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AP Music Theory Test Prep / Course / Chapter

Triad Music: Chords, Types & Examples

James Flint, Summer Stewart, Sasha Blakeley
  • Author
    James Flint

    James Flint studied Creative Writing at The University of Pittsburgh and received his Bachelor's in Media Studies and Production from Temple University. He obtained an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Goldsmiths, The University of London. He has a TEFL teaching certificate, and has taught English in Japan.

  • Instructor
    Summer Stewart

    Summer has taught creative writing and sciences at the college level. She holds an MFA in Creative writing and a B.A.S. in English and Nutrition

  • Expert Contributor
    Sasha Blakeley

    Sasha Blakeley has a Bachelor's in English Literature from McGill University and a TEFL certification. She has been teaching English in Canada and Taiwan for seven years.

Learn the meaning of what a triad is in music theory. Discover the scale degree structure of major, minor, augmented, and diminished chords through examples. Updated: 01/04/2022

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How Triads Impact Sound

Now that you know what a triad is as well as the four important kinds of triads, it's time to try and figure out how those chords impact the sound of a piece of music. Depending on what material you have available to you, you will need to choose a different prompt for this lesson. If you have access to an instrument that can play triads, like a guitar or a piano, explore Prompt 1. If you have music composition software and have done some simple (or advanced!) composition in the past, look at Prompt 2. If you prefer to explore this lesson from a research perspective, choose Prompt 3.

Prompt 1: Play

Try to play each of the four kinds of triads on your instrument. See how the sound changes. What mood does each kind of triad evoke? Do you already know any songs that incorporate triads? What kinds? What does the kind of triad present in a song tell you about how the song will sound? If you want to experiment, see if you can alter a triad in an existing song from one type to another kind (for instance, from a minor to an augmented triad). If you try to play the song with the altered triad, it will sound very strange! But it's worth a try to see how much a single chord can change a piece of music.

Prompt 2: Compose

Using your composition software, try writing a short piece of music that includes a triad. Include more than one kind of triad in your work if you can! How do different triads influence the tone of the music you're writing? Which do you prefer?

Prompt 3: Research

Try and find four songs, each one incorporating a different kind of triad. You may find songs that include more than one kind. How do the triads add to the music? What depth and tone do they evoke? Which ones do you think are most effective or noticeable, and why?

What are the four types of triads?

There are many kinds of triads, but the four major ones are major, minor, augmented, and diminished. Triads are the building blocks of Western music.

What is an example of a triad?

A triad is three notes on the diatonic scale. A triad consists of a root note, a major or minor third, and a lowered and raised fifth. For example, a C diminished chord consists of a root note of C, a minor third of E flat, and a lowered G flat for the 5th degree of the scale.

What are the qualities of triads?

Triads must contain the root note, a major or minor third, and a flattened or raised fifth. Adding other notes creates complex chords.

What does triad mean?

A triad is a chord consisting of three notes on the diatonic scale. A major triad is the root note, a major third, and a perfect fifth at its most basic. They are the simplest chords and are the building blocks of music.

Does triad mean three?

Triad means three. In this case, the term applies because it takes three notes to make a triad, and the notes are three steps away from each other.

What is a Triad?

In music theory, a triad is a chord made up of three notes. While any three notes can generally be considered a chord, a triad is made up of three specific notes from what is called the diatonic scale. The diatonic scale is the seven notes that define an octave. For example, in the key of C, the seven notes that comprise the C major (C, D, E, F, G, A, B) are of the diatonic scale. For a chord to be considered a triad, it must contain a root note, the third note in the scale, and the fifth note in the scale. Using the example of C major again, the root note is C, the third is E, and the fifth is G. The system of diatonic triads is the basis of tonal harmony in music.

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Background

Have you ever wondered what makes the rhythmic sound in many popular compositions, such as the Sonatina, Opus 792 by Carl Czerny? You know, that 'dah-dah-dah' sound that holds up the melody? Well, that sound you are hearing is called a triad.

Triad chords are very common in musical compositions, and there are many different types of triads including the major, minor, augmented, and diminished triad chord. Before we get into the types of triad chords in music, we will go over a brief definition of a triad, so you can fully understand triads.

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  • 0:35 What Is a triad?
  • 0:53 Major and Minor Triads
  • 2:03 Augmented and Diminished Triad
  • 2:59 Lesson Summary
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Triad Classifications

Triads are formed by their relationships to their respective root notes. If the triad possesses a major third and a perfect fifth above the root, that is called a major triad. If the triad contains a minor third and a perfect fifth above the root, it is a minor triad. If the third is major and the fifth is sharp, the triad is called an augmented triad; if the third is minor and the fifth is diminished, the triad is a diminished triad (or, in another term: a minor flat 5th).

Triads repeat themselves in every octave. A C major triad played on the second octave has the same notes as a C major triad played on the fifth octave. The chord is still considered a triad as long as the notes are the same. Depending on the style, chords may be consonant- giving a sense of rest, or dissonant- implying a need to be resolved by another chord. In Western music, chords are created by superimpositions of intervals of a third. Therefore, the basic triad is two thirds with an interval of a fifth. An additional third produces a seventh chord. Yet another third produces further third extends the seventh chord to a ninth chord (c-e-g-b-d). The superimposition of thirds into seventh and ninth chords is called extensions.

Major Triads

Triads are the most common chords. The most common chords are triads, which are built by adding the third and fifth notes in the scale above a starting note (or root). For example, in C major, the triad built on C contains:

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Since triads are the building blocks of music, all music theory revolves around triads. In music theory, the term scale degree refers to the position of a particular note on a scale relative to the tonic. The tonic is the first and main note of the scale from which each octave is assumed to begin. Degrees are useful for indicating the size of intervals and chords and whether they are major or minor. Generally, the scale degree is the number given to each step of the scale, usually starting with 1 for tonic. Defining it like this implies that a tonic is specified. For instance, the 7-tone diatonic scale may become the major scale once the proper degree has been chosen as a tonic (for example, the C-major scale C-D-E-F-G-A-B, in which C is the tonic). The starting degree must be chosen arbitrarily if the scale has no tonic. In set theory, for instance, the 12 degrees of the chromatic scale usually are numbered starting from C=0, the twelve pitch classes being numbered from 0 to 11.

Knowing scale degrees helps when constructing complex chords that contain more than three notes. If one were to play a C major 7 chord, the chord would contain the root of C, then the major third of E, the perfect 5th of G, followed by the 7th degree of B, as it is the seventh note in the key of C.

Once the key reaches the seventh note in a key, instead of starting from 1 again (since after B, the next note is again C but an octave higher), that next C would be counted as eight in the scale degree. The next note, a D, would be nine and would continue into the next octave. These are called extensions, and for more harmonically complex music like jazz, extensions are commonly used to express and play increasingly intricate arrangements of notes.

Scale degrees

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A triad is a series of three notes from the diatonic scale: the root, a major third, and perfect fifth notes on a scale constitute a major triad. A chord with the root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth is a minor triad. A chord with the root, a minor third, and a lowered fifth is a diminished chord. Finally, a chord with the root, a minor third, and a raised fifth is an augmented chord. Triads are the building blocks of Western music. To understand how to create more complex chords, one must understand scale degree, the numbered system that determines notes in relation to the tonic.

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What Is a Triad?

Remember that a chord is any blend of three or more pitch classes played together. A triad is a chord with three notes that can be set as thirds because their pitches work together. Each note in a triad bears a specific label. The bottom note is called the root, the middle note is called the third, and the top note is called the fifth.

Major and Minor Triads

Four mains types of triads exist in music. The four main types of triads are named as major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads. Let's take a look at each one.

Major Triad

A major triad is created by taking a root note and combining it with a major third and a perfect fifth. For example, if you have the notes G, A, B, C, D, and E, then you would combine every other note starting with G as the root note. Thus, the major triad would be G,B, and D. This rule of thumb can be applied to create other major triads.

The Sonatina, Opus 792 by Crezny uses a major triad as its underbelly. Czerny used a classic major C triad to create that upbeat dah-dah-dah throughout the song. It gives it a waltzy feel to it. Without the triad, all you would hear is a one-note melody; a triad adds depth to songs.

Minor Triad

A minor triad is created by establishing a root note and then adding in a minor third note and a perfect fifth note. For example, to play a C minor triad, you would need to begin with middle C, and then add a minor third (three half-steps up from C), and then the perfect fifth (seventh half steps from middle C). Thus, the C minor triad would be C, E flat, and G.

Video Transcript

Background

Have you ever wondered what makes the rhythmic sound in many popular compositions, such as the Sonatina, Opus 792 by Carl Czerny? You know, that 'dah-dah-dah' sound that holds up the melody? Well, that sound you are hearing is called a triad.

Triad chords are very common in musical compositions, and there are many different types of triads including the major, minor, augmented, and diminished triad chord. Before we get into the types of triad chords in music, we will go over a brief definition of a triad, so you can fully understand triads.

What Is a Triad?

Remember that a chord is any blend of three or more pitch classes played together. A triad is a chord with three notes that can be set as thirds because their pitches work together. Each note in a triad bears a specific label. The bottom note is called the root, the middle note is called the third, and the top note is called the fifth.

Major and Minor Triads

Four mains types of triads exist in music. The four main types of triads are named as major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads. Let's take a look at each one.

Major Triad

A major triad is created by taking a root note and combining it with a major third and a perfect fifth. For example, if you have the notes G, A, B, C, D, and E, then you would combine every other note starting with G as the root note. Thus, the major triad would be G,B, and D. This rule of thumb can be applied to create other major triads.

The Sonatina, Opus 792 by Crezny uses a major triad as its underbelly. Czerny used a classic major C triad to create that upbeat dah-dah-dah throughout the song. It gives it a waltzy feel to it. Without the triad, all you would hear is a one-note melody; a triad adds depth to songs.

Minor Triad

A minor triad is created by establishing a root note and then adding in a minor third note and a perfect fifth note. For example, to play a C minor triad, you would need to begin with middle C, and then add a minor third (three half-steps up from C), and then the perfect fifth (seventh half steps from middle C). Thus, the C minor triad would be C, E flat, and G.

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