Triad I.D. Tips MUS 111L Schedule & Syllabus  William Wieland
Major Triads — Happy — “Kumbaya”
minor triads — sad — “Greensleeves”

Augmented Triads — dissonant — one note different from Major — Augmented Dominant
diminished triads — dissonant — one note different from minor — Silent Film "Help!"

Root Position Triad Drill

Where's the biggest leap?
 • Root Position — No biggest leap
 • First Inversion — Top
 • Second Inversion — Bottom
Major Triad Arpeggios:
 • Root Position — “Kumbaya”
 • First Inversion — “Be Our Guest”
 • Second Inversion — “Were you there?” or “Taps”
minor triad arpeggios:
 • root position — “Greensleeves”
 • first inversion — Chopin E minor Prelude
 • second inversion — Beethoven “Moonlight” Sonata
Root Position or Inverted Triad Drill

Triads (root position and inverted)
Augmented Triad Arpeggios:
Root Position = First Inversion = Second Inversion
diminished triad arpeggios:
 • root position — minor 3rd + minor 3rd
 • first inversion — minor 3rd + Tritone
 • second inversion — Tritone + minor 3rd

The Quiz — My routine for each triad:
  1. Play. Arpeggiate. Play.
  2. Pause.
  3. Repeat 1. more slowly.
  4. Pause, then move to the next triad.