Minor Second Chords

Let’s look at how to play an F sharp minor 2 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other minor 2 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.

So to build a minor second chord, we’ll start with a minor chord. We can build a minor chord by taking the matching major chord and lowering the middle note 1/2 step.

Then to convert the minor chord into a minor second chord, we’ll add the second note of the matching major scale.

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.

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How to Play an F Sharp Minor 2 Chord

So to play an F sharp minor 2 chord, we’ll start by building an F sharp minor chord. We can build an F sharp minor chord by taking an F sharp major chord, F♯ – A♯ – C♯, and then lowering the middle note 1/2 step: F♯ – A – C♯

Then we’ll add the second note of the F sharp major scale to the chord: G♯

So to play an F sharp minor 2 chord, we’ll play:

F♯ – G♯ – A – C♯

We can use this knowledge to build any other minor second chord. We’ll first build a minor chord by taking the matching major chord and lowering the middle note 1/2 step. Then we’ll add the second note of the matching major scale to the chord.

Add9 Chords

Minor second chords use the same notes as minor add9 chords. A minor add9 chord is a minor chord with an added note. The added note is the ninth note of the scale. Since scales only have eight notes, to add the ninth note, we can repeat the scale into the next octave. The ninth note is the same as the second note of the scale, just one octave up. So a minor add9 chord and a minor second chord have the same notes, just in a different order.

F♯m2: F♯ – G♯ – A – C♯

F♯madd9: F♯ – A – C♯ – G♯

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types we can learn are:

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 play an F sharp minor 2 chord on the piano, and you can use this knowledge to build any other minor second chord.

When we use chords to learn the piano, we start to see the piano in terms of scales and patterns. And once we see the piano this way, a new world of possibilities opens up with music, since the patterns can be repeated!

I hope you enjoy using these chords at the piano!