What Is a Major Triad?

A major triad is a three-note chord: a root, a major third (four half steps up), and a perfect fifth (seven half steps up). Formula: 1 – 3 – 5. C major triad = C, E, G. When a chart just says "C," this is what it means — the bright, stable default chord of Western music.

Hear the anatomy

The fifth is the neutral frame; the major third is the mood. Here's C major on the top three strings:

Flatten that E to E♭ — one fret — and it becomes a minor triad. One fret, opposite mood.

Where it hides in your chords

Every open C, G, D, A, and E chord you know is a major triad with notes doubled across the strings for volume. Strip the doubling away and each shape reduces to three notes — seeing that is the "aha" behind CAGED and the point of learning triads deliberately. Major triads occur diatonically on degrees I, IV, and V of a major key — the three chords that power most songs ever written.

Related terms

• Minor triad — one fret down, opposite mood
• Triad — the family overview
• Inversion — the same three notes, reordered