Julie Swihart

Minor Second Chords

Let’s look at how to play an Am2 (A minor second) chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any minor second chord.

What Are Minor Second Chords?

Minor second chords are minor chords with an added note. The added note is the second note of the matching major scale.

To build a minor second chord, we can start by building a minor chord. Minor chords are built using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching minor scale (learn how to build a minor scale here).

Another way to build a minor chord is to build the matching major chord and lower the middle note 1/2 step.

Then we’ll add the second note of the matching major scale to the chord, to convert the minor chord into a minor second chord (learn how to build a major scale here).

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 34-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note (C, D, E, etc.) and type (major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc.).

Get the Printable

How to Play an Am2 Chord

Now let’s look at how to play an Am2 chord on the piano. We’ll start by building our Am chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the A minor scale. Or we can take an A major chord and lower the middle note 1/2 step: A – C – E

Next we’ll add the second note of the A major scale to the chord: B

So to play an Am2 chord, we’ll play:

A – B – C – E

You can use this pattern to build any minor second chord. First build a minor chord, then add the second note of the matching major scale to the chord.

Other Chord Types

There are many other chord types you can learn. Here are some others:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to build an Am2 chord on the piano, and you can use that knowledge to build any minor second chord! Minor second chords can work nicely as substitutes for minor chords, since the additional note generally blends well.

Piano chords provide a wonderful outlet for expressing music freely and creatively at the piano.