Triad
A triad is a chord of three pitch classes.
Quality
- See also: Category:Triads
Triads can be classified by quality, based on the quality of the intervals above their root.
Tertian triads
Many triads in Western classical music are based on tertian harmony, i.e. stacks of thirds. These triads occur naturally in the diatonic scale by taking the third and the fifth above the root, with different notes of the scale leading to different qualities.
The most common triads in modern music are the major triad (root-M3-P5) and the minor triad (root-m3-P5). Also common are the augmented triad (root-M3-A5) and the diminished triad (root-m3-d5). Note that the augmented triad does not occur naturally in the diatonic scale, except if you count the harmonic minor scale (which is an altered diatonic scale).
Suspended second and suspended fourth triads may be classified as tertian triads if they are used, as their name implies, as suspensions leading to other tertian triads. They may otherwise be classified as quartal or quintal triads, depending on their voicing, if they are used differently, such as a set of parallel suspended triads.
Xenharmonic triads
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See also
External links
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