Essential Chord Knowledge: Major & Minor Triads
Learning the triads of the major scale has been the single most important thing I’ve done to gain intimate knowledge of the fretboard and also come to understand music theory. It’s essential for learning how to truly improvise. Once you have a good handle on triads, you’ll be able to find and form chords all over the neck. So, what’s a triad, and how do we form them?
A triad is an arrangement of three notes that together form a chord. This can be remembered easily because the prefix “tri-” means three.
Just like scales have formulas, so do triads. Triads have a root note, a 3rd, and a 5th. The root note is often referred to as the “1” of the triad. The root of a triad is the same note as the name of the chord: so the root of the D major triad is the note D. The root of the E minor triad is the note E. And so on.
If you’re interested in learning some beautiful triad shapes that will really enhance your playing, make sure to check out the video on chord shapes next. You might also be interested in the 3 hour video course on mastering Open D tuning.
To find the 3rd of a major triad, you can stack a major 3rd interval on top of the root. The interval of a major 3rd is four half steps, which on the guitar is equivalent four frets on the same string.
To find the 3rd of a minor triad, you stack a minor 3rd interval on top of the root. The interval of a minor 3rd is three half steps.
The 5th of a major or minor triad is the interval of a perfect 5th above the root of a triad, when that triad is in root position. A perfect 5th is 7 half steps, equal to 7 frets. Remember, root position means that the root of the triad is the lowest note. A triad can also be in 1st inversion or in 2nd inversion, which means that a note other than the name of the chord is in the bass. We’ll talk more about those inversions soon. For now, we’re talking about root position triad intervals.
Another way to find the 5th of a major triad in root position is to count up a minor 3rd from the 3rd of the triad. This means we can say that a major triad can be constructed from any note by stacking a major 3rd interval above the root, followed by a minor 3rd interval above the 3rd of the triad.
A minor triad has the opposite formulation. From the root note to the 3rd is the interval of a minor 3rd, and from the 3rd to the 5th is the interval of a major 3rd.
There’s a simple hack you can use to form triads of the major scale. Start on one note of the scale. This will be your root. Then skip the next scale degree and include the following degree. That is your 3rd. Then skip the next degree and include the following one. That is your 5th. For example, the notes of the D major scale are: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D. If we begin on the note F#, we know which other two notes will form an F# triad in the D major scale: skip G, include A, skip B, include C#. The triad is: F#-A-C#. It’s even easier if we think in numbers. F# is the 3rd scale degree of D major. So the F# triad is composed of the 3-5-7 scale degrees.
Remember, the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings form a major triad in Open D tuning, which is super helpful and always a great reference. A firm understanding of triads is essential for understanding more complex chord types, and is also fundamental in learning the fretboard. I promise that the short time it will take you to understand triad formation will never stop paying dividends as you continue to learn music theory and progress in this open tuning.
If you’re interested in really learning how to improvise in Open D and similar tunings, you’ll really enjoy the 3 hour video course Mastering Open D Tuning and the book Mastering the Fretboard in Open D.
If you have any questions about this lesson, suggestions for future articles, or you’re interested in private classes, don’t hesitate to send me an email via the contact form below.
Happy playing,
Jake Shane
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