Word of the day
triad
A chord made up of three notes based on the interval of a third. Triads can be major, minor, augmented, or diminished.
| QUALITY | ABBR. | SYMBOL | DESCRIPTION |
| Major | The major triad consists of the interval of a major third between the root and the third and the interval of a minor third between the third and the fifth. | ||
| Minor | The minor triad consists of the interval of a minor third between the root and the third and the interval of a major third between the third and the fifth. | ||
| Augmented | The augmented triad consists of the interval of a major third between the root and the third and the interval of a major third between the third and the fifth. | ||
| Diminished | Finally, the diminished triad consists of the interval of a minor third between the root and the third and the interval of a minor third between the third and the fifth. |
Triads are often notated with the pitch name of the root of the chord followed by the type of triad. In the figure below, the first triad is a C major chord (also notated as CM, or CMaj). The second triad is a C minor chord (also notated as Cm, or Cmin). The third triad is a C augmented chord (also notated as Caug, or C+). The last triad is a C diminished chord (also notated as Cdim or Cº).
See more about triads in the appendix.