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"Tertial" redirects here. For the feathers in a birds wing, see tertials
Flight feather

Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices ....
.
In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
 or music theory
Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
, tertian is the quality of a chord
Chord (music)

In music and music theory a chord is a set of two or more different note that sound simultaneously. Most often, in European-influenced music, chords are tertian Sonority that can be constructed as stacks of thirds relative to some underlying musical scale....
 constructed from third
Third

Third may refer to:*3 , such as the 3rd of something*Fraction , such as 1/3*The Third *Third World, economically underdeveloped nations*Third-class degree, type of British undergraduate degree classification...
s, and other things constructed from thirds such as counterpoint
Counterpoint

In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more Register that are independent in contour and rhythm, and interdependent in harmony....
. A third may be either minor (3 semitones) or major (4 semitones). Example: the interval A-C is a minor third, because it encompasses 3 semitones (A-Bb, Bb-B, B-C), and C-E is a major third, because it encompasses 4 semitones (C-Db, Db-D, D-Eb, Eb-E).

Chords which may be considered as built from sixth
Sixth

Sixth can refer to:* Sixth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution to the U.S. Constitution...
s are actually tertian because of inversion
Inversion (music)

In music theory, the word inversion has several meanings. There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and inverted voices....
.






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"Tertial" redirects here. For the feathers in a birds wing, see tertials
Flight feather

Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices ....
.
In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
 or music theory
Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
, tertian is the quality of a chord
Chord (music)

In music and music theory a chord is a set of two or more different note that sound simultaneously. Most often, in European-influenced music, chords are tertian Sonority that can be constructed as stacks of thirds relative to some underlying musical scale....
 constructed from third
Third

Third may refer to:*3 , such as the 3rd of something*Fraction , such as 1/3*The Third *Third World, economically underdeveloped nations*Third-class degree, type of British undergraduate degree classification...
s, and other things constructed from thirds such as counterpoint
Counterpoint

In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more Register that are independent in contour and rhythm, and interdependent in harmony....
. A third may be either minor (3 semitones) or major (4 semitones). Example: the interval A-C is a minor third, because it encompasses 3 semitones (A-Bb, Bb-B, B-C), and C-E is a major third, because it encompasses 4 semitones (C-Db, Db-D, D-Eb, Eb-E).

Chords which may be considered as built from sixth
Sixth

Sixth can refer to:* Sixth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution to the U.S. Constitution...
s are actually tertian because of inversion
Inversion (music)

In music theory, the word inversion has several meanings. There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and inverted voices....
. Example: the interval C-A is a major sixth. The inversion is that the interval A-C defines a minor third.

Note that the root progression between tertian chords is most often not by third but by perfect fifth (or its inversion perfect fourth).

See also

  • Secundal
    Secundal

    In music or music theory, secundal is the quality of a chord made from second s, and anything related to things constructed from seconds such as counterpoint....
  • Quartal and quintal harmony
    Quartal and quintal harmony

    In music, quartal harmony is the building of Chord and Melody structures with a distinct preference for Interval of Perfect fourth. . Quintal harmony is harmony structure preferring Perfect fifth....
  • Polychord
    Polychord

    In music and music theory, a bichord or polychord consists of two or more chord s, one on top of the other.The use of polychords may suggest bitonality or polytonality....


External links

  • Definition of in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
  • Definition of at dictionary.com