Tonic triads, major and minor
Recap: the tonic triad
A triad is three notes stacked in 3rds. The tonic triad uses the 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees of the scale, with the tonic at the bottom: three lines in a row, or three spaces in a row.
Major and minor
The middle note decides whether a tonic triad sounds major or minor:
- in a major key it is 4 semitones above the tonic (a major 3rd);
- in a minor key it is 3 semitones above (a minor 3rd).
| Key | Tonic triad | Key | Tonic triad |
|---|---|---|---|
| C major | C E G | A minor | A C E |
| G major | G B D | E minor | E G B |
| D major | D F sharp A | D minor | D F A |
| F major | F A C | A major | A C sharp E |
| B flat major | B flat D F | E flat major | E flat G B flat |
Tip: the raised 7th of a minor key is never part of its tonic triad, so the tonic triad of a minor key uses only the key signature's notes.
Broken chords
The notes of a triad can also be played one after another instead of together: a broken chord. To find which triad it is, collect its notes and stack them in 3rds. The lowest note of the stack is the tonic, whichever note the music starts on.
This question is in Brainlag Plus