Here are 4 chords to compare.

• Major chords are consonant and bright and cheerful.

• Minor chords are consonant but sad or dark sounding.

• Diminished chords sound dissonant with an air of suspense, tension and mystery.

• Augmented  chords are dissonant but have a impending feeling of  expectation.

    Major                Minor                  Diminished          Augmented

Now shut your eyes and move the mouse around until you hear one of the chords sound. Try and guess which one it is and then look and see where the mouse pointer is.

 Up to now all the triads and chords have been in 'root' position. That means the root is positioned in the bass (or lower) part. To make music more varied and interesting we (composers and arrangers) can achieve more contrasting effects by placing the 3rd or 5th notes in the bass. Move the mouse over the picture to hear the triads.

Here is the same illustration with two other labels commonly used to indicate the chord inversion. Letters (a, b and c) Ia indicates that the the chord is the tonic in the root position. Ib (tonic chord - 1st inversion) and Ic (tonic chord - 2nd inversion).