Major chord

In music theory, a major chord ( Play ) is a chord that has a root note, a major third above this root, and a perfect fifth above this root note. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad. In Western classical music from 1600 to 1820 and in Western pop, folk and rock music, a major chord is usually played as a triad.

The major triad (or major chord), along with the minor triad (or minor chord), is one of the basic building blocks of tonal music, the Western common practice period and Western pop, folk and rock music. It is considered consonant, stable, or not requiring resolution. In Western music, a minor chord, in comparison, "sounds darker than a major chord."

Major triads with additional notes, such as major seventh chord, are also called major chords. Major seventh chords are used in jazz and occasionally in rock music. In jazz, major chords may also have other chord tones added, such as the ninth and the thirteenth scale degrees.

Descriptions

A major triad can also be described as a major third interval with a minor third interval on top, or as a root note, a note four semitones (half steps) higher than the root, and a note seven semitones higher than the root.

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Latest News for: major triad

Old Dominion could face competition from Amazon

The Morganton News Herald 20 Mar 2025
Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., a top-10 U.S. trucking company and a major Triad employer, may be facing an Amazon shadow over its business as soon as 2026, according to a JPMorgan Securities analyst report ... .

After Beatles and Bowie tributes, Todd Rundgren returns to Burt Bacharach

LA Daily News 19 Mar 2025
And it turned out that I kept hearing these other things than the obvious triads and stuff. I was noodling around with major-minor sevenths and that sort of thing ... sometimes going from major to minor.

A Composer Breaks Down The Music Theory Behind Doechii’s Hit “Denial Is A River”

Stereogum 18 Mar 2025
An Authentic Cadence in C Major, Showing a V-I Resolution ... If it’s a minor-7th on a Major triad (creating a dominant-7th chord), it generally wants to resolve its innate tension.

CHALLENGE FROM AMAZON?

McDowell News 13 Mar 2025
Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., a top-10 U.S. trucking company and a major Triad employer, may be facing an Amazon shadow over its business as soon as 2026, according to a JPMorgan Securities analyst report ... .
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