What is the difference between chord and triad

Figured bass originated as a shorthand technique, so the figures used to indicate chord inversions are often abbreviated. Root-position triads are so common that they are generally represented with no figure at all. They are also occasionally indicated with only 5 the third above the bass is assumed. The following example shows three ways of representing a C-major triad in root position:.

Both of the figures in Example 13—14 can be used to indicate a C-major triad in first inversion:. The first three chords are all A-major triads. The first and second are both in root position even though the bass leaps up an octave. A similar situation happens with the two D-major triads on beats three and four of that same measure.

The following table summarizes the various figures for triads and lists the common abbreviations:. Second inversion triads are considered unstable in this style of music and therefore appear far less frequently. We will discuss second-inversion triads at greater length in Chapter You should nonetheless be familiar with all three rows of figured bass symbols in Table 13—3.

As with intervals, it can be helpful to think about triads as they relate to a scale or key. Notice the similarity in sound between the C-major scale and C-major triad. Every major and minor triad shares this relationship with the corresponding key.

But do not let this relationship lead you to confuse scale degrees and chord member names. The terms root, third, and fifth refer to the position of a note within a triad and do not necessarily correspond with scale degree numbers. In fact, we can build triads using any scale degree as the root. The following example shows all of the diatonic triads in C major:. In Chapter 6 , we discussed several different ways of labeling scale degrees. The set of scale degree names can also be used to label chords in the context of a key:.

These labels are particularly useful when talking about how various chords relate to the key. We may use them, for instance, to point out that an E-minor chord is the mediant of C major. These terms are similarly used for describing key relationships.

One could say, for example, that the key of G major is the dominant of C major. You may notice that with regard to the qualities of the triads, the pattern in minor is the same as major, but beginning in a different place.

This similarity is a result of the relationship between relative keys. We will return to minor-key chord qualities in Chapter 17 , when we discuss common alterations made to the natural minor scale. A diminished is the leading tone chord in B b major.

B b major is the subdominant of F major. Roman numerals are a useful, shorthand way of naming and analyzing chords, and of showing their relationships to a tonic. They are a popular tool in the harmonic analysis of tonal music because they convey two vital pieces of information in a single symbol, indicating both the root and the quality of a chord. The number symbolized by the Roman numeral corresponds to the scale degree serving as the root of the chord.

The quality is indicated by the case of the Roman numeral: upper case indicates major triads, lower case minor triads. It is imperative that you familiarize yourself with the qualities of diatonic triads in both major and minor keys.

The following example shows the pattern of major, minor, and diminished triads in a major key:. For easy demonstration, Example 13—20 is in C major, but the pattern of triad qualities is identical for all major keys. Roman numerals always refer to the scale degrees of the key at hand. If Example 13—20 were transposed to E major, the Roman numerals would stay the same:. Again, the pattern in minor is the same as major, but beginning in a different place.

Note: The Roman numeral system described here is just one of several commonly used methods for identifying chords. In other texts you may encounter analyses that use only uppercase Roman numerals. Many jazz musicians are familiar with a more straightforward system. There, chords are specified by their pitch content alone with no reference to the scale degree on which they are built. If the chord is not in root position, a slash followed by a note letter name is used to specify which chord member is in the bass.

Switching from one system to another can be confusing at first. But with patience and perseverance you will find that all of these systems can be both useful and intuitive. Each method has advantages and disadvantages for different kinds of music and no system is universally perfect. As we have seen, Roman numerals are succinct and informative in themselves: they indicate both the root and quality of a given harmony.

Beyond this, a Roman numeral may be combined with a figured bass signature to provide an even more thorough summary of a chord. The figured bass, by specifying the intervals heard above the bass note, indicates the position of the triad while the Roman numeral indicates the scale degree of the root and the quality of the chord.

The following example shows a first-inversion D-major chord in the context of G major:. We know that this is a major triad since the Roman numeral is written with an uppercase letter. This combination of analytical tools allows us to summarize the harmonic content of a piece or passage very efficiently. Consider the following analysis:. This passage is in the key of F major. A Roman numeral has been placed under nearly every bass note.

The passage begins with an F-major triad: F, A, and C with the root doubled in the alto. The first chord in m. Note: Note that some of the notes—we have put them in parentheses—do not belong to the chord with which they sound. They are melodic embellishments that enliven the musical surface.

These nonharmonic tones are discussed in greater detail in Chapter Aside from efficiently cataloging the pitch content of each chord, the Roman numerals allow us to make a number of quick observations about the whole passage.

The first set of chords—up to the rest at the end of m. The second set of chords mm. About Subscribe to RSS. June 24, in Chords 1 Comment. All triads are chords, but not all chords are triads. Share this: Twitter Facebook. Like this: Like Loading Next post ».

Indonesian Song says : July 6, at pm wooowww…i never known this till i read you posting…. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here For the moment, we don't want to study all possible combinations of notes, so we will focus on a very specific kind of chord : the triads.

Please notice the subtle difference in the definitions. I know it's a lot of information, but stay with me :. In the first bar we have a 3rd C-E. In the second bar we build a 3rd above the E : E-G For the moment, we don't care about the quality of the thirds. When we stack the two thirds, we obtain the triad in root position located in the thirds measure. As you can see, there is nothing complicated here. Let's write down other triads, just to get used to it.

As you can see, I've put a chord on each beat. Each one is made out of 3 notes stacked in thirds. Usually, we give each note of a triad a name : on the bottom we have the root. In the middle, we have the third. On top we have the fifth. The interval between the bottom note and the top note is a fifth, so that's a reasonable name Some musicians also use Roman numerals to describe the quality of the chord. Lower-case Roman numerals i, ii, iii, etc.

In general, Roman numerals are generally labeled below the score. Some musicians prefer to use Roman numerals only to reflect the scale-degree of the chord root. In such cases, all Roman numerals are capital. In this textbook, we use all-capital Roman numerals to refer to chords generally, when quality does not matter. When notating specific chords with specific qualities, we will differentiate those qualities in the Roman numerals.

The same is true for minor keys though I in minor is different from I in major. To build a triad on the staff, identify the root, quality, and bass note from the lead-sheet symbol.

The root and quality will tell you what three pitch classes belong to the triad.