HOW TO construct a minor chord?

This post will somewhat go hand-in-hand with my other post about constructing a major chord.

In the post about constructing a major chord, I mentioned that all you need to do is take the 1st, 3rd and 5th note to achieve it. For a minor chord, all you have to do is to take the 1st, flat the 3rd, and 5th note.

So, let's take an example to see what this means. We know in our previous posts that the C major scale is probably the easiest example to use because it does not have any sharps or flats in it. The C major scale is C D E F G A B C.

If we were to take the 1st, flat the 3rd, and the 5th note, the notes would be: C, Eb and G. So, to play a C minor chord, you will need these 3 notes. Let's look at a C minor chord to see if it fits the criteria that we have determined.


Notice the notes that are played in a C minor chord? C, G and D#(same as Eb). So, as with any other minor chords, as long as you use the rule of 1, flat 3, 5, you will be able to construct a minor chord.

When you do have the time, feel free to try out other chords as well. Eg. D minor, B minor, A minor etc. Just remember the steps:

1. Write out the major scale for the chord you are figuring out.
2. Apply the rule of taking the 1st, flat the 3rd, and the 5th note.
3. With these 3 notes, find them on the guitar and play them together. This will give you the minor chord.