Vintage Club #6 with Richard | Triads 1

I want people who are unable to comfortably play 6-string and 5-string E-shape and A-shape major and minor barres to be able to access this session.

It is for everybody, including those trying yet currently having some difficulties making the shapes. They can join the session, try to physically play along and know they have at least a month until the next triads session in which to practice.

2 Likes

@Richard_close2u Richard, just a minor point on your opening diagrams, for the ā€œ3rd minorā€ diagram shouldnā€™t all the dots be be on the second fret rather than the 3rd when we lower 3 to b3 ?

I agree @Richard_close2u It took me a long time to nail barre chords and only a week or so to to nail these 6 triads. The hardest part is changing quickly between the triads, not because the shapes are hard but it takes time to learn where the all the roots are.

Roll on triads on other strings, canā€™t wait :joy:

2 Likes

No, because itā€™s a movable shape. It doesnā€™t matter what fret itā€™s on.

However, it is a point of confusion - I did a double take when I realized the 5th shape minor had moved from the ā€œproperā€ Dmin position.

For me at least, it would be less confusing if the root note stayed in the same fret between major and minor shapes.

Or perhaps Richard had a reason for drawing it this way, but itā€™s not obvious to me.

1 Like

Yes I understand itā€™s a movable shape but the one I highlight is the only one that doesnā€™t conform to the same major minor note in respective diagrams. For beginners never having seen triads before they could be excused for thinking that going from major to minor of the same note means you raise the root and 5th a fret rather than lowering the third.

Thatā€™s how I see it anyway.

Oops, Iā€™d tweak the 5th minor too/

2 Likes

Yeah, I agree.

I certainly think of making a major into a minor as ā€œflattening the thirdā€. But the diagrams confuse that issue.

1 Like

I admit to not knowing exactly how to attend these clubs or when they occur, plus the great Groucho Marx quote comes quickly to mind. :slight_smile:

That said, this would surely be one session well worth attending if you are not already very familiar with triads. If a light bulb does not go off for you after @Richard_close2u walks you through their usefulness, you need to reconsider your musical life choices. Get to know triads sooner rather than later, and start using them in your playing as soon as you get them under your fingers.

EDIT: Be sure to ask Sir Richard how you can use triads in your songs, solos, intros and outros.

3 Likes

I am sure Richard will clarify when he covers minor triads, this next sessions focuses on Majors.

image

This is stacked from G to e 3b 5 1 a minor chord regardless where that red dot lands on the e string.
Clue the lower octave of the root would be the open G string, 3 frets up ? 3b.

Learn the relative position of intervals - 5 always sits above the root (unless the root is is on the B string). Extra tip 4 always sits under the root. Edit oops = and of course unless the 4 is on that peskie B string !!

:sunglasses:

1 Like

Clint you may have missed a meeting

Are you signed up for Justinā€™s Newsletter ? I am sure Groucho would find some of them useful.
Harpo ? Maybe. Why not dip your toe in outside the bubble.

:sunglasses:

2 Likes

No and I am sorry for the confusion which I realise now I should have anticipated and written about.

The Root / 3rd / 5th diagrams have no fret numbers and they have no fret marker dots. They depict ā€˜shapesā€™ and shapes only. They do not depict specific triads such a G major or B minor or E major or F# minor or any other actual triad. They are ā€˜genericā€™ and non-specific.

Only when I show actual, named triads on the longer neck diagrams for C and F and G major triads do I show fret numbers and fret dot markers.

I did write this in my post above but perhaps it was not clear and explicit enough.

Also, it was not my intention to convey any sense that the major and its adjacent minor were related, sharing the same root note. If that was my intention I would have stated it and explained it. It is only the top two major / minor that can be viewed this way.
Again, for not anticipating a cause of confusion I apologise.

NOTE

I am not going to spend any time at all in the triad session this week showing how, for example, D major triad can be converted to a D minor triad by locating the 3rd within and flattening it. That is not within the scope of this coming session. The session will be all about getting your fingers down and forming the shapes, playing them in various ways, being comfortable with what they are and identifying them by a name we can all readily understand. From there, we will move to specific major triads at specific frets in a specific key, as mentioned in my post above.
The key of C, triads = C major, F major, G major.

Please, alert me to any more confusion you may have.
But also, please, there is no need to over think this. I am not going to be leading you along a long theoretical journey of intervals, chords in a key, chord construction etc etc.
We are going to be playing!
:slight_smile:

2 Likes

I simply worked from the software I use, Neck Diagrams, and created a new worksheet in which I made all diagrams span five frets only. I removed fret numbers and fret marker dots.
Some triads span two frets only and some span three frets.
That is as far as you need to think - there are no deeper meanings in the presentation of my diagrams. I stripped them back in the hope of making them as simple and plain - visually speaking - as I could.

2 Likes

Thanks Clint. :+1:

1 Like

Richard, no confusion caused here for me, I just thought those not familiar with triads may be confused and therefore it might have been better to do it slightly differently although your detailed explanation should clear things up if anyone was confused.

1 Like

Thanks for the link. Got it. These are primarily held on weekday mornings here and directed to early grade levels. Even so it is nice to see triads promoted as a hot topic and point of emphasis. Well done! Since no one has asked how I use them (or have used them), I will avoid adding some links (that no one clicks on anyway). :rofl: :sunglasses:

2 Likes

Not all, Justin Blues Club certainly has been beyond beginner level and worthy of a visit. :sunglasses:

2 Likes

My first Club Zoom courtesy of living in a ridiculously distant time zone but when I saw ā€œTriadsā€ I definitely wanted in :+1:

Iā€™ve just finished G3M3 PMT and am trying to ensure that Iā€™m retaining all the information in this whilst just starting to look into G4M4.1. On the Practical side Iā€™m now just halfway through G2M8.

Iā€™ve been coming across Triads here and there but what Iā€™m really hoping @Richard_close2u is that initially this will clear up what we actually even use Triads for? :scream:

Just for background yes, Iā€™m familiar and can finger (albeit not really up to song speed yet) bar chords like F, F#m, Bm and so am familiar with the E and A shape bar chords and theory of power chords.

I think whatā€™s missing is the really high level, ā€œwhat the! do we use Triads forā€ or is it just a stepping stone of knowledge to something bigger :face_with_spiral_eyes: :scream:

Anyway, looking forward to tuning in and if by some chance it all passes way over my head then at least I can bail out and go back to bed :rofl:

See yaā€™ll soon :+1:

1 Like

They are chords without all the duplicated notes and added muddiness of open cowboy chords and bar chords. You donā€™t always, or even very often, need or want to strum or hit all six strings at once every time you play. In the case of triads vs bar chords, you are free to use your freed up fingers for cliches and other twiddle bits. Triads are very useful when playing with other musicians as well.

2 Likes

Phew, this conversation has taken off before the session even begins. Am I redundant? Maybe I should put up a cardboard cut out and have a rest on Monday! haha

1 Like

Oh, no :rofl:!!! Please donā€™t! :wink: :joy:

1 Like

Thanks Clint, yes that makes some sense for sure. It does raise additional questions thoā€™ but Iā€™ll wait until Iā€™ve seen the zoom as Iā€™m sure it will fill in any blanks. I can always peruse it in the module thread if Iā€™m still a bit foggy about it :face_with_diagonal_mouth:

1 Like