1. Introduction to Ear Training and Sight Reading
Level 1
Unit 3: Chords
Note: This icon indicates an audio file. Throughout the units, listen for examples and practice exercises.
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2. Triads
Triads are made up of three notes that are each a third apart from each other.
The root of the triad is known as the tonic, and indicates the key of the chord.
Note that the tonic of the triad indicates the key of the chord itself and not necessarily the key of the entire piece of music; the key of the triad may very well be different from the key of the entire piece.
The second note of the triad is a third above the root, and is known as the mediant.
The third note of the triad is a third above the mediant and a fifth above the root, and is known as the dominant.
So, a triad is made up of 1) a tonic, 2) a mediant, and 3) a dominant; they’re also known as the root, third, and fifth.
The two qualities of triads covered in this course are major and minor triads.
The three inversions of triads covered in this course are root position, first inversion, and second inversion.
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords

3. Major Triads
Major triads are three-note chords, and as the name suggests, are always in a major key.
A major triad is made up of a major third (which is an interval of two whole steps) between the tonic and mediant and a perfect fifth between the tonic and the dominant.
Oftentimes, major triads are distinguished by their warm, “happy” tone.
This course covers the major triads of C, D, F, G, and Bb major, pictured below.
This illustration shows what a major third looks like on the piano.
Note that there are two whole steps within the major third.
Often, major triads are not marked as “major,” or with a capital “M”, and are simply indicated by the letter for the key of the triad
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords

4. Minor Triads
Minor triads are also three-note chords, but are, instead, always in a minor key
A minor triad also consists of a perfect fifth between the tonic and the dominant, but instead of a major third between the tonic and mediant, there is a minor third (which is an interval of a whole step plus a half step) between the two notes
Minor triads are known to sound much “darker” and more somber than their major counterparts
This course covers the minor triads of D, E, G, A, and B minor, pictured below.
This illustration shows what a minor third looks like on the piano.
Note that there is one whole step and one half step within the minor third. m m m m m
Minor triads are indicated by a lowercase “m” next to the letter indicating the key of the triad
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords

5. Examples of Quality
The following examples illustrate the difference between major and minor triads.
As previously mentioned, the terminologies of “major” and “minor” fall under a category known as the quality of a chord.
D major triad
G major triad
D minor triad
G minor triad
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords

6. Root Position and Inversions
So far, only root position triads have been discussed.
The root position of a triad is the position in which the tonic, or root, of the chord is the bottom note.
When listening for root position, think about how the notes stack up: they are all evenly spaced, so no single note stands out as further apart from the others.
Inversions are simply rearrangements of the same notes, so they’re “stacked” differently in staff notation (and they sound slightly different).
First inversion involves moving the tonic of the chord to the top, so the bottom note is the mediant.
When listening for first inversion, listen for the top note (which is the tonic); because the top note is farther away from the other two, it usually stands out.
Second inversion involves moving the mediant to the top in addition to the tonic, so the bottom note is the dominant.
When listening for second inversion, listen for the bottom note (the dominant); because the bottom note is farther away from the other two, it usually stands out.
C major triad
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords

7. Examples of Inversions
The following examples illustrate the differences between root position, first inversion, and second inversion
F major triad with inversions
A minor triad with inversions
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords

8. Practice Exercises: Quality
Listen to each example twice, then identify the quality of the triad (major or minor). Listen to the chords in order, and click or type enter to see the answer.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Exercise 5
Minor
Major
Minor
Major
Major
Exercise 6
Exercise 7
Exercise 8
Exercise 9
Exercise 10
Minor
Minor
Major
Major
Minor
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords

9. More Practice Exercises: Inversions
Listen to each example twice, then identify the inversion of the triad (root, first, or second). Listen to the chords in order, and click or type enter to see the answer.
Exercise 11
Exercise 12
Exercise 13
Exercise 14
Exercise 15
First inv.
First inv.
Second inv.
Root pos.
Second inv.
Exercise 16
Exercise 17
Exercise 18
Exercise 19
Exercise 20
First inv.
Root pos.
First inv.
Second inv.
Root pos.
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords

10. Even More Practice Exercises: Quality and Inversions
Listen to each example twice, then identify the quality and inversion of the triad. Listen to the chords in order, and click or type enter to see the answer.
Exercise 21
Exercise 22
Exercise 23
Exercise 24
Exercise 25
Major
First inv.
Minor
Root pos.
Minor
Root pos.
Major
Second inv.
Major
Root pos.
Exercise 26
Exercise 27
Exercise 28
Exercise 29
Exercise 30
Minor
Second inv.
Major
First inv.
Minor
Second inv.
Major
Root pos.
Minor
First inv.
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords

11. Review Triads are a stack of three notes that make up a chord
Each triad is made up of the chord key’s root, third, and fifth; also known as the tonic, mediant, and dominant.
Triad qualities covered in this course are major and minor
Inversions covered in this course are root position, first inversion, and second inversion
For the ear tests, the only possible starting keys are the following:
C major, G major, D major, F major, and Bb major
A minor, E minor, B minor, D minor, and G minor
Ear tests require that both quality and inversion should be stated
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Ear Training Level 1 Unit 3: Chords