Timeline for Why is a ♭5 chord not a "triad"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
19 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 2023 at 21:06 | comment | added | mathlander | It isn't actually a 1st inversion of a major triad: see music.stackexchange.com/questions/127519/… | |
| May 12, 2019 at 10:07 | answer | added | user60513 | timeline score: 0 | |
| Apr 4, 2019 at 12:50 | vote | accept | trw | ||
| Oct 2, 2018 at 4:51 | comment | added | user45266 | Why don't we name I-♭♭♭3-5 a triad as well? It has I-♭♭♭3 as a doubly-diminished third and ♭♭♭3-5 as a doubly-augmented third, and doesn't form an inversion of any other triad. Ultimately, it comes down to convention, and I can't explain that convention, but it's an interesting thought to think of how many "triads" one could make. I'm sure that has an answer somewhere on this SE too. | |
| Oct 1, 2018 at 8:53 | answer | added | Laurence | timeline score: 2 | |
| Oct 1, 2018 at 7:18 | answer | added | Rosie F | timeline score: 1 | |
| Mar 25, 2018 at 16:37 | comment | added | Richard | Somewhat related: music.stackexchange.com/questions/56332/… | |
| Feb 26, 2018 at 15:45 | comment | added | user39614 | @leftaroundabout -- that is an interesting viewpoint; it reminds me of George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept. I like the idea of building in fifths better than mixing thirds and fifths. I am not at all opposed to thinking of triads more broadly. I think a lot more could be said, but if your point is that stacking major and minor thirds is conventional, I agree. If you want to suggest that there may be better ways to define "triad", I would probably agree. I don't think I'd agree that the traditional definition is meaningless, as I think it fit harmonic practice well at one time. | |
| Feb 26, 2018 at 15:19 | comment | added | leftaroundabout | @DavidBowling it doesn't prevent the construction of the other triads, but it makes it questionable why we consider the class of 3-note chords that can be constructed by stacking major and minor thirds as particularly meaningful. What I'd really argue is, the class of 3-note chords we should consider as particularly meaningful is that which can be constructed from only pure fifths and major thirds. That gives the major, minor, augmented and sus9 chords, but no diminished. Those, for their minor thirds, basically require an extra “virtual note” at an interval of a fifth, making a dissonance. | |
| Feb 26, 2018 at 14:47 | comment | added | user39614 | @leftaroundabout -- even if you require that a minor third be constructed as the difference between a major third and a fifth, how does this prevent the construction of the other triads? You can still define the triad in terms of major and minor thirds (which are constructed in a certain way). And that the fifth is more fundamental (I don't disagree) seems irrelevant: why not define in terms of major and minor thirds? | |
| Jan 31, 2018 at 22:26 | comment | added | leftaroundabout | @DavidBowling the definition of triads as stacked thirds is backwards however, because fifths are clearly the more fundamental interval. In fact, a (consonant / post-Pythagorean) minor third is constructed as the difference between a major third and a fifth, so you can't really construct any of the triads except the augmented using only this “standard definition”. | |
| Jan 31, 2018 at 17:16 | comment | added | user39614 | @leftaroundabout -- I am not sure that there needs to be any meaningful explanation; it's just nomenclature. Triads are formed by stacking major and minor thirds, not by adding a third and a fifth to a root or stacking intervals other than major and minor thirds. As to why the nomenclature is the way it is, I guess that is historic. | |
| Jan 31, 2018 at 16:58 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/StackMusic/status/958746288010514454 | ||
| Jan 31, 2018 at 16:54 | comment | added | leftaroundabout | I agree, there's no really meaningful argument why the diminished chord should be considered a triad but the ♭5 chord not. It's just historic. | |
| Jan 31, 2018 at 16:19 | answer | added | Tim | timeline score: 3 | |
| Jan 31, 2018 at 15:55 | answer | added | user39614 | timeline score: 20 | |
| Jan 31, 2018 at 15:44 | answer | added | MattPutnam | timeline score: 8 | |
| Jan 31, 2018 at 15:23 | answer | added | DougRisk | timeline score: 0 | |
| Jan 31, 2018 at 15:13 | history | asked | trw | CC BY-SA 3.0 |