Ear 5 min·beginner
Hear the Difference: Major vs. Minor
The single most useful ear-training skill for a beginner. Train it for 5 minutes a day for a week and you’ll never forget it.
A major chord sounds bright, happy, resolved. A minor chord sounds sad, dark, unresolved. The technical reason is that the third note of a minor chord is one fret lower than the third note of a major chord.
Ear drill
- Strum D (major). Listen. Say "major" out loud.
- Strum Em (minor). Listen. Say "minor".
- Close your eyes. Strum a random chord — D, Em, G, or Am — and say major / minor before opening your eyes to check.
- Repeat 20×. Track how many you got right.
Self-check
Did you complete the drill above and feel confident with this lesson?
Sources & attribution
- Wikipedia · Major and minor · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lesson copy © Free Chord Book. Content adapted from sources marked CC BY-SA 4.0 is itself shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.