C — Major triad
The bright, stable triad — a major 3rd and a perfect 5th.
Chord tones
C
1
Root
E
3
Major 3rd
G
5
Perfect 5th
The 3rd defines the quality
The major 3rd — E in C — is what makes this triad sound major. It’s ringed in magenta on the neck. The 5th sets diminished and augmented apart.
Mood
Happy, resolved and stable — the default "major chord" sound.
e.g. C, G, D — the backbone of most pop, folk and rock.
Shapes & inversions
These same three notes — C · E · G — repeat all over the neck. Pick a 3-string set above to see the compact triad shapes guitarists use for comping; the lowest tone in a shape (root, 3rd, or 5th) tells you the inversion.
About the Guitar Triads Visualizer
Guitar Tool Hub's free guitar triads visualizer maps the four triad types — major, minor, diminished, and augmented — across the full fretboard in any key, with tap-to-play audio on every note. A triad is the three-note core of a chord: the root, the third, and the fifth. Show all three tones across the whole neck, or filter to a single 3-string set to see the compact, movable triad shapes guitarists use for comping and chord melody. The third is highlighted on the neck because it's the note that decides whether a triad sounds major or minor, while the fifth separates diminished from augmented. Ideal for learning triad inversions, building chord vocabulary up the neck, and understanding how chords are constructed.
- 01All 4 triad types: major, minor, diminished, augmented
- 02Root, 3rd, and 5th labelled with the major-scale formula (1 3 5, 1 ♭3 5, etc.)
- 03The 3rd highlighted on the fretboard — the note that defines major vs minor
- 04Whole-neck view or a single 3-string set for compact triad shapes
- 05All 12 keys and 27 tunings
- 06Tap any note to hear it played — printable and downloadable
Frequently Asked Questions
A triad is the three-note core of a chord — the root, the third, and the fifth. Stacking those three notes gives you the four basic triad types: major (1 3 5), minor (1 ♭3 5), diminished (1 ♭3 ♭5), and augmented (1 3 ♯5). Almost every chord you play is a triad with extra notes added on top.
All four share the same root. The third decides major versus minor: a major third sounds bright, a minor third sounds dark. The fifth then separates the others — a perfect fifth gives major and minor, a lowered (diminished) fifth gives a diminished triad, and a raised (augmented) fifth gives an augmented triad. The visualizer rings the third on the neck so you can see exactly which note changes.
Because a triad is only three notes, you can play it on any three adjacent strings — strings 1-2-3, 2-3-4, 3-4-5, or 4-5-6. Each string set gives a compact, movable shape you can slide up the neck. Pick a string set in the tool to hide everything else and focus on one shape at a time, which is how guitarists comp and play chord melody.
An inversion is the same triad with a different chord tone in the bass. Root position has the root lowest; first inversion has the third lowest; second inversion has the fifth lowest. On a single string set, the three inversions sit in three positions up the neck — the visualizer shows all of them so you can connect the shapes.
The Scale Visualizer shows seven-note scales; the CAGED Visualizer shows full open-chord shapes moved up the neck. The Triads Visualizer focuses on the three-note core — root, third, fifth — and the small shapes those notes make on each string set, which is the foundation underneath both scales and full chords.
Yes — completely free. No account, no download, and no payment required.