Minor Chord

The Minor Chord is one of the fundamental chords in Western music, and its sound is universally perceived as stable, but with a connotation of melancholy, 'sadness' or 'seriousness'. It is a triad, composed of three notes: the root, the minor third, and the perfect fifth. For example, an A Minor chord (Am) is formed by the notes A (root), C (minor third), and E (perfect fifth). It is the basis of harmonic progressions in minor keys and often functions as a point of rest, but with a decidedly different emotional coloring than the major chord, evoking introspection or drama.

Common Progressions

• i - iv - v (the basic progression in a minor key, the functional equivalent of I-IV-V in major)
• i - VI - VII (common in rock and pop, uses major chords on the VI and VII degrees for a more open, epic, or dramatic sound, compared to the corresponding minor chords)
• i - iv - V7 (the major dominant V7 is often used for a stronger resolution to the minor i, exploiting the tension of its tritone, common in jazz and classical music)
• i - bVII - bVI - bVII (an iconic progression in rock and metal, which creates a powerful and driving sound through the use of major chords on the degrees of the natural minor scale)