Major or minor

Tell a major triad from a minor one in any register.

Bright and dark

Major and minor triads differ in one note: the middle one, the third. In a major triad it is a semitone higher, and the chord sounds bright and open. In a minor triad it is a semitone lower, and the sound darkens, turning soft or sad.

Don't try to hear the separate notes: listen to the mood of the whole chord.

Major and minor triads on C4, twice in turn

If in doubt, sing the middle note of the chord in your head, then the bottom one. A bigger step (a major third) means major, a smaller one (a minor third) minor.

Practice: The whole chord

Practice: The chord note by note

Practice: Which one is major?

In any register

Low chords sound thicker and gloomier, high ones lighter and brighter. That is why a low major chord can seem minor, and a high minor chord major. Learn to hear the third itself, not the overall height.

Low: a minor, then a major triad on A2

High: a minor, then a major triad on F5

Practice: Low and high