What is the key to making minor sound minor and major sound major??

[PRSnotPOS]

Ok guys... I need some help here. I'd like to know what I can do to improve my minor and major sounds. I find that when I'm trying to play in a minor key (a minor) I end up sounding major (c major). What steps can I take to solidify my minor sound. I tend to look at everything as the major scale just shifted around (with the exceptions of scales like harm minor) which I think is problem number one. Thank you.

[Stackabones]

In the minor scale, focus in on the minor third. So, in C minor ... Eb. You could also focus on the minor 7th, Bb.

 

In the major scale, focus in on the major third. In C major ... E. Or the maj 7, B.

 

 

If you noodle around with the scales too much, they can lose their individuality. Focus in on the key notes. It really depends on the context and the chords, not so much the scales.

[gennation]

If you're playing Blues or Rock, you are playing more "dominant" and things can open up to where Maj AND Min sounds can work hand in hand. If you're interested in this check my Advanced Pentatonics Tutorial at http://lessons.mikedodge.com

 

It's show you how the two can successfully be used together, and have for many decades.

[dsimon665]

I tend to look at everything as the major scale just shifted around (with the exceptions of scales like harm minor) which I think is problem number one. Thank you.

 

 

Yes this is a common problem...like Stackabones says it depends on context. More specifically, you need to be able to hear the root of the key. A "key" sets up a hierarchy of relationships with notes and chords. One of the fundamental aspects of this is the root pitch of the key. In the case of A minor its A. In the case of C major, its C. If you are not hearing that the respective root is at the center of the key, then work on hearing that.

 

Playing scales alone...it will be very hard to hear some of these sounds. As you say you will tend to "look at everything as the major scale just shifted around." It will greatly help to play with a bass player, or a backing track.

 

You say harm minor is an exception. This is because it doesn't have the same interval relationships as the major/minor scale system. So in this case, you have trained your ear to hear the root being at a specific place relative to that scale.

 

By training your ear, you should be able to hear a single note without any refrence and place that note into any key. So if I play an A, you can hear it as the b7 of B minor, or hear it as the major 3rd of F major. This is pretty advanced at that stage. The first step is to hear notes within the context of a backing track or rhythm section.

 

The point of the above paragraph is that in the "functional harmony" world of the major/minor scale system, notes alone only have meaning within the context of a key...and a key has two things: a root pitch, and if its major or minor.

[bardsley]

All the advice above is good. dsimon665 hits on a good point about harmonic minor. If you're really trying to tell someone (the audience, your bandmates) that you're playing in a minor key, play a lick that incorporates the minor 6th, the major 7th, the root and the minor 3rd. If you play that in A minor, it's definitely a minor sound, and it's ont going to be confused for C major.