Understanding the C Major Triad

All right, so we're going to start with the most basic of all chords: the C major triad.

The Basics of Triads

A triad consists of three notes. To find triads in other keys, you need to understand how they're formed.

• Formation: You're using the first, third, and fifth notes of the major scale.
• On the piano, this corresponds with the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth fingers:
  • Thumb is one.
  • Little finger is five.

This position is called a five-finger position.

Advantages of the Five-Finger Position

Having all those notes under your fingers allows you to play the chord in the left hand, specifically on the first and third beats.

Intervals in the Triad

Let's have a look at the intervals involved in the triad:

• C to E: This is called a major third, which consists of four semitones starting on C:
  • 1, 2, 3, 4.

Thus, two tones or four semitones form a major triad.

Exploring E to G

At the top of the chord, we've got:

• E to G: This is only three semitones, because there's nothing in between E and F.
  • E to F is a semitone.
  • F to G is a tone.

So, we have one and a half tones or three semitones.

Finding the F Major Triad

Now, let's move that to F and apply it.

• We need to find the first five notes of the scale, and you need to be aware that B flat is in there.
• It would be beneficial to sing that as well to hear the sound of the first five notes of the scale:

La la la la la.

Recognizing Intervals

You also need to be able to find the notes without trial and error. Remember:

• Between the third and fourth notes, we have a semitone.
• Everything else is a tone apart:
  • F to G
  • G to A
  • A to B flat (there's your semitone)
  • B flat to C (another tone)

Structure of the Triad

The structure of the triad can be summarized as:

• Root, 3, 5
• Again: two tones and a tone and a half.

Ear Training Exercise

One exercise you might like to try, which is good for ear training, is to:

1. Play any note; for instance, sing it as "la."
2. Then see if you can sing the first five notes of the scale, starting on that note:

La la la la la.

1. Alternatively, sing the notes of the triad:

La la la (root, 3, 5).

If you do this little exercise once a day on a different note, you'll quickly learn how to:

• Sing a major triad
• Recognize the sound of a major triad
• Learn all the shapes!