Major chord

Generally speaking, a major chord is any chord which has a major third above its root, as opposed to a minor chord which has a minor third. More specifically, it is the three-note chord made up of a major third and perfect fifth above the root - if the root of the chord is C, the chord will consist of the notes C, E and G. This is also known as a major triad.

Pictured here is a major chord in its root position, first inversion, and second inversion, respectively.

The minor chord resembles the major chord except that it has a minor third with a major third on top, while a major chord has a major third with a minor third on top. They both contain fifths because two pitches a major and minor third apart are a fifth apart.

A major chord in just intonation is tuned to the frequency ratio 6:5:4, while in equal temperament it has 3 semitones between the third and fifth, 4 between the root and third, and 7 between the root and fifth. It is represented by the integer notation 0,4,7. In equal temperament, the fifth is only two cents narrower than the just perfect fifth, but the major third is noticeably different at 13.686 wider.

The major chord may be considered the building block of tonal music and the common practice period. It is considered consonant, or stable. The augmented chord is a major chord with a raised fifth.

See also:

• musical tuning