Unit 4: Triads
A chord may be broadly defined as more than two notes sounding at once. (The notes that make up a
chord may also be broken up and sounded at different times.) A three-note chord made up of thirds is
called a triad. For example, a minor third stacked on top of a major third is a major triad:
The note on which the chord is built is called the root. The interval a third above the root is called the 3rd
of the chord. The interval a fifth above the root is called the 5th of the chord. In this example, the root of
the chord is C, so we can call it a C major triad. The “C” above the staff in the example above is a lead-
sheet chord symbol, which is a way of identifying chords. (Lead-sheet symbols are most often used in
popular music and jazz; in the second half of the course, we’ll look at another system for identifying
chords in classical music.) Because major triads are the most common, the lead-sheet symbol for a major
triad is simply the root of the chord. “A¯” refers to an A¯ major triad, “F˜” refers to an F˜ major triad, and
so on. There are four combinations of major and minor thirds that can be stacked to create the four
qualities of triads:
Interval between Interval between Chord symbol Alternate
Quality
root and 3rd 3rd and 5th example symbol(s)
Major M3 m3 C
Cmin
Minor m3 M3 Cm
C-
Cdim
Diminished m3 m3 C—
Cmin¯5
Caug
Augmented M3 M3 C+
Cmaj˜5
When the root of a chord is in the lowest “voice,” the chord is in root position. (Note that the term
“voice” here does not have to refer literally to music produced by the human voice; it just refers to
whatever part sounds the lowest.) When the 3rd of the chord is in the lowest voice, the chord is in first
inversion. When the 5th of the chord is in the lowest voice, the chord is in second inversion. This can be
expressed with a slash (e.g., C/G), read “C slash G” or “C over G.”
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Prof. Ryan Carter
The notes C, E, and G form a C major triad, regardless of whether they sound in the same octave. This is
also a C major triad:
When the notes of a chord fall within an octave, it is in close spacing. When the notes of a chord extend
beyond an octave, it is in open spacing. (The exact placement of notes from a chord is also called the
voicing of the chord.) Whether a chord is in root position or some inversion always depends on the lowest
note, regardless of the voicing of the notes above it:
It is important to distinguish between the root (which does not change, even if the voicing changes) and
the bass (which is always the lowest note). The root of a C major triad is always C. In each of the three
chords above, the bass is E.
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Prof. Ryan Carter
To analyze a triad:
1) If necessary, change the voicing from open spacing to close spacing. In this example, the F˜ can be
transposed up one octave and the A can be transposed down one octave:
2) If necessary, move the chord to root position. In this example, the chord is in first inversion. It can
be moved to root position by transposing the D down one octave:
3) Analyze the root and quality of the triad by identifying the quality of the interval between the
root and the third and the quality of the interval between the third and the fifth:
Interval between Interval between Chord symbol
Quality
root and 3rd 3rd and 5th example
Major M3 m3 C
Minor m3 M3 Cm
Diminished m3 m3 C—
Augmented M3 M3 C+
In this example, the interval between the root (D) and the third (F˜) is a major third (M3); the interval
between the third (F˜) and the fifth (A) is a minor third (m3). The root is a D, so this is a D major triad:
4) Return to the original chord to determine the voicing. In this example, the bass was originally an
F˜, so this is a D major triad in first inversion (D/F˜):
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Prof. Ryan Carter
