Printable worksheet
Triad Writing Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)
Printable triad writing worksheet: write major, minor, diminished and augmented triads on the staff, in root position or inversion. Answer key included.
Triad Writing Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)
Sheet #
Name Date Score /
Answer key
Triad Writing Worksheet (Printable, with Answers) · Sheet #
How to use it
- Pick a difficulty, an inversion and a clef.
- Generate a sheet: each question names a triad and shows an empty staff.
- Write the three notes on the staff, adding accidentals as needed.
- Reveal the answer staves or print the separate answer page to check.
What this exercise practises#
You are given a chord name such as E♭ minor triad in first inversion and an empty staff. You write the correct notes, with the correct accidentals, in the requested inversion.
How to solve a question#
- Spell the root-position triad with letter names: three letters that skip one each time (E♭ → G → B♭). Put the root’s accidental in the first note.
- Choose accidentals for the third and the fifth using the quality: major = major third + perfect fifth; minor = minor third + perfect fifth; diminished = minor third + diminished fifth; augmented = major third + augmented fifth.
- For an inversion, move the lowest note up an octave once (first inversion) or twice (second inversion), so the lowest written note is the third or the fifth.
- Check by stacking the notes back into thirds.
Difficulty levels#
- Easy: major and minor triads on the seven natural notes plus B♭, E♭, A♭ and F♯.
- Medium: adds diminished and augmented triads and more roots with a sharp or flat. No double accidentals.
- Hard: every root from C♭ to B♯ and all four qualities, including chords that need double sharps or double flats (for instance F♯ augmented contains C𝄪). The alto clef can appear in mixed mode.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a triad on the staff?
Start from the root and add notes on the next line or space up, then up again (line-line-line or space-space-space). Then add accidentals so the thirds have the right size for the chord quality.
What are the notes of a minor triad?
Root, minor third, perfect fifth. For example D minor is D-F-A and F-sharp minor is F♯-A-C♯.
How do I write an inverted triad?
Write the root-position triad first, then move the bottom note(s) up an octave. First inversion puts the third at the bottom; second inversion puts the fifth at the bottom.
Does the octave I choose matter?
Not for the chord name. The answer key shows one correct placement; any octave with the same spelling and the same lowest note is correct.
Do I use a key signature?
No. Triads here are written with accidentals beside the notes, with no key signature, so each chord stands alone.