Posts Tagged ‘triads’

Just a few examples from the triad pairs video:

http://www.playgtr.net/triad-combinations-also-known-as-triad-pairs/

You can get quite a modern sound by alternating and combining major and minor triads. In the video I use variuos combinations like C minor and D major that touch different degrees of the key of the moment.  Try different combinations and write down those that sound more interesting to your ears. You can find a pdf file with triads in different positions and inversions free to download HERE

How to analyze triads and more advanced chords?

The starting point is the major triad, in the example in C major, but this concept is valid for all keys, as usual.

The C major chord is built with these three notes:

C  E  G

As we said this triad is built with the Root (C) the 3^rd (E) and the 5^th (G) of the major scale. Also, if we calculate the intervals between the Root and the other two notes we notice that there is an interval of a major 3^rd between C and E and of a perfect 5^th between C and G.

So if I wanted to write a formula for the major triad I would write

C   E  G

1   3   5 (Root-Major third-Perfect fifth)

If now we want to find the chord C minor all we have to do is lower the 3^rd of the chord (E is lowered to Eb)

So now the triad for C minor is

C  Eb  G

1  b3  5 (Notice how the formula changes Root –Minor Thirds – Perfect fifth)

From this I can tell that the difference between a major and minor chord is in the 3^rd.

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The diminished and augmented triads can be told from the 5^th.

If C major is C E G

C augmented is    C  E   G# (I have raised the 5^th of a halfstep)

Formula             1   3   #5

C diminished is     C  Eb Gb (a minor triad with the flattened 5^th)

Formula             1   b3  b5