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Triads and seventh chords

A chord is any combination of three or more pitch classes that
sound simultaneously.

A three-note chord whose pitch classes can be arranged as thirds

is called a triad.

To quickly determine whether a three-note chord is a triad,

arrange the three notes on the “circle of thirds” below. The pitch
classes of a triad will always sit next to each other.
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 ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! !

Identifying and labeling triads

Triads are identified according to their root and quality .

Triad roots
To find a triad’s root, arrange the pitch classes on a circle of
thirds (mentally or on paper). The root is the lowest in the
three-pitch-class clump. Expressed another way, if the circle
ascends by thirds as it moves clockwise, the root is the “earliest”
note (thinking like a literal clock), and the other pitch classes
come “later.”
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 !!!!!

!!!! !!!!!

Once you know the root, you can identify the remaining notes
as the third of the chord (a third above the root) and the fifth of
the chord (a fifth above the root).

Triad qualities
To find a triad’s quality, identify the interval between the root
and the other members of the chord. There are four qualities of
triads that appear in major and minor scales, each with their
own characteristic intervals.
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 major triad: M3 and P5 above the root (as in do–mi–
sol )

minor triad: m3 and P5 above the root (as in do–me–

sol or la–do–mi)

diminished triad: m3 and d5 above the root (as in ti–

re–fa )

augmented triad: M3 and A5 above the root (as in me–

sol–ti)

Lead-sheet symbols
A triad can be summed up by a single symbol, such as a lead-
sheet chord symbol. A lead sheet symbol includes information
about both root quality, as well as which pitch class occurs in the
lowest voice (called the bass regardless of who is singing or
playing that pitch).

A lead-sheet symbol begins with a capital letter (and, if

necessary, an accidental) denoting the root of the chord. That
letter is followed by information about a chord’s quality:

major triad: no quality symbol is added

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 minor triad: lower-case “m”

diminished triad: lower-case “dim” or a degree sign “°”

augmented triad: lower-case “aug” or a plus sign “+”

Finally, if a pitch class other than the chord root is the lowest
note in the chord, a slash is added, followed by a capital letter
denoting the pitch class in the bass (lowest) voice.

A C-major triad’s lead-sheet symbol is simply C. A C-minor

triad is Cm. A D-sharp-diminished triad with an F-sharp in the
bass is D#dim/F#. And so on.

Roman numerals
Chords are often labeled according to their function within a
key. One system for doing so uses Roman numerals to designate
the scale degree of the chord’s root. Some musicians also use
Roman numerals to describe the quality of the chord. Capital
Roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.) are used for major triads.
Lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.) are used for minor
triads. Lower-case Roman numerals followed by a º sign (iiº,
viiº, etc.) are used for diminished triads. Capital Roman
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 numerals followed by a + sign (V+, for example) are used for
augmented triads. In general, Roman numerals are generally
labeled below the score.

(Some musicians prefer to use Roman numerals only to reflect

the scale-degree of the chord root. In such cases, all Roman
numerals are capital. In this textbook, we use all-capital Roman
numerals to refer to chords generally, when quality does not
matter. When notating specific chords with specific qualities,
we will di!erentiate those qualities in the Roman numerals.)

In major keys, chords with the same Roman numeral are made
up of the same scale-degrees (using the same solfège syllables),
and they have the same quality. In other words, triads labeled “I”
in any major key will be major triads containing do , mi, and sol .
iii triads will be minor triads containing mi, sol , and ti, etc. The
same is true for minor keys (though I in minor is di!erent from
I in major).

Following are the qualities and scale-degrees belonging to each

triad in every major key:

I: major – do , mi, sol

ii: minor – re, fa , la

iii: minor – mi, sol , ti

IV: major – fa , la , do
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 V: major – sol , ti, re

vi: minor – la , do , mi

vii°: diminished – ti, re, fa

Following are the qualities and scale-degrees belonging to each

triad in every minor key:

i: minor – do , me, sol

ii°: diminished – re, fa , le

III: major – me, sol , te

iv: minor – fa , le, do

V: major – sol , ti, re

VI: major – le, do , me

VII: major – te, re, fa

vii°: diminished – ti, re, fa

Building a triad
To build a triad on the sta!, identify the root, quality, and bass
note from the lead-sheet symbol. The root and quality will tell

you what three pitch classes belong to the triad. For example, C+
tells you the root is C, and the quality is augmented. Since the
quality is augmented, there is a major third above the root (E)
and an augmented fifth above the root (G-sharp). Since there is
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 no bass note appended to the lead-sheet symbol, the bass note is
the same as the root: C. Write a C on the sta! (in any
comfortable register), then write the other chord tones (E and
G-sharp) above the C (see the Caug triad in the above figure).

For Cm/E , the root is C, and the quality is minor. Since the
quality is minor, there is a minor third above the root (E-flat)
and a perfect fifth above the root (G). The slash identifies E-flat
as the bass note. Write the E-flat on the sta!. Then write a C
and a G above it to complete the chord (again, see above).

When all the members of the triad are as close to the bass note
as they can be, the chord is in what is called close position (C,
Cm/E , and Cdim/G above). When there are spaces
between chord tones, the chord is in open position (Caug above).
(In certain musical situations, only one of those positions will be
useful or desirable.)

Listening to triads
Each triad quality has its own distinct sound, and to an extent
that sound is preserved even when the chord is inverted (when
the pitch classes are arranged so that a pitch class other than the
root is in the lowest voice). As you practice identifying and
writing triads, be sure to play the triads, both to check your
analysis/writing and to develop the ability to identify chord
qualities quickly by ear.
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 Seventh chords
A four-note chord whose pitch classes can be arranged as thirds
is called a seventh chord .

Like with a triad, the pitch classes belonging to a seventh chord

occupy adjacent positions (a four-pitch-class clump) on the
circle of thirds. The four members of a seventh chord are the
root, third, fifth, and seventh .

!!!!!

!!!! !!!!!

!!!!!!!

There are five qualities of seventh chords that appear in diatonic

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 music: major seventh, dominant seventh, minor seventh,
diminished seventh (also called fully-diminished), and half-
diminished seventh. They are comprised of the following
intervals above their roots:

major seventh: M3, P5, and M7 above the root (or

major triad with a major seventh)

dominant seventh: M3, P5, and m7 above the root (or

major triad with a minor seventh)

minor seventh: m3, P5, and m7 above the root (or

minor triad with a minor seventh)

diminished seventh: m3, d5, and d7 above the root (or

diminished triad with a diminished seventh)

half-diminished seventh: m3, d5, and m7 above the

root (or diminished triad with a minor seventh)

Following are the lead-sheet abbreviations for seventh-chord

qualities:

major seventh: maj7 or △7 (Gmaj7 or G△7)

dominant seventh: 7 (B7)

minor seventh: m7 (F♯m7)

diminished seventh: dim7 or °7 (Ddim7 or D°7)

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 half-diminished seventh: ⦰7 (A⦰7)

Roman numerals
Following are the qualities and scale-degrees belonging to each
seventh chord in every major key, along with the corresponding
Roman numeral reflecting those qualities:

I7: major seventh – do , mi, sol , ti

ii7: minor seventh – re, fa , la , do

iii7: minor seventh – mi, sol , ti, re

IV7: major seventh – fa , la , do , mi

V7: dominant seventh – sol , ti, re, fa

vi7: minor seventh – la , do , mi, sol

vii⦰7: half-diminished seventh – ti, re, fa , la

Following are the qualities and scale-degrees belonging to each

seventh chord in every minor key, along with the corresponding
Roman numeral reflecting those qualities:

i7: minor seventh – do , me, sol , te

ii7: half-diminished seventh – re, fa , le, do

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 III7: major seventh – me, sol , te, re

iv7: minor seventh – fa , le, do , me

V7: dominant seventh – sol , ti, re, fa

VI7: major seventh – le, do , me, sol

VII7: dominant seventh – te, re, fa , le

vii°7: diminished seventh – ti, re, fa , le

Note that major-seventh and dominant-seventh chords have the

same Roman numeral nomenclature. The di!erence is discerned
from the context of the key.

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