For a chord to be a triad, the pitches contained therein must combine to create specific intervals. When written as closely as possible on a staff, the two upper notes of a triad must form a third and a fifth—or compound third and fifth—above the lowest note. The three chord members have names that correspond with their position in the chord:.
When a triad is written in the manner shown above—as a stack of thirds with the three notes occupying consecutive lines or spaces on the staff—the lowest note is called the root. The name is easy to remember since the root provides a stable support for the rest of the chord, just like the roots of a tree.
The other notes are named according to the interval they form above the root: the third is a third above the root and the fifth is a fifth above the root. These names stay with their respective pitch-classes, regardless of how the chord is voiced arranged on the staff :. This chord has the same pitch classes as the one in Example 13—3.
Therefore, G is still considered to be the root. Likewise, B and D are still the third and fifth, respectively, even though they are now positioned below the root. When the three notes of a triad are written on three successive lines or spaces, the lowest note will be the root. Although there are only three chord members in a triad, this type of harmony frequently appears in textures with more than three voices.
Recall the example from the introduction to this chapter, where a series of triads appears as a result of combining four melodic lines. When a chord member appears more than once in a voicing, we say that it has been doubled.
Despite the fact that there are four voices, the chord in Example 13—5 is still considered a triad. It presents four pitches, but only three unique pitch classes and in this regard is the same as Example 13—3 and Example 13—4. Notice that both the bass and soprano have G, the root of the chord.
We would say, then, that the root of the chord has been doubled. The excerpt below is written for four voices. This means that any triads will necessarily have at least one chord member doubled.
Identify the doubled note in each of the boxed triads. First find the doubled pitch class, then determine if it is the root, third, or fifth of the triad. As with intervals, triads come in different qualities. Triads may be major, minor, diminished, or augmented. To determine the quality of a triad, one must consider the qualities of the intervals contained therein. The following example shows a major triad and a minor triad built on the same root:. Both of the triads in Example 13—6 are consonant and stable.
This is largely due to the fact that both chords feature a perfect fifth between the root and fifth. The difference between major and minor triads lies in the quality of the interval from the root to the third. In a major triad, the interval from the root to the third is a major third; in a minor triad it is a minor third. In addition to the intervals formed with the root, there is another interval heard between the third and the fifth.
Notice that in major and minor triads, the quality of this third is the opposite of the quality of the whole chord. In other words, a major triad has a minor third between the third and the fifth and a minor triad has a major third in the same place. In addition to thinking of a triad as consisting of a third and a fifth above a root, it is also helpful to think of it as two thirds stacked one on top of the other.
Note: A tertian harmony is one that is constructed as a stack of thirds. Triads are tertian harmonies. If one were to add another third on top of a triad, that note would be a seventh above the root.
This type of tertian harmony is discussed in Chapter Triads are named according to their root and quality. The triad in Example 13—6a, for example, is a G-major triad and the triad in Example 13—6b is a G-minor triad.
Triads may be built on any note. The following example shows an E b -major triad:. Notice that an E b -major triad requires two accidentals to preserve the exact interval qualities shared by all major triads. A triad with a minor third and a diminished fifth above the root is considered diminished. The following example shows a G-diminished triad:.
This triad is much more dissonant than the major and minor triads heard above. It has the same minor third between the root and third as the minor triad, but here the perfect fifth has been replaced with a dissonant tritone: a diminished fifth. You may also think of it as a stack of two minor thirds. As a result, this chord is much less stable. We will discuss this chord at length in Chapter A triad with a major third and an augmented fifth above the root is considered augmented.
The following example shows a G-augmented triad:. Like a diminished triad, an augmented triad is dissonant. Like a major triad, it has a major third between the root and third.
But here we find another major third stacked on top, making the framing fifth augmented. Of the four triad qualities, augmented triads are the outliers. They have a very peculiar sound and, as we will see momentarily, they differ from the other triad qualities in that they cannot be constructed using only diatonic pitches.
As a result, they appear far less frequently than major, minor, and diminished triads. We will look at a few examples of this rare chord in Chapter Note: Triad names are often abbreviated. Rewrite the triad in root position and consider the intervals heard above the bass. Consult Table 13—1 to determine the quality. In each of the following exercises, you will be asked to spell a triad given the root and quality.
Which three pitch classes are used to spell a B b -major triad? Which three pitch classes are used to spell a C -minor triad? But while this trick might be fun and easy to use, try not to overdo it. Insert it here and there, while passing in between the two chords in the progression.
After all, Hendrix was well-known for adding things subtly and tastefully in his music. The best idea is to listen to his music and try to implement it in a similar manner. It will take some time, but it's just one of those things that you'll get used to after a while and start doing naturally. Do you love dirt as much as we do? Learn the rich history behind all the overdrive and distortion pedals you know and love. Download our free ebook, The History of Guitar Distortion.
Featured Pedals In Development. Contact scott sirenpedals. The Triad Trick of Jimi Hendrix. Siren Pedals. Facebook Email. Older Post. This lesson comes with three backing tracks at various tempos to help you develop fluency using triad pairs. The lesson sheet and backing tracks are downloadable from the bottom of this page after logging in with your membership.
You can also quickly transpose this lesson to any key using our Smart Sheet Music. Our second pattern practice example is a really hip sounding down pattern that uses a MTBM shape for each triad.
This pattern is more challenging and requires careful fingering selection. You will discover it is most effective to use the 4th finger on the last 8th note of each triad. Now that you can create various patterns using triad pairs, the final step is to improvise freely with triad pairs.
There are two important considerations for this step:. In the example below, the half notes in measures 2 and 4 allow the line to breath. Also, since the line itself uses multiple patterns, it sounds less like a technical drill. As you can see, using triad pairs is a great way to generate innovative lines from a scale that goes beyond simply playing up and down the scale. For even more improv techniques using the Lydian scale, check out our full-length courses on How to Improvise a Solo with the Lydian Scale Level 2 , Level 3.
Learn the bossa nova chord progression and melt into the Brazilian jazz piano sound pioneered by composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. How to approach "Autumn Leaves" on piano in a jazz trio setting including tasty 4-note and 6-note chord voicings for two hands. Subscribe to a membership plan for full access to this Quick Tip's sheet music and backing tracks!
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We publish free piano lessons and tips. Get them delivered to your inbox. All rights reserved. When you are playing these exercises then you can use several techniques. It is not really important and depends more on how you play. Again you want to be aware of the chords you play, and also check out the other string sets like the next on D,G and B. And with these, you can also work on the inversion of course. Here are the 2nd inversion triads along the neck on the top string set:.
Working on these one-note-per-string triads is a great way to become more precise and efficient for your right hand when it comes to alternate picking. It is the type of thing that you will see in exercises by Steve Morse and also have jaw-dropping examples of in Bluegrass. You can of course also work on different economy picking strategies, but maybe that is something for another lesson once you have practiced your alternate picking a bit more. The next level for your fretboard overview is to start working on inversions of a single chord along the neck.
One way to do that could be on a single string set:. This is great to develop your fretboard knowledge and really know the triads.
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