Handout 8: Chords — Major & Minor

What You’ll Learn:

• What a chord is (a team of notes played together)
• How major and minor triads are built using intervals
• All the major triads from C through B
• All the minor triads from Cm through Bm
• What inversions are and why they matter for smooth playing

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What Is a Chord?

A chord is three or more notes played at the same time. When you press multiple keys together and they sound good as a group, that is a chord.

Think of a chord as a team. A single note is a solo voice. A chord is a harmony — multiple voices working together to create a richer, fuller sound. If a melody is a storyline, chords are the emotional backdrop — they set the mood.

The most basic chord is a triad, which means “group of three.” A triad has three notes:

• The root — the note the chord is named after (its foundation)
• The third — the note a 3rd above the root (determines major or minor)
• The fifth — the note a 5th above the root (adds stability)

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Building Major Triads

A major triad is built with this formula:

   Root  +  Major 3rd (4 half steps)  +  Perfect 5th (7 half steps)

Or, thinking of it in stacked intervals:

   Root → up a Major 3rd → up a Minor 3rd = Major Triad
         (4 half steps)    (3 half steps)

That is: start on the root, go up 4 half steps to the 3rd, then go up another 3 half steps to the 5th.

C Major Chord

C

D

E

F

G

C Major: root C, third E, fifth G.

RH fingering: 1(C) - 3(E) - 5(G)

LH fingering: 5(C) - 3(E) - 1(G)

All Major Triads

Chord	Notes	Half steps from root
C major	C - E - G	0 - 4 - 7
D major	D - F# - A	0 - 4 - 7
E major	E - G# - B	0 - 4 - 7
F major	F - A - C	0 - 4 - 7
G major	G - B - D	0 - 4 - 7
A major	A - C# - E	0 - 4 - 7
B major	B - D# - F#	0 - 4 - 7

Notice: every major triad has the same structure — root, 4 half steps up, 7 half steps up from root. The formula never changes.

On your keyboard, here are some key ones to visualize:

G Major (G-B-D):

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

C

D

F Major (F-A-C):

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

C

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Building Minor Triads

A minor triad is built with this formula:

   Root  +  Minor 3rd (3 half steps)  +  Perfect 5th (7 half steps)

Or in stacked intervals:

   Root → up a Minor 3rd → up a Major 3rd = Minor Triad
         (3 half steps)    (4 half steps)

The only difference from major: the 3rd is one half step lower. That single half step changes the entire mood from bright to dark.

A Minor Chord (Am)

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

A minor: root **A**, third **C**, fifth **E**.

RH fingering: 1(A) - 3(C) - 5(E)

LH fingering: 5(A) - 3(C) - 1(E)

All Minor Triads

Chord	Notes	Half steps from root
Cm (C minor)	C - Eb - G	0 - 3 - 7
Dm (D minor)	D - F - A	0 - 3 - 7
Em (E minor)	E - G - B	0 - 3 - 7
Fm (F minor)	F - Ab - C	0 - 3 - 7
Gm (G minor)	G - Bb - D	0 - 3 - 7
Am (A minor)	A - C - E	0 - 3 - 7
Bm (B minor)	B - D - F#	0 - 3 - 7

Key Minor Chords to Learn First

Dm (D-F-A):

C

D

E

F

G

A

D minor: D, F, A.

RH: 1(D) - 3(F) - 5(A) **LH:** 5(D) - 3(F) - 1(A)

Em (E-G-B):

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

E minor: E, G, B.

RH: 1(E) - 3(G) - 5(B) **LH:** 5(E) - 3(G) - 1(B)

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Major vs. Minor: Side by Side

The difference between a major and minor chord is just ONE note — the third is lowered by a half step:

   C major:  C - E  - G    (E is a major 3rd above C)
   C minor:  C - Eb - G    (Eb is a minor 3rd above C — one half step lower than E)

Try this on your CT-X9000IN:

1. Play C major (C-E-G). Notice the happy, bright sound.
2. Now lower just the E to Eb (the black key to the left of E). Play C-Eb-G.
3. Hear how the entire mood shifts to something sadder and more reflective.

That one half step is the difference between happy and sad in music.

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Chord Inversions: Rearranging the Team

So far, we have played chords in root position — the root is the lowest note. But you can rearrange the notes and put a different note on the bottom. These rearrangements are called inversions.

Root Position

The root is the lowest note.

   C major root position:  C - E - G  (C on bottom)

First Inversion

Move the root up one octave. Now the 3rd is on the bottom.

   C major 1st inversion:  E - G - C  (E on bottom)

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

C

RH fingering: 1(E) - 2(G) - 5(C)

LH fingering: 5(E) - 3(G) - 1(C)

Second Inversion

Move the root and the 3rd up. Now the 5th is on the bottom.

   C major 2nd inversion:  G - C - E  (G on bottom)

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

C

D

E

RH fingering: 1(G) - 3(C) - 5(E)

LH fingering: 5(G) - 2(C) - 1(E)

Why Do Inversions Matter?

Inversions solve a practical problem: smooth movement between chords.

When you play C major (C-E-G) followed by F major (F-A-C), your hand has to jump a large distance. But if you use F major in 2nd inversion (C-F-A), your hand barely moves — the C stays in place, and only two fingers shift slightly.

   C major (root):     C - E - G
   F major (2nd inv.): C - F - A    ← The C stays! Only two notes move.

This smooth connection between chords is called voice leading — keeping common tones and moving other notes by the smallest distance. Inversions make your chord changes sound professional and feel easy under your fingers.

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The Six Chords to Master First

For this course, these six chords appear most often. Make these your priority:

Chord	Type	Notes (root position)
C	Major	C - E - G
F	Major	F - A - C
G	Major	G - B - D
Am	Minor	A - C - E
Dm	Minor	D - F - A
Em	Minor	E - G - B

Once you are comfortable with these six in root position, learn their first and second inversions.

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Exercises

Exercise 1: Build the “Big 6” Chords

Play each of the six priority chords on your CT-X9000IN with your right hand: C, F, G, Am, Dm, Em. Hold each chord for 4 beats (use the metronome at 60 BPM). Say the chord name and notes aloud: “C major — C, E, G.”

Exercise 2: Major vs. Minor Swap

Play C major (C-E-G). Now lower the E to Eb and play C minor (C-Eb-G). Do the same with:

• D major (D-F#-A) → D minor (D-F-A)
• E major (E-G#-B) → E minor (E-G-B) Listen to how lowering the 3rd by one half step changes the mood each time.

Exercise 3: C Major Inversions

Play C major in all three positions:

• Root position: C-E-G
• 1st inversion: E-G-C
• 2nd inversion: G-C-E Each is the same chord with the same notes — just rearranged. They sound similar but subtly different.

Exercise 4: Smooth Chord Change

Practice moving between C and F using inversions:

• C root position (C-E-G) → F 2nd inversion (C-F-A) Notice how the C note stays in both chords. Your hand barely moves. This is voice leading in action.

Exercise 5: Build Triads from Any Note

Pick a random white key. Build a major triad (go up 4 half steps for the 3rd, then 3 more for the 5th). Then build a minor triad (go up 3 half steps for the 3rd, then 4 more for the 5th). Check against the tables above.

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Quick Quiz

1. What three notes make up a triad? → Answer: Root, third, and fifth.
2. What is the interval structure of a major triad? → Answer: Root + Major 3rd (4 half steps) + Perfect 5th (7 half steps from root). Or: major 3rd stacked on top of minor 3rd.
3. What is the only difference between a major and minor triad? → Answer: The third is lowered by one half step in a minor triad (minor 3rd instead of major 3rd).
4. What is a chord inversion? → Answer: A rearrangement of the notes in a chord so that a note other than the root is the lowest note.
5. What notes make up the G major chord? → Answer: G, B, D

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Key Takeaway

A chord is a team of notes played together. Major triads (root + major 3rd + perfect 5th) sound bright and happy. Minor triads (root + minor 3rd + perfect 5th) sound dark and emotional. The only difference is one half step on the middle note. Inversions rearrange the notes so your hand can move smoothly between chords — a skill that makes everything you play sound polished.