What is a triad? Has music always used traids?

Question

This is a basic music issue.

Answer 1

Triads are made of three notes the root, third and fifth. A triad can also be called a chord but a chord with more than 3 notes cannot be a triad.

The triad determines the core sound Major, minor, augmented, diminished

Answer 2

A triad is the simplest chord you can play in "Western" music. It is a combination of 3 different notes played simultaneously where each of those 3 notes is 3 notes apart from the next note in the chord. The example below will help you understand this easily.

STEP 1

Let's look at the C major scale. The 7 notes, in order, of the 1-octave C Major scale are these:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B

When building chords, we often use 2-octaves (14 notes):

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A - B

STEP 2

To make a C Major triad, first count 3 notes from left to right starting on C: C = 1, D = 2, E = 3.

1. Our 3rd note from C is E. E is the 3rd note in the C major scale. C is the 1st note of the c major scale.
2. We now have the first 2 notes of our C major triad: C & E.

STEP 3

Next, count 3 notes from left to right starting on E: E = 1, F = 2, G = 3.

1. Our 3rd note from E is G. G is also the 5th note of the C major scale.

STEP 4

Combine your 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes to form your C Major Triad: C - E - G

NOTES

1. Always start counting on your starting note.
2. You can use this method starting on any note in any scale to form any one of 4 qualities of chords: major, minor, diminished, and augmented. Examples:
3. D - F - A is a D minor triad (Dm)
4. E - G - B is an E minor triad (Em)
5. F - A - C is an F major triad (F)
6. G - B - D is a G major triad (G)
7. A - C - E is an A minor triad (Am)
8. B - D - F is a B diminished triad (Bº)
9. F - A - C# is an F augmented triad (F+)
10. To learn more about these, please reach out to me.

Answer 3

In music theory, a triad is a chord that consists of three notes (stacked thirds) that are played simultaneously. For example, you would stack thirds to build a C Major chord, C D E F G A B, or C E G.

Triads are fundamental building blocks in Western music harmony, but it has not always been that way. John Dunstable (c. 1390-1453) was an English composer of the late medieval period who is often credited with contributing to the development of triadic harmony, although it is important to note that the notion of using stacked intervals in music existed before him.

During the medieval period, music was predominately characterized by parallel motion (Gregorian Chant!) in perfect intervals such as fifths and octaves, which produced a somewhat static and austere harmonic sound. Back then, music mostly served liturgical purposes, and the Church forbade certain sounds (any dissonance) that they deemed inappropriate and distracting. However, with the works of composers like Dunstable, there was a shift toward exploring the consonances of thirds and sixths.

Consider checking out Quam pulchra es by Dunstable! The Hilliard Ensemble has some fantastic recordings.

Answer 4

A triad is a chord made of three distinct notes (pitch-classes), built in stacked 3rds on top of the bass or root note.. For the purposes of western music theory (i.e. classical music, pop music, etc.), triads are a relatively new invention; with the "tempering" of keyboard instruments beginning in the Baroque era, 3rds no longer had the slightly out-of-tune resonance as in the former just-intonation tunings, and with their newfound consonance, began to be integrated thoroughly in western musical practice. Today, triads (and 3rds harmony in general) are still an important building block of music, especially popular music.