3.2 · Building Chords

Major triads

C major and D major share no notes at all, yet both sound major. What they share is the gaps: the same two distances from root to third to fifth.

The formula: 4, then 3

To build a major triad, count from the root: 4 semitones up to the third, then 3 more to the fifth.

43CEG74 to E, 3 more to G: all white keys.43DF♯A74 from D lands on F♯: a black key.

4 plus 3: every major triad spans 7 semitones root to top.

The chord lives in the scale

The 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of a major scale form a major triad. The tinted keys are the scale, numbered 1 to 8, and the chord tones wear the following shapes: star for the root, triangle for the third, pentagon for the fifth.

Home note · sets the scale
1 · C 2 · D 3 · E 4 · F 5 · G 6 · A 7 · B 8 · C

Notes 1, 3, and 5 of C major are C E G. Together they are the C major chord. Same counting, any scale.

Game · Build the major chord

1 / 4

Only the name and the root are given: count 4, then 3, to find the rest.

43rootthirdfifth7

Build G major. Tap the root: G.

Quiz

1 / 3

The major-triad formula, in semitones?

Score 100% on every quiz and game to complete this lesson. A perfect run sticks: a later miss never undoes it.Major vs. minor →