The main difference between major and minor keys is the way they sound. Major keys, notes, and chords sound fun, comfortable, and happy whereas, Minor keys, notes, and chords sound sad, ominous, and serious. Let’s try a few examples for a better comparison. we’ll start with major and minor chords:

Play each set of chords: the A major and the A minor, then the G major and the G minor, and finally, the D major and the D minor. See if you can hear the difference between the major chord sound and the minor chord sound.

Now, let’s play a major key chord progression and a minor key chord progression. Notice not all the chords in a minor key are minors!

If you remember from our Chord Family lessons, a chord family is built on a key. In Uke Camp, we focus on major keys, and the chord families and chords are built on notes from a major key.

Well, there are minor keys too. So, you can build a chord family and chords with the notes from a minor key. It has to do with the scale of the key. And, you guessed it - there are major and minor scales! (A scale is a group of notes in a key.)

C major scale: C D E F G A B C

The interval pattern for a major scale is Whole step Whole step Half step Whole step Whole step Whole step Half step

C minor scale: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C

The interval pattern for a minor scale is Whole step - Half step - Whole step - Whole step - Half step - Whole step - Whole step

You can see the full ukulele fretboard below with all the notes marked…

• Between the C and the D there is a whole step (two frets)

• Between the D and the Eb there is a half step (one fret)

• Between the Eb and the F is a whole step (two frets)

• Between the F and the G is a whole step (two frets)

• Between the G and the Ab is a half step (one fret)

• Between the Ab and the Bb there is a whole step (two frets

• Between the Bb and the C is a whole step (two frets).

So, all that said, the biggest difference to a beginning ukulele player between major and minor is the sound. Each has a unique sound that can change the feeling of a song from happy to sad, from silly to serious.