# Fretboard major/minor chord connection



## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

I'm an intermediate player, at best, but just found this explanation of how to locate and connect major chords with their relative minors and vice versa. Helpful for me, and maybe to others too. Off to work at it some more.

[video]


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Move 3 frets up or down, as far as I know.


----------



## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

Great stuff!


----------



## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

What’s his website???


----------



## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

Budda said:


> Move 3 frets up or down, as far as I know.


Yeah, lol, that’s what I do. Shows you the depth of my theory knowledge.


----------



## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

After watching the video, I understand what he is saying, I learned same thing in a different wat many years ago, major, minor, dim triads in a particular key. My question is what would I ever use this for? I’ve known how to do it for decades but never, not once, have I ever used it. Is it only something for composers or jazz guys?


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

zdogma said:


> Yeah, lol, that’s what I do. Shows you the depth of my theory knowledge.


Mine is basic as well.

I just wish I knew it in grade 9 when my music teacher couldnt make theory stick.


----------



## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

My son is 10 and does royal conservatory piano, he’s grade 5 now and knows more about theory than I ever will. I think they use it more, but maybe it’s just part of the formal music education process.


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

zdogma said:


> After watching the video, I understand what he is saying, I learned same thing in a different wat many years ago, major, minor, dim triads in a particular key. My question is what would I ever use this for? I’ve known how to do it for decades but never, not once, have I ever used it. Is it only something for composers or jazz guys?


I use my knowledge of triads and arpeggiated chords all over the neck whenever I'm playing solos over chord changes. Whenever I step outside the boxes, this is what I do


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Appears he's trying to explain diatonic chord progressions in the key of A Major, and how the pentatonic relat. First 3, AMaj, DMaj, E7 are the I - IV - V respectively. Going down 3 frets on the low E string in any key will give you the Relative minor of the Major Key you are in. In this case, F# minor (being the Relative minor of A Major). The 3 chords in that position are the 3 minor diatonic minor chords in the the key of A Major F# minor, B minor, C# Minor. These 3 chords also just happen to be the i - iv -v (V7) of the key of F# minor, which is again, relative to the Major key A Major. Same notes and chords in both keys, different starting position. The lonely 7th of the Major scale is the diminished chord of that major key. So in his example, G#dim is the vii in A Major and the ii in F# minor.


*AMaj(I)* - Bmin(ii) - C#min(iii) - *DMaj(IV)* - *E7(V)* - F#min(vi) - G#dim(vii)

*F#min(i)* - G#dim(ii) - AMaj(III) - *Bmin(iv)* - *C#min(v)* - DMaj(VI) - EMaj(VII)

This is just a strict translation of Relatives Major to minor. Many of these chords can be changed or substituted to suit the song or progression.

So if you look at both the Major and relative minor of the key of A Major here, you can see that it's the basic 1 - 4 - 5 in both A Major and F# minor. Because F# minor is relative to A major, you can start on that diatonic chord or note in A major (the vi) and go right up the chords starting there to get the minor diatonic key.

Yes, it's a shit load of info to digest, but if you look at it reasonably closely on how it relates and begin to try applying it to what you already know on the fretboard and in your playing, you might find some lost artifacts that have been eluding you for some time. I took the opposite approach of what the gentleman in the video did and re theorized the concept. Just another take on the exact same thing. Hope this wasn't too over bearing. I get that people don't dig theory as much as others.


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Sorry that the chart there didn't exactly translate ... Interface and all. Had to correct it. There is a lot more info on what I posted that would take too much time and posting to go through, so if anything is too obscure or unclear, either myself or another member who knows this stuff well can answer any questions.


----------



## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

Here is my 2 cents on this as well. For ease I will use the key of C major. C major shares the same notes with the relative A minor. 

C maj-CDEFGAB
A min-ABCDEFG

If you want to find the chords pick every other note from scale for Root(i) Third (maj/minor) V. 

So for C major we will have,
1-CEG=c maj
2-DFA=d min
3-EGB=e min
4-FAC=f maj 
5-GBD=g maj
6-ACE=a min
7-BDF=b dim

If you want have fun with the diminished scale remember that is a scale made of minor thirds. So if you play the B diminishes chord at the 7th fret you could slide that pattern forward or back 3 frets and you will have the same chord.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

My quick trick for finding the relative minor is:

play an A chord with your index finger only pressing the D, G and B strings (instead of 3 separate fingers). Now spread that finger across all six strings on the same fret and play an Em form bar chord. In this case, you'd be playing an Em 2 frets up, or an F#m, which is the relative minor to an A maj.

That A chord can be moved anywhere up the neck to play different major chords. Play a C maj (pressing D, G and B strings on the 5th fret), barchord that fret with an Em form (or finger shape) and you're playing an Am, the relative minor of C maj. Quick and easy.


----------

