| [ << Musical terms A-Z ] | [Top][Contents] | [ Duration names notes and rests >> ] |
| [ < quadruplet ] | [ Up : Musical terms A-Z ] | [ quarter note > ] |
1.252 quality
ES: variante [de acorde o intervalo], I: qualità (?), F: qualité [d’accord ou d’intervalle], D: Modus (Dur oder Moll), NL: ?, DK: ?, S: ?, FI: laatu.
The quality of a triad is determined by the precise arrangement of its intervals. Tertian triads can be described as a series of three notes. The first element is the root note (or simply ‘root’) of the chord, the second note is the ‘third’ of the chord, and the last note is the ‘fifth’ of the chord. These are described below:
| Chord name | Component intervals | Example | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| major triad | major third/perfect fifth | C-E-G | C, CM, Cma, Cmaj, CΔ |
| minor triad | minor third/perfect fifth | C-E♭-G | Cm, Cmi, Cmin, C- |
| augmented triad | major third/augmented fifth | C-E-G♯ | C+, C^+, Caug |
| diminished triad | minor third/diminished fifth | C-E♭-G♭ | Cm(♭5), Cº, Cdim |
There are various types of seventh chords depending on the quality of the original chord and the quality of the seventh added.
Five common types of seventh chords have standard symbols. The chord quality indications are sometimes superscripted and sometimes not (e.g. Dm7, Dm^7, and D^m7 are all identical). The last three chords are not commonly used except in jazz.