01 · Chords · Major & Minor Chord Builder
Build a chord. Hear the difference.
Make a major triad, flip it to minor, and hear that only one note — the third — moves by a single semitone.
C major (C – E – G)
The ↕ third is the note that moves; the dashed key shows where it goes for minor.
- 1Root
- C
- 33rd · moves
- E
- 55th
- G
Major uses degrees 1–3–5; minor uses 1–♭3–5. ♭3 means the third is one semitone (half step) lower than the major third. The root and fifth stay the same. ♪ marks keys currently sounding.
C+4E+3GMajor = 4 + 3 semitones (half steps)
Guided practice
Build it yourself
- 1. Build C major
- 2. Change it to C minor
Select the three notes of C major: root, third and fifth. Start on C4 and keep the notes in a close, root-position stack.
Your selection: nothing yet
Production Rep
Make C major sad
In your DAW
Turn A major into A minor
Same trick, new root. Move only the middle note (C♯) down one row using the arrow buttons or the ↑/↓ keys when the third is focused.