NotePlayMusicGrade 2: Tonic Triads Practice
Identifying and completing tonic triads. Grade 2 includes minor tonic triads as well as major, based on the ABRSM Grade 2 syllabus.
Worksheet
Select TRUE or FALSE for the statement: This is the tonic triad of D minor.
Answer: ______________________
Select TRUE or FALSE for the statement: This is the tonic triad of F major.
Answer: ______________________
Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
Answer: ______________________
Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
Answer: ______________________
Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
Answer: ______________________
Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
Answer: ______________________
Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
Answer: ______________________
Answer Key
- TRUE — The notes shown are D, F and A, which is the tonic triad of D minor, so the statement is TRUE.
- FALSE — The notes shown are A, C and E (the tonic triad of A minor), not F, A, C, so the statement is FALSE.
- G major — The triad is G, B, D, so the key is G major.
- D major — The triad is D, F sharp, A, so the key is D major.
- E flat major — The triad is E flat, G, B flat, so the key is E flat major.
- F major — The triad is F, A, C, so the key is F major.
- A minor — The triad is A, C, E, so the key is A minor.
1. Select TRUE or FALSE for the statement: This is the tonic triad of D minor.
2. Select TRUE or FALSE for the statement: This is the tonic triad of F major.
3. Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
4. Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
5. Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
6. Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
7. Select the correct key for this tonic triad.
What this practice covers
- Identify tonic triads, including minor tonic triads.
- Recognize the root, 3rd, and 5th of a triad.
- Complete a triad from two given notes.
Need a reminder? Distinguish major and minor tonic triads
A tonic triad contains scale degrees 1, 3 and 5. For F major, those pitches are F–A–C; for D minor, D–F–A; and for A minor, A–C–E. Major and minor triads may share a root and fifth but differ in their third.
Read all three written pitches before judging a triad. Apply any sharps or flats from the key signature: the D major tonic triad needs F sharp, while D minor uses F natural.
How to work it out
- Name the key and spell its first, third and fifth scale notes.
- Check each notated pitch, including accidentals; the three notes must match the key’s tonic triad.
Worked example
Which tonic triad uses E flat, G and B flat?
E flat is the root, G is its major third and B flat is its fifth. These spell the E flat major tonic triad.
Watch for this mistake
Three notes stacked in thirds are not automatically the tonic triad of the named key; the root and altered third must agree.
Happy or sad? One note decides
Hear C major turn into C minor when one note drops a semitone, then hear the same change in Frère Jacques.