Minor Chord Triad Trainer — Piano Note Trainers

How a minor triad is built

A triad is a 3-note chord. Every minor triad — in any of the 12 keys — is built the exact same way, by counting semitones to the right from a root note:

Start on the root — the note that names the chord.
Count 3 semitones to the right to land on the minor 3rd.
From there, count 4 more semitones to the right (7 semitones from the root) to land on the perfect 5th.

Example — C minor: start on C, count 3 semitones right to reach E♭, then count 4 more semitones right to reach G. C‑E♭‑G is the C minor triad. The pattern 3 then 4 (7 semitones total from root to top) is what makes a triad "minor" — every one of the 12 minor chords is this same shape, just moved to start on a different key.

Compare this to a major triad, which counts 4 then 3 semitones instead. Both triads span the same 7 semitones from root to 5th — the only thing that moves is the 3rd, dropping one semitone lower for minor. That single semitone is the entire difference between a "happy" major chord and a "sad" or "serious" minor chord.

Try it: pick a root and build the chord step by step

Root note

Sound output

Step 1 of 3

—

Chord tone	Note	Semitones from root	MIDI #

All 12 minor triads at a glance

Chord	Root	+3 semitones → 3rd	+4 semitones → 5th

This MIDI exercise plays all 12 minor chords, one after another, moving around the circle of fourths — each chord's root sits a perfect 4th (5 semitones) above the last one: C → F → B♭ → E♭ → A♭ → D♭ → G♭/F♯ → B → E → A → D → G → back to C. Every chord is played as a full triad (root, 3rd, and 5th together).

Octave

Tempo: 80 BPM

Sound output

Chord 1 of 12

—

The 12 chords, in circle-of-fourths order

#	Chord	Root	3rd	5th

Loading…

Key

Octave

Tempo: 76 BPM

Sound output

Key of C

—

Progression in C

Degree	Chord	Root	3rd	5th