Triads Summary

BAHSE
Mr. De Freitas
Music

❖ In music we know that an interval is the distance between two notes. These intervals can
be played melodically (one after the other) or harmonically (together).
❖ In music we can play more than one note at the same time across various instruments or
even on the same instrument (eg. piano or guitar). These are called chords and we shall
study these at a later time.
❖ A Triad consists of 3 notes played harmonically (stacked vertically). All triads start on a
letter of the musical alphabet, with this point often called the ‘root position’.
❖ Triads can be built from ANY scale degree, however we shall only focus on those
starting on the first degree of the scale or TONIC.
❖ The triad starting on the first degree is called the Tonic Triad and can be built from any
scale using the following formula: 1st, 3rd, 5th
❖ Eg.
C D E F G A B C

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

❖ Therefore the Tonic Triad of the C Major scale is:

C E G

1 3 5

❖ Ex.1: Build the tonic triads of the following scales:

➢ G, D, A, F, B flat, E flat major scales

❖ When writing triads on the staff they are usually written harmonically however they can
be written melodically when required:

❖ Ex.2: Write out the scales given in Ex.1 on the Treble and Bass Clef, and then build the
 tonic triads of each scale.
❖ Triads are the basic structure of harmony and they are essential to offering support or
enhancing a melody.