Mastering Triad Forms on the Guitar

ByDaniel Weiss

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All right, minor chords, let’s do this.

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Okay, so how’s it going, everyone? Today we’re going to talk about minor chords, and to be more specific, how to improvise over minor chords. What I’m going to do is record a few loops and demonstrate some techniques that you can start using and putting into your improvisations. Hopefully, these will give you some cool ideas.

As always, please make sure to subscribe and like this video, hit that bell so you don’t miss any of my videos, and let’s begin.

The first thing I’m going to do is create this C minor six vamp. You see, this is my root, my six, my flat three, and my five, and it’s going to go like this: one, two, three, four.

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One.

Okay, so we got our loop now. I can demonstrate some stuff. First of all, you’ve got to know your triads, right? We’re talking about C minor here, and this is our C minor triad. Here’s the first inversion.

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One.

And this is the second inversion.

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One.

The first thing is that I’m just going to improvise using those notes.

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Just triads improv.

See, now I’m going to other sets of strings. I can see my second inversion over here. That is by connecting:

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The different sets, which you can check out on my website weissguitar.com inside the Galactic Modern Guitar series.

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Adding rhythm:

You see, since I’m adding rhythm, it’s starting to sound like music.

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Approach notes:

Now these are approach notes. I’m kind of aiming back and forth from my third back to my fourth, and it’s still around the triad, but I’m using some notes to create cool sounds around that triad. These are chromatics, kind of.

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Enclosures/chromatics:

Approaching around the chord tones. I can also do the same kind of enclosures to other chord tones like the flat three.

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And if I connect them, I get this:

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Let’s do the same thing to the root:

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Okay, now the next thing we’re going to do is the same kind of stuff to the other inversions. Here’s the first inversion; let’s do the same kind of enclosure.

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See that kind of stuff:

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Kind of like a cage surrounding that note.

Target tone awareness:

Here’s my target zone.

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Here’s my target tone again.

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Once again:

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Okay.

Now I’m going to introduce another triad that is going to give me another sound, and that is the diminished. The seventh diminished degree—if this is my first degree, this is going to be my seventh diminished degree. Let’s play both of them.

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You see, this is kind of a vamp.

Now let’s do it over here with the root position.

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So this is a root position diminished chord, right? So I’m going between the different root positions: root position of C minor and root position of B diminished.

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Okay, here’s my second inversion C minor, and here’s my second inversion B diminished. Let’s play with those.

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Foreign:

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Triad pairs jazzed up:

Passing tones and chromatics to combine all of those together.

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You see how you’re starting to get some cool sounds. Now it’s a good time to introduce:

Melodic minor:

The element of melodic minor harmony. So we get a minor degree followed by another minor degree, followed by an augmented degree, a major degree, another major degree, and then we have diminished, followed by another diminished.

So all together we have: minor, minor, augmented, major, major, diminished, diminished, and moved back.

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So now it’s time to connect:

Connecting the dots:

These over different sets, different inversions, and combine everything we talked about: three, four.

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So these are kind of like leaves. You see, I can create intervals within my scales. For example, this example was six.

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The sweet sound of 6ths:

And of course, the ideas are endless. Now, in order to be able to improvise over chord changes, one chord vamps, and understand what you’re doing, you need to start seeing all of these elements like the scales, the different triads, and always know where you are. So you play the guitar instead of the guitar playing you. Meaning that harmony and melody need to be understood on the instrument, and it doesn’t really matter what style you play—it can be blues, jazz, new soul, hip-hop—you still need to have very strong fundamentals.

And the best way to approach having those strong fundamentals is going through a very specific system that can guide you and give you resources to really connect all the bits and pieces. Definitely something I wish I had when I was getting into this stuff. That’s why I invite you to check out my Galactic Modern Guitar Series, where I show you all the different steps together in 15 modules, showing you the triads, voice leading, arpeggios, different chromatic approaches, how to connect everything to start creating phrases, how to get into seven chords, and all the different approaches to jazz voicings—packed in 15 modules over 96 videos. So go check that out; the link is in the description below.

Let me show you exactly how you can start mapping out the entire fretboard to not only solidify your fretboard knowledge but also to start unleashing your creativity.

That’s it for today. Now, if you’re interested in checking out a very, very cool arpeggio workout, check out this video over here.

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Unlock the Secrets of Triad Forms on the Guitar: A Comprehensive Guide

Triads are a fundamental building block of guitar music, and mastering them is essential for any serious musician. In this guide, we’ll explore the different forms of triads, the various inversions, and the many different ways they can be used in your playing.

Triad Forms

There are four main forms (types) of triads: major, minor, augmented, and diminished. Each form has its own unique characteristics and can be used to create different types of music.

  • Major triads have a bright, happy sound.
  • Minor triads have a sad, contemplative sound.
  • Augmented triads have a tense, dreamy sound.
  • Diminished triads have a dark, unstable sound.

Triad Inversions

 Inversions are when the notes of a triad are rearranged, and they can be used to create interesting harmonies and chord progressions as you start voice leading from one chord to the next, voice leading is a core element in any improviser/composer’s tool kit.

  • Root position triads have the root note as the lowest note.
  • First inversion triads have the third as the lowest note.
  • Second inversion triads have the fifth as the lowest note.

Triad Progressions

Voice leading different Triad progressions is a powerful tool for creating flowing and expressive music. By voice leading triads intelligently, both melodically and harmonically, you can create a sense of tension and release, and build powerful melodies and harmonies.

Some common triad progressions include the I-IV-V progression, which is used in many pop and rock songs, and the ii-V-I progression, which is used in jazz and other styles of music.

triad

Triad Exercises

Practice is essential for mastering triads, and there are many exercises you can use to improve your technique.

One effective exercise is to play through each form of triad in all inversions, moving up and down the fretboard. This will help you to become familiar with the different shapes and sounds of the triads, and will improve your finger strength and dexterity.

Another good exercise is to practice playing triad progressions, focusing on the movement between chords.

Triad Theory

To truly master triads, it’s important to have a solid understanding of the theory behind them. This includes understanding the relationships between the different notes of a triad, and how they interact to create different sounds and harmonies.

Some key concepts to understand include chord function, chord substitutions, and voice leading.

Triad Fingerings

Different fingerings can be used to play triads, and it all depends of the strings you decide to express triads on.

Finally, It is also very important to have a good visualization of the triads on the fretboard, and to really have a complete system to master that make sure to check out The Galactic Modern Guitar Series 

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So now that I have my loop, the first thing I’m going to show you is the actual triads—they’re all built out of major thirds. So you get:

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You can notice I’m just shifting the same exact shape up a major third.

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So now what I’m going to do is take that high note from the E string and put it down an octave. By doing this, I’m starting to form an arpeggio. Let’s add some rhythm to that arpeggio:

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So now you can see that I’m starting to form an entire full arpeggio by always taking the high note down an octave into my next available set.

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Let’s play all of them.

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Alright, so now what I can start doing is adding a few chromatic notes between the different tones. Since this is a symmetrical triad, symmetrical arpeggio built only out of major thirds, check this out. For example, I can go from my root to my major third:

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One in a two e and a three—always landing on strong beats with my chord tones:

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Root goes to the third, goes to the root, first goes into the sharp five, goes back to the third, and sharp five goes to the root back to the sharp five.

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I can also see that within the position of the arpeggio. And of course, I can move all of that to start forming some cool improvisations.

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Okay, so now what I can start doing is playing with these kinds of chromatics to form other types of enclosures. For example, the more Gypsy kind of enclosure:

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You see, I’m kind of surrounding that note and always landing back on it—so kind of surrounding the root, its sharp five, major third, back to my root.

Now, if I do more like a Bebop kind of enclosure, I get this kind of cage into my tone:

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It’s really fun because you’re always doing the same shape and you can move it up in major thirds, and it works.

So now the next thing I’m going to show you is how you can start combining the altered scale in all of this. So first of all, what is the altered scale? Well, the altered scale is built out of a root, flat two, sharp two, flat three, flat five, sharp five, flat seven, and then again root, flat two, sharp two, flat three, flat five, sharp five, flat seven.

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If I play it fully in this position, I get this:

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Now, as you can see, that augmented arpeggio is nested within that position. I can start complementing that arpeggio using that altered scale with some diatonic movements around that arpeggio. For example:

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You see, I played this part of that scale and then I went into my arpeggio, the augmented arpeggio.

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Now, of course, in order to start applying this to other arpeggios, you need to see the altered scale all across the neck. So let’s try it over here with this position:

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You see, I can use my augmented arpeggio—same ones we did—but since I can see the altered scale also in this position:

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I can start combining it into my arpeggio and create phrases.

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Did you notice that chromatic passing tone there?

Now, the next thing I’m going to start doing is introduce open triads, meaning that I’m going to take my closed triad and take one note and push it up an octave. Let me show you what I mean. Instead of playing this G, B, and D sharp, I’m gonna take that B and put it up an octave. So I get G, then D sharp, and then that higher B. So I get this kind of sound:

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So closed, open. If I start moving that in major thirds:

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What about playing that same shape, that same voicing, down an octave? Look at this—root, sharp five, third instead of root, third, sharp five.

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Just moving that up in whole tones using the whole tone scale.

Now, if I start combining the altered scale into those, I get this:

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[Applause]

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Okay, so this next one is kind of complicated but it’s really, really cool, and that is a symmetrical augmented. You form the symmetrical augmented by adding one half step into each note. So let me show you what I mean. Instead of playing just the augmented arpeggio, you’re gonna approach from a half step below to each one of those chord tones:

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Again: F sharp to G, A sharp to B, D to E flat, and F sharp to G. So F sharp, G, A sharp, B, D, E flat, F sharp to G.

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Now if you look closely, you’re actually forming a few triads within that scale. For example, both F sharp augmented and G augmented.

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Because you have it within the scale if you look carefully.

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So let’s just play those as triad pairs: G augmented, F sharp augmented, G.

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Nice. Now I can move everything in major thirds:

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Very interesting sound. Another thing that you can find in that symmetrical augmented scale is major triads. You have G, B, and E flat. So you can see that these are the triads that are all built out of the roots of the augmented triad. The augmented triad is G, B, and E flat, right? And I’m forming a G major triad, a B triad, an E flat triad. Let’s try that out.

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Alright, so that’s my G. What about B?

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Very cool. What about E flat?

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Oh, I like that sound a lot. That’s right over here: G and B flat. Really spicy sounds.

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Now, no matter what style you play—whether it’s jazz, rock, neo-soul, hip-hop, pop, you name it—being able to see the core elements on the fretboard, the harmony, the melody. I’m talking about triads, arpeggios, the diatonic structures, how to visualize everything on the instrument, how to start connecting the dots on different voicings like jazz voicings, and implementing different elements like chromatics and enclosures into your actual phrases. How to improvise over chord changes and one-chord vamps—there are so many elements. That’s exactly why I created the Galactic Modern Guitar Series, where I gradually show you over 15 modules the different elements that you can start gaining control over to solidify your fretboard knowledge. You can check that out in the link in the description of this video. If you’re looking to dive way deeper into the minor 2-5 world where you can experience a lot of these sounds, check out this video over here about minor two-fives.

Check out my youtube channel!

Daniel Weiss