more.

The following two tabs change content below.

Greg Lee

Hi, my name is Greg Lee. I'm the creator of the Color Score Professional/Visual Chord Learning System. I love to share ideas and concepts about piano and keyboard playing in all styles of music. I believe the key to learning is having fun and making complicated things simple with visual tools and illustrations.

Latest posts by Greg Lee (see all)