Triads are chords made up of three notes. Triads can be major, minor, augmented, or diminished. The following examples show the structure of each of these chords:

Major triad: major 3^rd, perfect 5^th

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Minor triad: minor 3^rd, perfect 5^th

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Diminished triad: minor 3^rd, diminished 5^th

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Augmented triad: major 3^rd, augmented 5^th

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Major and minor triads are considered to be perfect because they always have a perfect fifth. Diminished or augmented triads are called by the name of the fifth they contain.