Triad is just a fancy name for a three-note chord…
Let’s check out the four most commonly-encountered triads: major, minor, diminished, and augmented…
Major Triad
- Chord symbol: C
- Chord structure: 1-3-5
- Character: consonant, happy, light, heroic.
Minor Triad
- Chord symbol: Cm or C-
- Chord structure: 1-b3-5
- Character: consonant, sad, heavy, brooding.
Augmented Triad
- Chord symbol: Caug or C+
- Chord structure= 1-3-#5
- Character: dissonant, mystical, dreamy, otherworldly, atmospheric.
Diminished Triad
- Chord symbol: Cdim or C°
- Chord structure: 1-b3-b5
- Character: Dissonant, tense, anticipatory.
