Chords may seem complicated at first, but if you persist with them you’ll discover more sophisticated chord shapes and gain greater insight into why they were constructed this way. Chords also use intervals – groups of notes between each other.
Intervals give each triad its individual character. Let’s begin our exploration by looking at some basic chords.
C Major Triad
The C major triad should be the first chord you learn, as it’s one of the most commonly utilized chords across keys. Its simple structure and versatile fingering options make it a good option for beginners just starting out.
Major triads can be distinguished from minor ones by the note intervals between their root, third and fifth notes. Triads constructed on the first (I), fourth (IV) and fifth (V) scale degrees of any major scale contain major thirds four semitones above the root note and perfect fifths seven semitones above their root note respectively.
A triad’s quality is determined by its combination of intervals, which may be major, minor, diminished or augmented. You can quickly determine this characteristic by consulting the Note interval table; duplicating and open spacing won’t compromise its identification – see Note interval table for further details.
E Major Triad
The E major triad is an exquisite collection of musical notes that combine to produce an uplifting and radiant sound, serving as the cornerstone in many compositions and adding brightness and warmth to them. Its adaptability across genres speaks volumes about its lasting appeal; reminding us that certain fundamental principles remain constant even as styles shift and develop.
The chord symbol viio denotes the first inversion of this triad, also known as a dominant 7th chord. Here, its lowest note, D, can be found at the fifth fret of A string; this closed voicing of this chord may also be played open voicing; for instance in Example 3b where D sits at third fret of A string instead; alternatively viioa represents this chord where sixth note has been reduced by half-steps and it features in songs by Elton John such as Tiny Dancer where its harmonic resonance enhanced their songs’ sonic landscape greatly. This chord can also be found within songs such as Elton John’s Tiny Dancer which featured prominently due to its harmonic resonance within its harmonic landscape.
G Major Triad
The G major triad chord is one of the easiest triads to learn, as its three notes blend harmoniously together for an upbeat and inspiring tone. This chord features three notes – root note G, major third G and perfect fifth G – all harmoniously coming together into one bright sounding soundscape.
As with any triad, chord inversions are easy to play; just move the bottom note up or down an octave for different tonality and strumming patterns.
Each triad has a chord quality that defines its overall tone, which can be determined by examining its notes’ interval links or using the Chord Quality Chart – either one can help identify this attribute of any given triad in any key.
A Major Triad
Step two of our series focuses on mastering an A major triad, an essential chord in any bassline. You can play these chords as simple repeating patterns with one root, three fifths and one third–or something more complex depending on where and how you arrange these triad shapes in your bassline and rhythmically place them.
This chord is in root position, meaning its lowest note forms its root. However, its composition can also be inverted: just switch up the order of notes for inverted triads.
As with all triads, major, minor, diminished and augmented are qualities to consider when creating any triad. These correspond with the interval from root to third and fifth chord. Once learned in one major key key they will easily transfer over into other major keys.