Major Keys: Major Scales. Minor Keys: Minor Scales

Good morning. This is Duane and I’d like to ask you a question today. What’s the difference between major and minor keys?

What’s the difference between major and minor keys? The most obvious answer is they sound different. It’s the difference between this (piano playing) and this (piano playing), right? You have a minor tone (piano playing) in minor keys and a major in major keys. What’s the difference? It has to do with the scales, the scale degrees.

A major song is based on a major scale which goes like this, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. We’ve talked about that a lot before. That’s the definition of a major scale.

A minor scale is different. You have a whole step and then a half step. That’s what gives it that typically minor sound. Instead of a triad being that (piano playing), which is major, the triad is like that (piano playing), okay?

In any song, major or minor, there’s three primary chords. Chords that are used more than any others. In major keys, they’re all major. One, four and five, the home boy keys that you play all the time are major chords. The one chord, the four chord and the five chord. If you’re in the key of C, it’s C, F, and G, right? If you’re in the key of D, it’s the one chord, the four chord and the five chord, which is A, and they’re all major.

But, in a minor key, the one chord is minor, the four chord is minor, but the five chord is major, okay? That’s because minor keys as we know them are based on the harmonic minor scale, which goes like this (piano playing). It’s that step and a half that gives it that distinctive sound. That’s a step and a half between that and that, you see? In a minor scale, you go up a whole step, then a half step, then a whole step, then a whole step, half step, step and a half, and half step. That changes the melody a lot, doesn’t it? It changes the flavor a lot in a song.

When you play major songs, say we’re playing in the key of F, you have this kind of sound (piano playing). When you have a minor song (piano playing), it’s a different feeling entirely. The reason is it’s based on that scale, isn’t it?

Just to review that again, major keys are based on major scales, which go like this, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step, okay? In a minor scale, you have whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, step and a half and a half step. That gives it that distinctive sound.

It’s probably obvious, but I have had people ask me that question, so that’s the answer between why major and minor keys sound different and are played different. That’s it for today. See you tomorrow with another little tip.

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