Triads - The First Chords
(10 Aug 02)
Things to keep in mind
1) The single notes of a triad can be doubled with their octaves without changing the identity of the triad.
C Major Triad
2) Another possibility is to arpeggiate a triad (means to play the notes one after another) without loosing its triadic sound. (This is a major issue in improvisation.)
C Major Triad
Major Triad Inversions
The notes of a triad keep always their specific quality as Root, Third and Fifth even when they change the sequence of their appearance.
C major triad
Root position is the basic triad form we learned earlier with its structure 1, M3, P5. First inversion results by placing the Root one octave higher and has therefore the structure M3, P5 and 1. By putting the M3 in the first inversion up an octave we receive the second inversion with the formula P5, 1 and M3.
Now you are probably wondering what inversions are good for. What’s the reason for naming a C triad by its inversions if the basic sound does not change? The answer is voice leading.
The smoothest way to combine two different triads is to look for common tones, leave them where they are and move the remaining notes by step into their new target.
Example : C major triad to F major triad
Major Triad Chord Symbols
In order to generate simplicity when dealing with triads (and chords in general) the use of chord symbols became handy. For major triads musicians use a plain capital letter. (But be aware that there is also C maj, C Ma or C Maj in use. It’s amazing how creative music publishers can be.)
C major triad chord symbol = C
D major triad chord symbol = D
Ab major triad chord symbol = Ab
and so on . . .
When you are the only instrument and for example backup a singer by playing a chord progression you should always (or most of the time) play the root of the chords as the lowest note to lay down the harmonic progression. It could sound unusual to listeners when they have to hear the bass note (root) on their own and you don’t want to rely on their ear training.
A different situation arrises if you play in a band where an instrument plays the bass note. In this case you have the choice to use any inversion you know, depending on your taste. Because the bass note is already representing the root it is not up to you to lay it down.
Sometimes a chord symbol tells you to play an inversion because of a special sound or as a result of voice leading. Inversions are written by the actual triad and the bass note as a result of the inversion divided by a slash.
C major triad 1st inversion: C/E
If you take a look at the notation of the first inversion in the chapter above you see that the note e is in the bass but the whole chord is still a C major triad. That’s what this symbol stands for.
C major triad 2nd inversion: C/G
It’s the same method as above. Basic C major triad with G in the bass to show that it is the second inversion.
Exercises Using Major Triads
Exercise 1
Notate all triads in their requested inversion and write out their chord symbol
Exercise 2
Identify the major triad inversion and its chord symbol
Let’s do a quick repeat of what we learned up to now.
Triads are the next step after intervals to build up a fundamental harmonic understanding. They are the most basic chords. To construct a triad we use a combination of two intervals of a third. Major triads consist of a major third followed by a minor third measured from the root. The singular notes are root (1), major third (M3) and perfect fifth (P5). We've covered major triad inversions and chord symbols. Cool...
Now before we go on I want you to take a break learning something new. You could spell out some major triads or repeat this chapter again. But if you have had enough of theory, turn on your stereo and listen to you favourite Blues band as loud as possible. Any triads used in this music?
Have fun !
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