Chords are generally formed from three notes from a scale. Starting on C and creating a triad will yield a C major chord.
However, even when using the same chord scale and chord notes, changing just the third note’s flattened note can dramatically alter its sound and can produce quite powerful effects. This technique is known as playing on extensions and can produce some quite striking sounds!
Major Triad
Major Triads are composed of three notes from the major scale, with their first note (root) located at one note from root and their third and fifth notes being spaced an exact third apart. A Major Triad is used as the building block of many chords; for instance, C major contains C as its root note with E as third note and G as fifth note – you can build this chord using any major triad shape on the fretboard while staying within its same group of strings.
Minor, augmented and diminished triads share these qualities; their root notes can come from any note in the scale and they sound the same no matter which string they’re played on – for instance you could play a minor triad on the second string, an augmented on third string and diminished on fifth string for example.
Many guitarists may recognize the basic major chord shapes, yet may be unaware that these are actually triads. Additionally, many guitarists may recognize chord voicings containing more than three notes; such as those found in many styles we play; but often these voicings are simply doubled triads played across multiple octaves for added thickness and fullness.
To help grasp this concept, it can be useful to think in terms of key signatures. Each key signature identifies a different scale – for instance C major and F minor are examples. Keep in mind that both chords and scales derive from the same structure but have different configurations depending on the key signature chosen.
As you learn major triads, you will notice that each has its own distinct pattern of notes that make up its composition. This is because they’re built using scale degrees of either major or minor keys – major triads include those built around do, re and so while minor ones utilize mi, re and la.
Minor Triad
Triads offer much more than simply memorizing shapes. They help open up the fretboard, improve improvisation and note memorization, as well as creating different chord voicings – this is why so many guitarists study triads and chord progressions in depth. When learning these chords it is essential to remember they are just small parts of much bigger harmonic structures such as scales or chord progressions and strive to understand the larger picture as you learn each one.
The most basic minor triad consists of the root, minor third and perfect fifth notes arranged as follows. This structure is commonly known as a minor close triad but it can also be played openly if the second highest note is moved up an octave; this variation is known as drop 2 triad and used often by jazz musicians to produce distinct tones.
These triads are commonly heard in the key of C, but can also be played in any minor key. Any type of triad can be played in a minor key as long as its construction is correct – all it requires is knowing which kind you are playing and the note which serves as its root.
To form a minor triad, start by starting with the tonic of a minor scale and adding two minor thirds and perfect fifths, which forms its base position triad. From there you can invert this triad by moving it either up or down the fretboard; jazz players often do this when creating jazz tunes. This type of diminished triad often sounds less full than its major equivalent.
Your options for building major-scale triads are almost limitless; any note from any major scale could be used. When building new triads, however, be mindful of the quality of intervals from root to third and fifth. This determines whether or not the quality is major-, minor-, diminished- or augmented.
The diagram below depicts three minor triad forms on all strings. Once learned, these shapes can be used to play any minor chord. To form these triads on paper simply write out its root note on staff before drawing two snowpeople representing notes a third and fifth higher up that root note – then add any accidentals from your key signature that make sure that triad fits within its key signature.
Major Scale Shapes
The major scale is composed of seven different shape patterns that you can use to craft chords and riffs up and down the fretboard. What makes these shapes particularly impressive is their connectivity – once you master one you will quickly be able to connect it with any other major scale shape – for instance when playing C major scale shapes it will always sit next to any of its related D major scale shapes if they share intervals (a whole step is equivalent to two frets while a half step equals one fret).
This method makes navigating the fretboard much simpler since moving from shape to shape keeps all of the notes in their respective places. We will focus on learning four scale shapes with associated chords for this lesson but you can apply this knowledge to any major scale shape in any key.
When we consider these scale shape diagrams it is essential to remember they are based on closed position fingerings which means all three strings are played simultaneously with one hand. While this can present beginners with challenges as their hands have to move up and down the fretboard more frequently for practice purposes, it can also create compact shapes which are easier to hold down with their fingers.
Closed fingerings also enable you to form chord shapes across all six strings, providing you with more choices for creating chords and creating different styles of music – this is particularly useful when playing blues or any other style that requires you to switch strings frequently.
Alternatively, open fingering is perfectly acceptable when performing major scales, but be mindful that they may be less frequent and harder to memorize due to not forming compact finger positions like closed shapes do. Furthermore, open shapes often include more notes which makes forming comfortable shapes difficult on the fretboard and could potentially cause confusion when trying to play chords.
Minor Scale Shapes
No matter the genre of music you perform, chord progressions are an invaluable skill to acquire. Understanding how chords are built from scales allows you to improvise and compose original songs while transposing songs into other keys by playing scale patterns that correspond with them. In this lesson we’ll learn five distinct shapes of minor scale for guitar that all lead back to its root note –
G minor scale pattern will be our starting point. Spanning over two full octaves, it has an easily identifiable root note for you to start learning from. On a fretboard you can locate this shape using the chart at left which also features circled numbers indicating where fingers should be placed as well as black circles to identify notes which contain G notes.
To play this shape, start on the root note at the 8th fret of your fretboard and move up one fret until you reach C major chord, also known as tonic of your key. Continue moving upward by two positions until you hit IV chord (F). Finally, go up another third step until you reach III (A).
This scale pattern is one of many you will need to understand chord formation from minor scale chords. Each one connects to its predecessor through shared notes known as intervals on the fretboard – once you learn an interval pattern for one minor scale, that knowledge applies across other minor scales as well.
As you learn each scale pattern, it is wise to practice them by playing a song featuring all the minor chords that correspond. This will enable you to put your new knowledge to good use while developing muscle memory of its shapes.