Triads on the Fretboard

JonnyPac · #1 08-31-2011, 06:31 PM

A wee blurb on Triads on the Fretboard. Feel free to post any hip triad based fretboard patterns and such. They are the core of the CAGED system, chord-tone soloing, and MUCH MUCH more. Enjoy!

Quote:

Triads are some of harmony’s most solid structures. There are interesting explanations based on the sciences of acoustics and cognitive musicology as to why they generally sound good to the human ear. “Triumphant” sounding major triads exist in the overtone series of what we think of as a single musical tone. Deviations from the major triad seem to create a sort of conflict leading to an emotional response. By lowering the third we get a minor “melancholy” sounding triad. By altering the notes further in diminished triads and augmented triads we get more complex and evocative sounds that are somewhat difficult to describe in words.

Simple triads (especially major and minor) make up a huge percentage of the underlying harmony in Western music. Even in harmonically advanced music, triads are used in clever ways to create a variety of lush sounds and gripping dissonances. As this book goes on, and as you continue to play music, you will begin to spot triads left and right. They are almost everywhere, from three-chord campfire songs to jazzy upper-structure polychords.

YouTube Video

brwnhornet59 · #2 08-31-2011, 07:25 PM

As always, great stuff Jonny.

JonnyPac · #3 09-06-2011, 06:29 PM

Thanks.

tonyknight · #4 09-07-2011, 01:44 AM

That's pretty cool, Jonny. I've usually learned triads by shapes, but it is interesting to see this plan horizontally and vertically on the neck. Thanks for posting.

Tony

JonnyPac · #5 09-07-2011, 01:53 AM

Thanks, Tony. The shapes are all there, of course. This is a way of practicing the shapes within the diagonal via inverting them. Example in A.

--5-------------------------------------------
--5---5------------------------------------------
--6---6---6------------------------------------------
------7---7---7------------------------------------
----------7---7-----------------------------------
---------------9-------------------------------

tonyknight · #6 09-07-2011, 02:34 AM

Indeed, Jonny - that's what I found cool about this diagram :-)

whatswisdom · #7 09-07-2011, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonnyPac

A wee blurb on Triads on the Fretboard. Feel free to post any hip triad based fretboard patterns and such. They are the core of the CAGED system, chord-tone soloing, and MUCH MUCH more. Enjoy!

Hey JP, is this from a book? Yours?

JonnyPac · #8 09-07-2011, 12:53 PM

Yeah, it's in my book. I try to post excerpts for all y'all to play with.

EightString · #9 09-07-2011, 01:48 PM

This is some good material. Very clear.

whatswisdom · #10 09-07-2011, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonnyPac

Yeah, it's in my book. I try to post excerpts for all y'all to play with.

JP: Amazon msg says your book is temporarily out of stock. What's up?

JonnyPac · #11 09-07-2011, 04:03 PM

They lost two big boxes of them at my expense! Real bummer- however, it ships faster via the tiny link " 2 new" on the Amazon Marketplace. Direct sales are best anyway; I sell for less, ship, grantee the book, sign it, and make more than $1.00. Amazon takes 55% +$2 and makes me pay to ship to their warehouse. I already pay lots for printing too. Now that they lost some books, I am out several hundred bucks. No fun.

Sorry to get off topic. Triads are key! lol

Kojo27 · #12 09-28-2011, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonnyPac

A wee blurb on Triads on the Fretboard. Feel free to post any hip triad based fretboard patterns and such. They are the core of the CAGED system, chord-tone soloing, and MUCH MUCH more. Enjoy!

Oh yeah! I know this from that classic guitar book on Chord-Scale theory by.... Cantin? It's a wonderful collection of insights, this book. I bought it a little while back. Sort of a theory to guide intuition, I think. : )

Really - y'all get Jonny's book: it's chock full of good stuff like this.

kj

brwnhornet59 · #13 10-01-2011, 12:43 PM

+1 to that. Great job Jonny!!!

whatswisdom · #14 10-01-2011, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kojo27

Oh yeah! I know this from that classic guitar book on Chord-Scale theory by.... Cantin? It's a wonderful collection of insights, this book. I bought it a little while back. Sort of a theory to guide intuition, I think. : )Really - y'all get Jonny's book: it's chock full of good stuff like his.kj

Me agree too. Cool stuff. Check it out.

JonnyPac · #15 10-02-2011, 06:55 PM

Thanks guys. I appreciate your kind support!

derek · #16 10-05-2011, 08:09 AM

I've learned and teach major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads on each adjacent string set, but haven't ventured into nonadjacent string sets before. The concept gets pretty big when you add those I imagine.

JonnyPac · #17 10-05-2011, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derek

I've learned and teach major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads on each adjacent string set, but haven't ventured into nonadjacent string sets before. The concept gets pretty big when you add those I imagine.

Yeah. It's great to cut them up in various ways- you really "see" the structures behind so many common guitar "grips" and shapes. Of course they are the backbone of chord-tone soloing as well. I've been pushing these on my students for the last year or so and seen some great results so far.

JakeAcci · #18 10-05-2011, 04:37 PM

Spread triads are really beautiful when used appropriately, and they are applicable in a lot of musical contexts, definitely not just jazz.

JonnyPac · #19 10-05-2011, 05:01 PM

I just expanded on this topic here: http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/getti...fretboard.html

Check it out!

gilchristobin · #20 10-08-2011, 01:54 AM

I've usually learned triads by shapes

timscarey · #21 10-08-2011, 02:50 AM

Yeah man, great diagrams, super usefull. Definatley a great way to visualize new triad shapes.

Do you mind if i ask what program you used to make them? I'm not going to be writing a guitar book, but as a guitar teacher, the ability to make similar diagrams would be an asset.

Thanks Bro.

brwnhornet59 · #22 10-08-2011, 02:53 AM

+1 to that Tim!

JonnyPac · #23 10-09-2011, 02:44 PM

Actually, I drew them up on photoshop! Guides with snap did a lot!. Still pretty slow going. I can pop my neck templates up here if you want those at least. All you need is PS and to use the brush tool over a guide grid and the text in the opposite color. Let me know- I'm happy to share the neck and chord boxes.