1. TRIADS
MAJOR & MINOR CHORDS

2. INTERVALS
• An interval describes the distance
between two notes
• The two intervals we will need today are
SEMITONE
TONE

3. What is a triad?
• A triad is a THREE note chord
• A triad always includes:
ROOT THIRD FIFTH
THIS
CHORD IS
C MAJOR

4. MAJOR Vs MINOR TRIADS
• The only difference between a MAJOR and MINOR chord is
the THIRD.
• You can see below that the root and the fifth are the same for
both C major and C minor….
ROOT FIFTH ROOT FIFTH
THIRD THIRD

5. So…
What is Diatonic Harmony?
Diatonic means
“within the key”
so diatonic chords only contain
notes that are
within the given key

6. Diatonic chords in C Major
• Here are the seven diatonic chords within C major.
• These start from the seven notes within C major:
• You can create diatonic chord
sequences, using any of these chords…

7. Chord Sequences
• Most chord sequences use two, three or
four different chords.
• The sequence is usually then repeated
• In Pop/Rock music chord sequences often
vary from verse to chorus

8. Major Chord Progressions
• This example uses four chords from C major,
with each chord lasting one bar.
• Try playing through the sequence on a
keyboard
1 2 3 4
C MAJOR E MIN OR A MIN OR F MAJOR

9. Now create your own chord
sequence in C major