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Title: Major Triad - Part 2
Level: Intermediate
Style: Theory
Instructor: Roger Brotherhood
SOME of you folks may have looked at the previous lesson regarding the
importance of learning the map of major and minor triads in all
locations on the fingerboard. I thought it might be a good idea to take
another look at the map and talk about some ways to make memorizing it
a little easier. If you'd like to take another look at the first post,
search the field for "TRIAD MAP".
It's important NOT to try to memorize "shapes" on the guitar. This can
become overwhelming when you begin to learn ALL the possible chords on
the instrument. Instead, try to learn the relationships between the
basic chord tones (Root, 3rd, and 5th).
It's a good idea to start with the Root/5th relationship. Here's the way it looks, ANYWHERE on the fingerboard.
E|---|---|---|---| E|---|---|---|---| E|---|---|---|---|---|
B|---|---|---|---| B|---|---|---|---| B|---|---|---|---|-R-|
G|---|---|---|---| G|---|---|---|-R-| G|---|---|---|-5-|---|
D|---|---|---|-R-| D|---|---|---|-5-| D|---|-R-|---|---|---|
A|---|---|---|-5-| A|---|-R-|---|---| A|---|---|---|---|---|
E|---|-R-|---|---| E|---|---|---|---| E|---|---|---|---|---|
E|---|---|---|---|-R-| E|---|---|---|-5-|
B|---|---|---|---|-5-| B|---|-R-|---|---|
G|---|-R-|---|---|---| G|---|---|---|---|
D|---|---|---|---|---| D|---|---|---|---|
A|---|---|---|---|---| A|---|---|---|---|
E|---|---|---|---|---| E|---|---|---|---|
Rock players refer to this as a "power chord". It's the most basic
relationship on the guitar. Here's the way the map looks when you tie
all the Roots and 5ths together.
E|-R-|---|---|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|
B|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|
G|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|---|---|
D|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|
A|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|---|---|---|-5-|
E|-R-|---|---|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|
Remember, these relationships are true no matter which note you choose
as the root. A really good exercise is picking a note anywhere on the
guitar and playing the COMPLETE map of Roots and 5ths with that note as
the root. Make sure you go down to the lowest available note, and up to
the highest available note before you return to the note you started
on. Make sure you become VERY familiar with the map using the roots: E,
A, D, G, and C. Any other chord root will be 3 frets or less from one
of these tones.
Here's the relationship of the 3rd to each root. Again, this is true
ANYWHERE on the fingerboard.
E|---|---|---| E|---|---|---| E|---|---|---| E|---|---|---|
B|---|---|---| B|---|---|---| B|---|---|---| B|---|-3-|---|
G|---|---|---| G|---|---|---| G|-3-|---|---| G|---|-R-|---|
D|---|---|---| D|---|-3-|---| D|---|-R-|---| D|---|---|---|
A|-3-|---|---| A|---|---|-R-| A|---|---|---| A|---|---|---|
E|---|-R-|---| E|---|---|---| E|---|---|---| E|---|---|---|
E|-3-|---|---|
B|---|-R-|---|
G|---|---|---|
D|---|---|---|
A|---|---|---|
E|---|---|---|
Notice how you have to compensate for the tuning of the guitar when you
transfer these intervals to the second and third strings. (The B and G
strings.)
Here's how the map of roots and 3rds looks when you put it together
with the Roots and 5ths. Remember, the Roots and 5ths form the skeleton
of the major and minor triads. Once you know those, the 3rds are easy
to add on.
E|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|
B|-3-|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---|---|-5-|
G|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|
D|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|
A|---|---|-3-|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---|
E|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|---|-R-|
Remember, learn the Roots and 5ths WELL before you even think about
adding the 3rds. Then, practice up and down the neck as before, except
this time whenever you reach a Root, play the 3rd. Then continue on to
the 5th, which takes you to the next Root, etc.
It might be a good idea to take another look at the first post on the
triad map, at this point.
Remember, this concept is the secret to making everything else you
learn on the guitar easy. ANYTHING you learn about the guitar will be
related to and based on this map . . . chords, scales, EVERYTHING!!
Please let me know if there is an interest in this stuff ... I'll be
happy to continue with this from time to time if there is.
Have fun,
Roger Brotherhood
==============================================================================
FUTURE LESSONS
--------------
No Name Style Level Instructor
17 Good Right and Left Hand Techn Technique I Tim Fullerton
18 The Modes part II Theory I David Good
19 Good Right and Left hand Techn Technique I Tim Fullerton
20 Heavy Metal Guitar, Lesson I Heavy Metal B Kevin Marcus
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