Triads and Chord Shapes on the Staff
Practice spotting, naming, and qualifying triads by their visual stacking pattern on the staff.
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Questions Covered in This Set
12 cards to master
What is a triad?
Three notes stacked in thirds — on the page, three noteheads either all on lines or all in spaces (the 'snowman' shape).
Why do root-position triads look like snowmen?
A third goes line-to-line or space-to-space, so stacking two thirds keeps all three noteheads the same parity: all lines or all spaces.
Interval recipe for a major triad
Major 3rd (4 half steps) on the bottom + minor 3rd (3 half steps) on top — e.g., C–E–G, G–B–D, F–A–C.
Interval recipe for a minor triad
Minor 3rd (3 half steps) on the bottom + major 3rd (4 half steps) on top — e.g., A–C–E, D–F–A, E–G–B.
Which white-key triad is diminished, and why?
B–D–F — it's a minor 3rd plus a minor 3rd, the only diminished triad among the white-key triads of C major.
Qualities of the triads built on C-major white keys
C, F, G = major; D, E, A = minor; B = diminished. Roman numerals: I ii iii IV V vi vii°.
What do capital vs. lowercase Roman numerals mean?
Capital = major triad (I, IV, V); lowercase = minor triad (ii, iii, vi); lowercase with ° = diminished (vii°).
Do accidentals change a triad's shape on the staff?
No — a sharp or flat doesn't move a notehead off its line or space. The snowman shape stays; only the quality/sound changes.
Which note flips a triad from major to minor?
The middle note. E–G♯–B is E major; E–G–B is E minor. Always scan the middle note for accidentals.
3-step reading routine for a chord
1) Shape check: snowman = root-position triad. 2) Name the bottom note = the root. 3) Scan accidentals, especially the middle note, for quality.
What is a broken (arpeggiated) triad?
The same three chord notes played one at a time in a zig-zag pattern; circle the pitches and only three letter names repeat — read it as one chord.
How do you spot an inversion and find its root?
The stack is unevenly spaced: look for the gap of a fourth — the note just above that fourth is the root (E–G–C → G to C is the fourth, so C is the root).
