"Gary" <grday@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:e1320b7e-d6f8-478c-9b30-
the 5 string chord that one gets
> by holding string 2 at the first fret, strings 3 and 4 at the second
> fret, and then strumming strings 1 through 5, as an A minor cord.
> I am wondering if it is also sometimes refered to as an A flat cord.
Nope.
> If not, is there a difference between A minor and A flat?
The words "flat" and "sharp" have nothing to do with "major" or "minor".
A Flat or Sharp adjusts a "natural" note - A B C D E F G - down or up
(respectively) a half step (1 fret).
In other words, to make the A note that is the 5th string open, into A#,
you'd raise the string 1 fret (this playing the 1st fret on the 5th
string).
Minor and Major refer to chords and scales, but since you're dealing with
chords here, I'll hit on that:
A minor chord has a "formula" that describes how far each of the notes in
the chord are from the other notes.
Chords have notes arranged in thirds (every other letter) so "any type of
A
chord" has an A, and "some type of" C and E - A-C-E.
A minor chord's formula is, starting from the bottom note (the root), go
up
3 frets to get the 3rd of the chord (the C in this case), and go up either
7
frets from the starting note, or 4 frets from the 3rd to get the 5th of
the
chord (E in this case).
So:
A (open)
+3 (that's frets 1,2,3) = C
Then either A +7, or C +4 (so from fret 3, to 4 5 6 7) = E
The formula for a major chord is Root +4 then either Root +7, or the 3rd
of
the chord (which is what root +4 gives you), so starting with A, it
yields:
A C# E
Note that the difference between A minor:
A-C-E
and A major:
A C# E
The only difference is the middle note (the third of the chord - they are
counted as root, third, and fifth respectively) is one half-step (1 fret)
higher.
This means you can take the third of any minor chord, and raise it 1 fret
(1
half step) and it will turn it into a major chord, and vice versa.
Of course, this means you have to know which of the notes in the shape
you're playing is the third! And some shapes have duplicates!.
When you play A minor like this, you're playing (lowest note, 5th string,
on
the bottom here):
E
C
A
E
A
which is:
0
1
2
2
0
If you look at the diagram for A Major, you'll notice that the C, is one
fret higher - C#:
E
C#
A
E
A
which is
0
2
2
2
0
So you can have an A Major Chord, or an A Minor Chord (there are other
types
as well).
You can also have an Ab Major Chord, or an Ab minor chord.You can even
have
an A# Major or A# minor chord.
So the # or b or natural (the plain letter) refers to the note the chord
is
built upon (the root) - which of course, because of the formula will
affect
what the other notes are, whereas the words Major and minor refer to the
intervallic (distance between notes) structure.
A-C-E is A minor.
Ab-Cb-Eb is Ab minor.
Can you see why?
A-C is 3 frets, and C-E is 4 (or A-E is 7, whichever).
When you put a flat on ALL of the notes of a chord, it lowers them ALL by
1
fret, but the distance between each of them still remains the same! So
sonce
the formula is still the same, it's STILL a minor chord.
Ab - Cb - 3 frets, and Cb - Eb is 4 (or Ab - Eb - is 7).
Now, when you have your chords spread out across the strings, you can't as
easily count the frets (it is possible though - count up 3 frets from the
A
on the third string of your A minor shape, and you'll get to C, and you'll
notice that this is the same note as what you're playing on the 2nd string
1st fret).
I noticed
> in another book that some of the chords are referred to as flat chords
> rather than as minor cords, and so I am wondering if the two terms
> are used interchangeably by musicians in that context.
Only by people who don't know what they're doing!
I'll hit the other question in another post.
Steve
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