Chords explained for kids: what a triad is

A chord is three or more notes played at the same time. The first chord a child learns is the triad, which has three notes. To build one, play a note, skip a note, play a note, skip a note, and play a note. C, E, and G make the C major triad.

How to build a triad

On a piano, put the thumb on C. Skip D. Put the middle finger on E. Skip F. Put the little finger on G. Press all three.

The three notes have names:

Note	Name	In the C major triad
The bottom note	Root	C
The middle note	Third	E
The top note	Fifth	G

The chord takes its name from the root. On the staff, a triad in this shape sits on three lines in a row or in three spaces in a row.

Major and minor

A triad can be major or minor. The middle note decides.

• C major: C, E, and G. The sound is bright.
• C minor: C, E-flat, and G. The sound is darker.

To turn a major triad into a minor one, lower the middle note by one half step. A half step is the nearest key on the piano, black or white.

Two more kinds turn up later: the diminished triad, which sounds tense, and the augmented triad, which sounds unsettled.

Read major and minor scales explained and intervals explained.

Three chords that fit many songs

Every key has three main chords. They are built on the first, fourth, and fifth notes of the scale, and they are written with Roman numerals.

Numeral	Name	In C major	Notes
I	Tonic	C	C, E, G
IV	Subdominant	F	F, A, C
V	Dominant	G	G, B, D

Many simple songs can be played with these three chords. Try “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” in C major. Play one chord for each pair of words:

Words	Chord
Twinkle, twinkle	C
Little	F
Star	C
How I	F
Wonder	C
What you	G
Are	C

The G chord near the end leads back to C. Play G and stop, and the music sounds unfinished.

Solid and broken chords

• Solid chord: all the notes at once. It is also called a block chord.
• Broken chord: the notes one after another.
• Arpeggio: a broken chord that keeps going up or down the instrument. Read what is an arpeggio?

A pattern called the Alberti bass plays the notes of a chord in the order low, high, middle, high. The left hand does this at the start of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C major, K. 545.

Inversions

A triad can be turned over. The notes stay the same, and a different one goes on the bottom.

Position	Notes, bottom to top
Root position	C, E, G
First inversion	E, G, C
Second inversion	G, C, E

Inversions let the hand move a short way from one chord to the next.

Chord symbols

Letters above the staff name the chords.

• C means C major.
• Cm means C minor.
• G7 means a G chord with a fourth note added on top: G, B, D, and F.

Guitar players and pianists who play from song sheets read these symbols.

Pieces to hear

Prelude in C major, by Bach, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1. The whole piece is broken chords. Almost every bar is one chord.

Canon in D, by Pachelbel. The same row of chords repeats from start to finish while the tunes change above it. See the guide.

Piano Sonata in C major, K. 545, by Mozart. Listen to the left hand at the start.

Games to play

Three coins. Put a coin on C, E, and G. Move all three up one key, and play the new triad. Go up the white keys. Some will sound major and some minor.

Bright or dark? Play a major triad and then a minor triad. Your child points up for bright and down for dark.

Chord hunt. Open your child’s piano book. Find three notes stacked on lines or on spaces. Name the bottom note.

Change one note. Play C, E, and G. Ask your child to change one note to make the chord darker.

Play along. Your child plays the tune of “Twinkle” while you play the chords from the table. Then swap.

Chords in exams

Graded exams ask for triads and chords from the first levels. Read RCM piano technical requirements by level.

Print and play

Find the notes on the piano keyboard chart. Write triads on staff paper. For how chords fit with tunes and rhythm, read elements of music for kids. For keys, read the circle of fifths explained.