What is a triad?

What is a triad?

• A. A two-note chord formed by a second
• B. A three note chord consisting of two intervals of a third
• C. A chord built on the fifth
• D. A chord with a minor third on the bottom and a major third on top

Answer: (B)

A triad is a three-note chord built by stacking two intervals of a third. Starting from the root, you move up a third to the second note, then up another third to the third note, giving three distinct notes in the chord. For example, a C major triad is C–E–G, where C to E is a third and E to G is another third. This construction works for all triads—major, minor, diminished, or augmented—since each is formed by two consecutive third intervals. The other descriptions don’t capture this basic structure: a two-note chord isn’t a triad, building on the fifth says nothing about the chord’s internal makeup, and describing a specific interval pattern (minor then major) only describes one type of triad rather than the general concept.

A triad is a three-note chord built by stacking two intervals of a third. Starting from the root, you move up a third to the second note, then up another third to the third note, giving three distinct notes in the chord. For example, a C major triad is C–E–G, where C to E is a third and E to G is another third. This construction works for all triads—major, minor, diminished, or augmented—since each is formed by two consecutive third intervals. The other descriptions don’t capture this basic structure: a two-note chord isn’t a triad, building on the fifth says nothing about the chord’s internal makeup, and describing a specific interval pattern (minor then major) only describes one type of triad rather than the general concept.