Triads

This is a preview of the educational program A Jazz Improvisation Almanac which is under development for the Outside Shore Music Online School. Feel free to browse this preview and learn what you can from it. For a more completed product, though, check out the original freely browsable jazz textbook, A Jazz Improvisation Primer.

A chord is a combination of three or more notes considered harmonically rather than melodically. Normally this means the notes are played together, as in:

[EXAMPLE]

Arpeggios, or broken chords, are also considered chords:

[EXAMPLE]

In classical theory, the fundamental chord on which all others are based is called the triad. There are three notes in a triad, and the interval between each pair of adjacent notes is a third. A triad is named based on its bottom note, which is called the root. Depending on whether the intervals are major or minor thirds, different qualities of triads result.

If the interval between the bottom two notes is a major third and the interval between the top two notes a minor third, the resulting triad is called a major triad. For example, here is a G major triad:

[EXAMPLE]

Note that these notes are the root, third, and fifth of the G major scale:

[EXAMPLE]

This holds for any major triad. For example, a Bb major triad is formed from the root, third, and fifth of the Bb major scale:

[EXAMPLE]

Just as the major scale is the most important scale in Western harmony, the major triad is the most important chord. When discussing a triad, unless it is explicitly said to be otherwise, it is assumed to be a major triad.

If the interval between the bottom two notes in a triad is a minor third and the interval between the top two a major third, the resulting triad is called a minor triad. For example, here is a G minor triad:

[EXAMPLE]

Note that these notes are the root, third, and fifth of the G minor scale:

[EXAMPLE]

Note also that the G major and the G minor triads differ only in the middle note - the third of the corresponding scale. The bottom and top notes are identical, and the interval between them is a perfect fifth:

[EXAMPLE]

This holds for all other keys as well. For example, the D major and D minor triads differ only in the third, and there is a perfect fifth between the bottom and top notes:

[EXAMPLE]

A minor triad is indicated in discussion by placing the letter "m" after the root. For example, "Gm" indicates a G minor triad, while "G" indicates a G major triad. Some arrangers use a minus sign instead of the letter "m", as in "G-".

If both intervals in a triad are minor thirds, the resulting triad is called a diminished triad. For example, here is a G diminished triad:

[EXAMPLE]

Note that the interval between the bottom note and the top note is a diminished fifth:

[EXAMPLE]

The diminished triad is abbreviated "dim", as in "Bdim", or with a small circle or degree sign, as in "Bo" or "Bo ". A diminished triad can be found within the major scale by starting on the seventh degree. For example, G is the seventh degree of the Ab major scale, so the G diminished triad can be found within the Ab major scale:

[EXAMPLE]

If both intervals in a triad are major third, the resulting triad is called an augmented triad. For example, here is a G augmented triad:

[EXAMPLE]

The interval between the bottom and top notes is an augmented fifth:

[EXAMPLE]

The augmented triad is abbreviated "aug", as in "Gaug", or "+", as in "G+".

When a triad is played with the root on the bottom, the third in the middle, and the fifth on top, as in the previous examples, it is said to be in root position. Triads may also be played with either the third or the fifth on the bottom. These are referred to as inversions. If the third is on the bottom, and the root moved to the top, the triad is in first inversion. For example, here is a G major triad in first inversion:

[EXAMPLE]

This is notated G6 in classical harmony, but jazz musicians generally notate it G/B, which is interpreted as a G chord with B in the bass.

If the fifth is on the bottom, with the root above it and the third above that, the triad is in second inversion. For example, here is a G major triad in second inversion:

[EXAMPLE]

Classical musicians may notate this G64, but jazz musicians notate it G/D.

The preceding examples all placed the three notes of a triad as close together as possible. This is called close or closed position. Open position is any combination of the three notes in which the notes are not as close together as possible. For example, the following triad is in open position:

[EXAMPLE]

As with the other elements discussed in this chapter, it is advisable to become familiar with the sound of the various qualities of triads, and if your goal is to perform jazz, to be able to play them on demand.

Copyright 2000 Outside Shore Music
Authored by Marc Sabatella

Triads