Music Theory for Guitar | 5 | Major Triads
Added 2020-10-06 19:54:10 +0000 UTCWhere to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • Book a Private Lesson
Hi Everyone!
Continuing with this Music Theory For Guitar course, the next set of lessons are about Triads! Starting with Major Triads, I talk about how to make them, the language to use when discussing and thinking about them (to keep things from getting too confusing), and how we typically use voicings and inversions on guitar. This gives you the info you need to work on the homework and the practice track. This also prepares you for the next lesson about minor triads!
Here is the community forum post about this specific lesson to ask questions, post pictures or audio, or to see what other people are saying about this lesson.
Have a question? Ask on the weekly live Q&A, called Office Hours. Also, check out Practice Thoughts if you need help figuring out how to practice.
Here are the homework and practice sections for this lesson:
Check out the community post about this specific lesson to ask questions, post pictures or audio, or to see what other people are saying about this lesson.
Lessons in this Series:
Music Theory for Guitar | 1 | Major Scales
Music Theory for Guitar | 2 | Minor Scales
Music Theory for Guitar | 3 | Intervals
Music Theory for Guitar | 4 | Circle of Fifths
Music Theory for Guitar | 5 | Major Triads (current lesson)
Music Theory for Guitar | 6 | Minor Triads
Music Theory for Guitar | 7 | Diminished & Augmented Triads
Once you're done with this series, you'll know enough to move on to:
Music Theory Monday & CAGED System Basics
Other helpful links:
Scott's Recommended Lesson Plan
Searchable Lesson Archive
How to Join the Community Forum
Scott's Jam Tracks
Scott's Main YouTube Channel
Comments
Jack - sorry I missed this question so many months ago! 1. This is a tricky question - to some extent, if you were to learn to write sheet music, all voicings would be locked in specifically due to the nature of writing music. If you were a jazz player, you'd be insulted that someone wanted you to play a specific voicing of a specific chord - jazz players usually choose their own voicings and often add extra notes to the chord or substitute for a different chord at will. For a lead sheet online for a pop song, people will probably just put a chord chart showing the specific voicing. Generally speaking, inversions aren't discussed much on guitar precisely because so many of those chords are something like R 5 R 3 and inversions with perfect R 3 5, 3 5 R, 5 R 3 are uncommon. This is where slash chords come in handy. Like C/G means C over G, which means "play a C chord over a G note" This is basically a 2nd inversion C chord, because G is the 5th of C. Slash chords are a typical way that inversions are shown on guitar, but they don't specify the specific order, just that a certain note in the chord should be the lowest tone
Scott Paul Johnson
2025-03-26 19:24:30 +0000 UTCCan't believe how late to the game I am! Chuffed I've found this stuff Scott it's the first time in 20 years of playing the guitar that I've understood anything about what is going on. Can't wait to get started on the caged series, your CAGED YouTube video was a massive lightbulb moment for me and what brought me here. Couple of questions if you still monitor these comments... 1) if I'm writing some music how would i write the specific voicing of a triad when, say, A 1st inversion can be played on so many places up and down the neck. Would I just use a chord diagram tab like I'm used to or would I specify the fret the root note is on or something? 2) how do you differentiate between '3rd, root, 5th' and '3rd, 5th, root'? Are they both just 1st inversions? Does that even really matter on the guitar? Sorry if this stuff is covered somewhere else
Jack McAllister
2024-11-13 10:10:14 +0000 UTCGreat lesson, Scott. Cannot wait to start the next one. I used to play guitar a while back and I enjoy refreshing my memories of music and guitar theory!
Georgi Gradev
2023-12-25 09:39:46 +0000 UTCThanks Scott, I will now continue my journey
Phil Butler
2022-03-19 19:59:30 +0000 UTCHey Phil - I'd say as long as you can figure out HOW to make the triads from a scale, and a couple ways to do that on the fingerboard, you're good to go. CAGED Basics will cover this stuff in MUCH more detail.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-03-19 16:58:24 +0000 UTCHi Scott, on the Major Triads how much time do I need to commit to memorise all the notes and positions on the say DGBE strings ? Or do I just need to be able to play them ?
Phil Butler
2022-03-18 22:27:57 +0000 UTCThat was great, thank you Scott! Really brings together all the lessons to this point.
James Coons
2022-02-17 01:45:35 +0000 UTCbruh
Marcus
2022-02-14 04:12:02 +0000 UTCOh Shoot! I may have accidentally deleted it while doing some updates. I'll fix that asap
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-01-26 14:53:40 +0000 UTCI am feeling so educated! Theory for Guitar is a great series, thank-you Scott! One Dumb question. I cannot find the Homework link for Lesson 5 Major Triads. Can anyone direct me to that please?
stevie walters
2022-01-26 01:58:16 +0000 UTCGreat question! I'll cover it on my live Q&A on Friday!
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-01-19 21:20:11 +0000 UTCWhen I play an Amin chord, why shouldn't I play the low E string there according to tutorials and chord diagrams? It is in the minor scale or am I totally wrong here?
Escanor
2022-01-19 17:22:07 +0000 UTCI have to admit I'm having a hard time when I try to do a major triad on the A#,C#,D#,F#G#, because of the B & F not having a sharp.
Brenda Thomas
2021-12-06 22:51:14 +0000 UTCCheck the homework section!
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-09-15 14:40:43 +0000 UTCHey doesn't G have 1 sharp. Why aren't we adding the sharp to the list of possible nots to make a triad. What if we used a scale with many sharps.?
Flamecrew9 At roblox
2021-09-15 10:56:43 +0000 UTCYes, definitely light bulb and bright light moment for me as well :-))
Page Lin
2021-08-12 16:13:38 +0000 UTCWhen the video starts with: "I'll just start over again..." :D
Kylir
2021-07-21 10:39:56 +0000 UTCAwesome! Glad you're enjoying!
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-03-10 18:18:50 +0000 UTCI absolutely love this lesson. Ties in nicely with the previous lessons and allows me to quickly create new voicings when I pair it with the circle of fifths or your chord circle method where you can quickly make triads in the appropriate key. Great stuff, thank you !
Mr K
2021-03-09 15:00:03 +0000 UTCIt is like going back when I was 7 or 8 going to Disneyland. It's like Ow...ohhh...and ohhhhwwww... every minute. 😱😱😱 Life is beautifull again!
DeDé
2021-01-11 21:15:03 +0000 UTCThis is why I am here too, that and the pentatonic scale vid . I had to get him a coffee after that 😂 pure lightbulb moment where I started to understand notes and stuff . It’s like after that , other theory has just made sense like its never done before
Emma.T
2020-11-23 21:08:52 +0000 UTCA chord is just a group of notes. A Triad is a specific set of notes using root, third, and fifth. Chords can be strummed, arpeggiated, or just used as notes to accentuate when soloing. They are the underlying foundation on which everything in a song is built.
Scott Paul Johnson
2020-10-10 20:33:48 +0000 UTCThank you so much, it has opened my thinking of chords, triads and inversions. And thanks for standing the heat will recording this perfect lessons. joop
Joop Wassenaar
2020-10-08 15:24:43 +0000 UTCBoth of your questions relate to one another and this is probably why you might be getting your light bulb moment soon :) Chords are everywhere on the guitar and if you know the R 3 5 of the chord then you also know where to solo. Most professional guitarists I listen to basically say they are always targeting chords on the neck for soloing. The CAGED system that Scott had on his youtube channel is why I am a Patreon, Scott gave me my light bulb moment in my endeavor from just playing open chords on my acoustic to now starting to solo and find chords all over the neck on my electric. fun :)
Dale Inmon
2020-10-07 11:30:20 +0000 UTCThinking: it is useful use R, the third and the fifth for soloing? I am thinking the link between the themes now, and it sounds good for creating phrases... 🤔
Raphael B
2020-10-07 03:18:26 +0000 UTCCool, I did not know the difference between triads and chords, it helps a lot even for understanding better chords on guitar. Sometimes, I think chords are only for acoustic guitars, but there are a lot for electric too. Am I right? I will do the HW, Scott, thanks for the class.
Raphael B
2020-10-07 03:14:24 +0000 UTC
