Table of Contents
What is A triad?
A triad is a 3-note chord.
Guitar triads contain a variation of a root note (1), a third (3), and a fifth (5).
types of triads
There are 4 types of triads:
- Major
- Minor
- Diminished
- Augmented
Each triad has an associated chord formula.
Major Triad
Major triads have a root note, a major 3rd, and a 5th.
Major chord formula: 1-3-5
Minor Triad
Minor triads have a root note, a minor 3rd, and a 5th.
Minor chord formula: 1-3-5
Diminished Triad
Diminished triads have a root note, a minor 3rd, and a diminished 5th.
Think of a diminished triad as a minor chord with a b5.
Diminished chord formula: 1-b3-b5
Augmented Triad
Augmented triads have a root note, a major 3rd, and a sharp 5th.
Think of an augmented triad as a major chord with a #5.
Augmented chord formula: 1-3-#5
Triad inversions
An inversion is a triad where a note other than the root is played as the lowest note. Instead of the root note being in the bass position, the third or fifth of the triad takes its place, creating what’s called a first or second inversion.
These are major triad inversions:
| Root Position: | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Inversion 1: | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Inversion 2: | 5 | 1 | 3 |
Now let’s look at how to play major, minor, diminished, and augmented inversions on your guitar.
This is a simple, but valuable inversion exercise that will make it easy for you to visualize triads on the fretboard.
