Major and minor triads are the two most fundamental chord types. Every genre, every era, every style of music relies on them. They're the salt and pepper of harmony - the two ingredients you'll reach for more than anything else.
Both use three notes: root, third, and fifth. The only difference is the third.
The major triad
A major triad uses a major third (4 semitones from the root) and a perfect fifth (7 semitones from the root). It sounds bright, stable, and resolved.
C Major - C, E, G
Major triad formula
The minor triad
A minor triad uses a minor third (3 semitones from the root) and a perfect fifth (7 semitones - same as major). It sounds darker, more emotional, sometimes melancholic.
C Minor - C, Eb, G
Minor triad formula
The one-note difference
Same root, same fifth. The third moves by one semitone. That's it - one ingredient swapped, completely different flavour.
The diminished triad
A diminished triad uses a minor third and a diminished fifth (6 semitones from root). Both intervals are small, so the chord sounds tense and unstable - like a dish that's too sharp and needs to resolve into something else.
C Diminished - C, Eb, Gb
Diminished triad formula
The augmented triad
An augmented triad uses a major third and an augmented fifth (8 semitones from root). It sounds dreamy and unresolved - like something reaching upward. Common in film scores and jazz.
C Augmented - C, E, G#
Augmented triad formula
Power chords
A power chord is just the root and the fifth - no third at all. Without a third, there's no major or minor quality. It's neither sweet nor sour - just raw, direct energy. That's why they dominate rock, punk, and metal.
C5 (power chord) - C, G
Power chords are written with a 5 after the root (C5, G5, A5). They sound huge through distortion because the simple interval doesn't create muddy overtones.
Why this matters
Major and minor triads are the building blocks of everything else. Seventh chords, extended chords, progressions - they all start here. If chords are recipes, major and minor are the two base sauces everything else is built on.
Key takeaway
Four triad types: major (bright), minor (dark), diminished (tense), augmented (dreamy). Power chords drop the third for raw energy. The third determines a chord's character.
Next: rearranging chord notes so they flow smoothly between chords - inversions.
Hear major and minor side by side
Tap each pair to hear how the same root changes character.
Generate triads in any key
Starts builds chord progressions using major and minor triads automatically.