3.3 · Building Chords
The strange cousins
Major and minor differ by the third. Now move the fifth instead. Shrink it a semitone and the chord turns tense: diminished. Stretch it a semitone and the chord floats: augmented. Four flavors complete the triad family.
The four flavors
All four share a C root. Play them in a row and feel the temperature change.
Shrink or stretch
Start from C major and move only the top note. Pull G down to G♭ and the chord tightens inward: diminished. Push G up to G♯ and it stretches wide: augmented. One semitone each way.
G♭ · shrunk fifth G♯ · stretched fifth
Game · Name the flavor
1 / 5A mystery chord. Which of the four flavors is it?
Quiz
1 / 4A diminished triad…