Minor Chords

Let’s look at how to play a D flat minor chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other minor chord.

What Are Minor Chords?

Minor chords are major chords with the middle note lowered 1/2 step.

We can build a minor chord by first building a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then we’ll convert the major chord into a minor chord by lowering the middle note 1/2 step.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

Get the Printable

How to Play a D Flat Minor Chord

So to build a D flat minor chord, we’ll start by building a D flat major chord. We can build a D flat major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the D flat major scale: D♭ – F – A♭

Then we’ll lower the middle note 1/2 step: F♭

So to play a D flat minor chord, we’ll play:

D♭ – F♭ – A♭

You may be wondering why we would call the E note an F♭. The reason is because we are building this chord using the notes of the D flat major scale. When we use the notes of the scale to build the chord, we are using the first, third and fifth notes of the scale, and then lowering the middle note 1/2 step. So since the middle note F is lowered 1/2 step, it is called F♭ instead of E.

We can use this pattern to build any other minor chord. We’ll first build the matching major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then we’ll lower the middle note 1/2 step.

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types we can learn are:

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

Conclusion

Now you know how to build a D flat minor chord on the piano, and you can use this knowledge to build any other minor chord!

Minor chords are really pretty at the piano, and they work well for slower and more introspective songs. I hope you enjoy playing these beautiful chords!