


If true, you can certainly feel the sad and melancholic feeling of the tune. The tale is that the song was triggered by unrequited love. But, given the story behind the song, we might be able to guess. On the other side, there is Sonata N.14, which has no lyrics, making Beethoven’s intent with the piece a little less clear. Paul McCartney wrote this song to cheer up John Lennon’s son after his parents’ divorce. It then gets even more obvious when the lyrics start. On one side, you have Hey Jude, a song that evokes optimism and hope. Both songs are instantly recognizable and have transcended both the cultures and times they were written in. Let’s take a look at two well-known songs: Hey Jude by The Beatles, and the Piano Sonata N.14 by Beethoven.

Choosing the KeyĪlthough we can emphasize am emotion with the major and minor modes, each key also has its own personality. Practice then makes it second nature to transition between major and minor chords, while learning the correct positioning for them. Once you are able to recognize these patterns and follow their “rules” you can figure out most things on your own. When you boil it down, music is simply all about patterns. This simple formula can be applied to figure out the notes in any major or minor scale. A minor chord contains the 1 st, flattened 3 rd, and 5 th degrees of the major scale of that note.A major chord contains the 1 st, 3 rd, and 5 th degree of the major scale.The big difference between a major and minor chord all comes down to one easy change: the 3 rd in a scale. But, now that’s you’re a little older, it’s time to take a deeper dive into a slightly more technical explanation. Generally speaking, major chords tend to sound bright, while minor chords sound darker.Īnd as a 9-year-old, that explanation was good enough. On a basic level, major chords usually mean happy, while minor chords usually mean sad.Īnd on an emotional level, that’s true. If you try hard enough, you might remember the teacher talking about the difference between major and minor chords. Think back to those early elementary school music classes.
