About Triad Ear Training
Triads are the foundation of Western harmony. Learning to identify major, minor, diminished, and augmented triads by ear is essential for any musician who wants to transcribe music, improvise, or understand harmonic progressions.
Who Is This For?
This exercise is perfect for beginners developing their ear training skills and intermediate musicians who want to solidify their triad recognition. It's particularly valuable for guitarists, pianists, and anyone studying music theory or preparing for ear training exams.
How to Practice
Focus on the emotional quality of each triad. Major triads sound bright and happy. Minor triads sound darker or sad. Diminished triads sound tense and unstable, like they need to resolve. Augmented triads sound mysterious and dreamlike. Practice until you can identify them instantly without calculating intervals.
Triad Quality Characteristics
- Major (1-3-5): Bright, stable, happy, resolved
- Minor (1-b3-5): Darker, melancholic, introspective
- Diminished (1-b3-b5): Tense, unstable, anxious, wants to resolve
- Augmented (1-3-#5): Mysterious, whole-tone, dreamlike, unresolved