Chord families

Minor songs (most Malayalam songs): a minor key borrows all its chords from its relative major. The minor is always the 6th chord of that major scale. Song in Am? Think in the C family. Song in Dm? Think in F.

Why the 6 minor and not the 2 or 3? Every major family has three minor chords: the 2, 3, and 6. But only the 6 uses the exact same set of notes as the major scale it comes from. A minor and C major share every note, so a song can sit in Am and never leave the C family. If you tried to make Dm or Em the home instead, the notes stop matching: D minor as a key needs a Bb, and E minor needs an F#, which C major doesn't have. That's why the 6 is called the relative minor. The 2 and 3 minors are chords you visit, but the 6 minor is the only one that can be home.

Fast trick: count two letters up from the minor to find its major family. Am: A, B, C. Dm: D, E, F. Em: E, F, G. Or just tap the key above and the page shows you.

For musicians: in minor songs the 5th chord is often played major for a stronger pull home. In Am, that means playing E instead of Em before landing back on Am. Trust your ear.