Minor chord
Combination of three or more notes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A minor chord is a triad with a minor third and a perfect fifth above its root. The minor triad built on C is spelled C–E♭–G.
| Component intervals from root | |
|---|---|
| perfect fifth | |
| major third | |
| minor third | |
| Tuning | |
| just - 10:12:15[1] | |
| Forte no. | |
| 3-11[2] |
Structure
The minor chord timbre is sometimes described as darker than its major counterpart.[3] The primary intervals in a minor chord are the minor third above the root, and the perfect fifth above the root. There is a major third between the third and fifth.[4] It is a tertian chord because it is built in thirds.[5]: 458
In harmonic analysis and on lead sheets, a major chord is often indicated by the letter of its root.[6] A minor triad is represented by the integer notation {0,3,7}.[2]
Just intonation
In just intonation, a minor chord is tuned in the frequency ratio 10:12:15, reflecting an appearance of the minor chord in the harmonic series.[7] The ratio was refined to 10/9:4/3:5/3 by Ben Johnston.[8] In a just scale, the triad appears on iii, vi, ♭vi, ♭iii, and vii.[9]
A justly tuned perfect fifth is 702 cents, compared to 700 in equal temperament. The just minor third is 316 cents, where the equal interval is 300.[5]: 455
Alternate just minor chord tunings include:
Georg Andreas Sorge derived the minor chord from the confluence of two major triads such as F-A-C and C-E-G. An A minor triad arises from the connection.[12] He pointed out that overtones 10, 12, 15, and 18 of the harmonic series form a minor seventh chord.[13]