Practical Triads: Song Suggestions

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I’ve been learning major and minor triads and I thought it might help cement them into my brain if I had some songs that featured them in practice.

I have been transposing some common chord progressions (e.g., I IV V) into triads, but I’d like to find some songs to learn that will help reinforce them for me.

I’m interested in songs that use them not only as chords but also ones that incorporate them into riffs or licks, too.

So far on my list of options I have:

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing (I think I can handle some of the licks but not sure about the solo yet!)
The Who - Substitute
The Who - Pinball Wizard
Khruangbin - August 10
John Mellencamp - Jack and Diane

Any other suggestions? I wouldn’t mind some stuff that’s a bit further away from the usual classic blues rock canon (Khruangbin being a good example).

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Jack and Dianne
Listen To The Music.
With many other songs, you can play triad parts over the main guitar part, or rhythm etc.

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Try the intro and outro triad riff in End of the Line by the Travelling Wilburys. It helped me get my triad shape changes to a faster tempo…

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Where The Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name of Love)
And probably a few other U2 songs, The Edge uses triads in a lot of his solos.

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That one I do know! So much fun to play.

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A quick search came up with these

Major Triads

Popular Songs Featuring Major Triads

Song Title Artist
“Let It Be” The Beatles
“Sweet Home Alabama” Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Three Little Birds” Bob Marley
“Brown Eyed Girl” Van Morrison
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” Poison
“Stand By Me” Ben E. King
“I’m Yours” Jason Mraz
“You Are My Sunshine” Traditional
“Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” Hank Williams
“With or Without You” U2

Minor Triads

Song Title Artist Difficulty Level
Californication Red Hot Chili Peppers Beginner
The Unforgiven Metallica Intermediate
State of Love and Trust Pearl Jam Intermediate

I am also trying to learn Triads across the neck so will look at some of these as well.

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Deep Purples “Burn” has a lovely short arpeggiated triad progression(at about 2:50 in the album version). I can’t play it at full speed, but even slowed down I love the sound of it.

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Practical Triads: This could be a good topic for a Club session @Richard_close2u.

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Bob Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone. The chorus (how does it feel…to be on you own…like a rolling stone…) is C-F-G repeated often throughout. Play that part with open chords, then substitute triad sets to get a different flavor. Justin’s song lesson demonstrates that.

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I can’t think of any song that you couldn’t play with triads, every regular major or minor chord is just a triad with some repeated notes after all. Pick a song you like and figure out how to make it sound good with triads. I use triads on the d/g/b strings a lot as it has a more midrange sound. Learn to mute other strings so you can strum the triads like regular open chords.
If you want riffs and licks that use triads then take a look at just about anything by Hendrix, he loved to embellish a triad to create a lick - for example the iconic Purple Haze lick is a ‘3 in the bass G triad’ the the 2nd added at the end. The Wind Cried Mary solo is an absolute master class in using triads - he uses so many of his classic triad ‘tricks’ in that one.

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Two songs I like to play that specifically include major/minor triads are:

Police: Can’t stand losing you
Weezer: Island in the sun

But as said any major/minor chord progression you could play the triad shape of them, strummed or picked.

The worlds your oyster.

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