What is a Major or Minor chord?
If playing the piano and you play 3 notes, e.g. C E G. How does that sound? It should sound happy.
Now play C Eb G. How does that sound? It should sound sad.
The 3rd note, if playing root position (meaning 3 notes apart) is 3 half steps from the first note, which is known as a minor third.
Take a look at this video tutorial to see it visually.
The best way to know if the chord which consists of playing more than one note together is to listen to the sound. Does it sound happy or sad?
The same can be heard if playing the guitar. Chord symbols are usually written on top of the staff. A capital letter, eg. C means it’s a C major Chord, consisting of the notes C, E, G.
If the chord symbol says eg. Cm this means C minor chord consisting of notes
C, Eb, G
The (b) is the musical symbol for a flat. This means that the note is lowered by a half step, which then makes it closer to the first note played.
For Example
C E G = C major….chord symbol C
C Eb G = C minor….chord symbol Cm
D F# A = D major (a # sharp plays the note a half step higher to the right), …….chord symbol D
D F A = D minor……chord symbol Dm
