Lesson 2 of 84 · Harmony
⭐ 30 XP🎼 Harmony HallMajor and Minor Chords
A major chord (like C-E-G) sounds bright and happy.
🎯 Your mission
Two notes together — does it feel calm or tense?
⚡ The twist
Major sounds bright. Minor sounds soft. Both are beautiful.
Listen for this
🎧 Pick out the lowest note. That's the bass — the foundation.
Artist Spotlight
🌟 Bach wrote so many harmonies he basically invented the rules everyone still uses.
Mind = Blown
🤯 Some cultures use scales with 22 notes — way more than the 7 you know.
Learn about major and minor chords: understand consonance and dissonance
What You'll Learn
A major chord (like C-E-G) sounds bright and happy. A minor chord (like A-C-E) sounds darker or sadder.
Understand consonance and dissonance
Harmonize a melody in parallel thirds
Check Your Understanding
Question 1 of 3
What is harmony?
Where you hear this in real life
The reason songs make you feel things is harmony doing its quiet job underneath.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Sing any note. Then sing one that goes WITH it. What does it feel like together?
For the dinner table
“Play one song together. Talk about what feeling it gave you and why.”
Next Smart Lesson
We'll pick a music lesson that matches exactly where your ear is right now.
Share this music lesson
Send it to a parent who wants 5 minutes of music with their kid — no instrument required.
Checkout complete lesson on Harmony for 8th Grade
Get the full Harmony track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.