Difference between a major chord and a minor chord

[mahim95]

Hey guys, I have been struggling with this for a while and was hoping someone could help me out. Apart from the obvious happy / sad thing, what's the fundamental difference between a major chord and a minor chord?

[Aloysius]

A major chord is made up of the 1st, 3rd and 5th scale degrees of a major scale. A minor chord has the 1st and 5th exactly like the major chord, but the third is flattened (i.e. a semitone lower).

[Neapolitan]

The third. If you did a side by side comparison of a major scale and a minor scale both starting with the same note you'll notice there are three notes that are different: the third, sixth, and seventh notes. Triads uses the root, third and fifth note. The root and fifth stay the same. The third note moves one half step back from a C# in A Major to a C in A minor chord.
But that is only when you compare major and minor chord starting with the same root note. Knowing what notes to change in a major chord to become a minor chord is theory. It's better to think of where a minor chord is placed in the progression of a chord scale. I think it is more practical to know where minor chords fit in a scale.

[fridge123]

Yeah it's all about that middle note!

I was having some similar issues and a friend of mine pointed me in the direction of this theory ebook, made for musicians that don't read traditional music

theory guide dot org

I'd highly recommend it

[mahim95]

I would like to thank all of you guys for your help and advice. Oh and fridge 123, I bought that guide you recommended and haven’t been able to stop reading it since, everything is slotting in to place now, thanks so much.