Quote:
Originally Posted by BassoonPlatoon
Are minor triads and minor chords interchangeable?
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Yes! Of course
A minor chord IS a minor triad, just like a major chord IS a major triad.
There are 4 basic chord types:
Major — consisting of a minor 3rd stacked on top of a major one
for example: a C major chord is constructed with the notes C - E - G. From C to E you have a major 3rd, from E to G you have a minor 3rd
Minor — consisting of a major 3rd stacked on top of a minor one
for example: a C minor chord is constructed with the notes C - D# - G. From C to D# you have a minor 3rd, from D# to G you have a major 3rd
Augmented — consisting of two major 3rds stacked on each other
for example: a C Augmented chord is constructed with the notes C - E - G#. From C to E you have a major 3rd, from E to G# you have another major 3rd
Diminished — consisting of two minor 3rds stacked on each other
for example: a C Diminished chord is constructed with the notes C - D# - F#. From C to D# you have a minor 3rd, from D# to F# you have another minor 3rd
All other chords (like minor 7th, major 7th, etc) are just stacking more minor/major triads on top of the four types I explained above.
The difference are "suspended" chords, where you don't use the minor/major 3rd that gives a chord it's minor/major flavour, and substituting it with some other note of your choice. They are then designated as for instance "Csus4" — meaning that the major/minor 3rd is substituted with the 4th, which in the case of the C scale would be the note F.
So the notes in a basic Csus4 chord would be C - F - G
This might seem confusing if you're reading this without a keyboard under your fingers. But as soon as you sit down and actually play the chords I explained here, it will be very clear — you usually just move one finger one key up or down.