Using triad pairs is simply an intervallic
approach to improvisation. The concept
is fairly basic, and it’s fun and challenging
at the same time. When used correctly, the
technique can generate some very interesting
sounds. Let’s get started.
First, we need to define what triad pairs
are. You can think of them in simple terms
as a pair of triad arpeggios that will be used
for improvising. But how do we know which
ones to use? Basically, any two triads generated
from a diatonic scale that are next to
each other are a good choice. For this lesson
(and believe me this is just the tip of the
iceberg), we use F and G triads to solo over a
Dm7 vamp. The default scale for playing over
minor-7th chords in jazz is the Dorian mode.
In this example, we’ll select D Dorian, which
contains the same notes as the C major scale.
The triads in the key of C major are C, Dm,
Em, F, G, Am, and Bdim. So all we have done
is select two triads that are the same quality
(major) and occur next to each other in the
scale. So F and G are a great choice. The notes
from these two arpeggios are F–A–C (F triad)
and G–B–D (G triad).
What’s cool about this concept is that if
you play lines that use the notes from these
two triads in sequence, you will end up playing
six of the seven diatonic notes from the
scale without repeating any other notes. Also,
you will generate lines with fairly wide intervals
(lots of thirds and fifths) that are typical
in modern jazz improvisation.
Watch the video lesson:
The first thing you need to do is get a grip
on these triads, and all their inversions, everywhere
on the fretboard. This is where you will
find out how well you understand triads. If
you struggle with this at first, that’s okay. Take
your time and master the arpeggio shapes.
Basically, there are two ways to approach this
on guitar. Every guitarist should be able to
play every triad with horizontal movement
and vertical movement. Horizontal movement
goes up and down the fretboard staying on the
same string set and vertical movement stays in
position while playing through the triads and
their inversions. Check out and Fig. 1andFig. 2
to see how to use these two movements.
The following examples show how to organize the notes in these triads to create some interesting ideas. One byproduct of this technique is that your solos will sound more compositional, because motivic ideas and development will naturally start to occur. Motivic development creates form, and this sounds distinctly different from mindlessly running through a scale or playing some melody that doesn’t really seem to have a destination.
Both Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 combine a more melodic approach with some syncopated ideas, and demonstrate how these techniques can give your improvisation a very compositional quality. In Fig. 5, I use the inversions of the F and G triads to move up the neck and I add an Eb passing tone in the last measure. Download example 3 audio...
Download example 4 audio...
Download example 5 audio...
Basically, this concept is just a way to break out of running scales and playing scalar lines. It also forces us to be very accurate with our note choices, and in many cases will expose how little we actually understand the fretboard and triad shapes (with their inversions) across the fretboard. Good luck and have fun!
The first time I heard Wes
Montgomery, I was struck by
three things: his melodic sensibility,
his use of octaves, and how he
played solos using chords. This latter
technique allowed Wes to make the
guitar sound almost like a big band.
Let’s examine several important
elements of this block-chord technique,
starting with two important
considerations: First, we’ll limit
ourselves to playing chords on four
adjacent strings (string sets 1-4 or 2-5
work best). Second, all our harmonic
choices will be dictated by the melody.
Take the basic melody in Fig. 1. If I were to take that same melody and apply a block-chord soloing approach I might end up with Fig. 2. You’ll notice that the melody remains the same and the chords I chose lie on the four adjacent strings. The melody is very diatonic and the only chromaticism occurs in measure 3, where the same chord structure moves chromatically to harmonize the melody from A7 to Bb7. Wes often used this device in his solos.
Download Example Audio 1...
Download Example Audio 2...
Wes was also fond of substituting a diminished 7th chord for a dominant 7th chord. In this type of substitution, you can replace a dominant 7 with a diminished 7 in four ways: You can substitute a diminished 7th chord rooted off the dominant 7th’s 3, 5, and b7, or plant a diminished 7 a half-step above the root of the dominant 7th chord.
For example, if you have a Bb7, you can use a Ddim7 (from the 3), Fdim7 (from the 5), Abdim7 (from the b7), or substitute a Cbdim7 (which is rooted a half-step higher than Bb7) for the dominant 7th chord. The main reason this works is that regardless of which diminished 7th chord you’re playing, the 3 and b7 of the Bb7 are always present. The 3 (D) and b7 (Ab) are known as guide tones, and these are the defining tones of any dominant 7th chord. When you use this substitution, the sonority you create is Bb7(b9).
In Fig. 3, I’ve taken the same melody and used the diminished 7 to substitute for the dominant 7 as described above. As you play through this, notice the rich sound that results from using these diminished chords. Also, in measure 2, notice how you can take parallel diminished chord structures and move them along the neck in minor thirds. Download Example Audio 3...
These examples are over the first four bars of the blues. Take these techniques and try to finish out an entire chorus of the blues. Listen to great Wes Montgomery recordings to better understand the sound of these concepts, and then strive to integrate them into your playing.
What begins as an inspired, creative groove
can sometimes become a rut over time. Once
our ears hear something new, we train our
fingers to go there, and it’s an exciting time
musically. We learn new ideas for improvising
and create new compositional ideas that
way. At some point, however, it’s bound to
happen: Our ears aren’t feeding us any new
ideas, and our fingers are playing the same
melodic lines that they learned back when we
practiced with cassette tapes.
Think It Through
I wrote the song “Once Around the Sun” as
an exercise that came from a concept I was
turned onto by jazz guitarist Emily Remler.
The idea was to create lines that only use the
intervals of fourths and seconds as a way to
force myself into new territory and away from
familiar licks. You can change the exercise to
use any one or two intervals as a restriction.
The idea is to think it through intellectually,
rather than simply letting your ears or fingers
guide you as they habitually would. As a
result, your ears and fingers both learn something
new, sending you on a creative path full
of fresh melodies and ideas.
Fig. 1 is an excerpt from “Once Around
the Sun.” As you can see, once I put
the ideas from the practice into a song,
I allowed myself some latitude with the
restrictions of the intervals. The idea is to
have a fresh place to start that will lead
to a new musical story. Start by playing
in the seventh position. Shift to the sixth
position on beat 3 of the first measure,
and with your first finger, stretch back for
the D on the “and” of beat 2 in measure
two. Shift back to the seventh position on
the “and” of beat 2 in the third measure,
which is in 3/4 time. The meter change
was not planned, by the way. This is an
example of letting the melody present
itself, as it seemed to want to be played.
It was only after I learned to play it and
listen to it that I figured out the quirky
time scheme.
The line shown in Fig. 2 comes from the
song’s coda. You can see that the ties from
the first section of the song are gone.
The result is the phrases now seem to
run together, rather than having the clear
separation they had in the first line, which
was made even more clear by the accents
on the lowest note of each phrase. You’ll
notice the accents are still on the lowest
note of each phrase, but they fall in unexpected
places.
Making Friends with Seconds and Fourths
If you analyze the intervals, you’ll find
fourths played forward and backward,
making fifths descending, such as A to D
and back down to A. The occasional third
seemed to set up a new section of fourths,
so I let it be a way into a new melodic section
in spots.
As for the intervals of a second, you’ll see
a minor second descending in measure
1 (E to Eb) and a major second ascending
in measure 2 (A to B). Measure 5 has
a descending major second (F# to E) as a
characteristic sound.
Learning the fingering to this melodic
example could show you new patterns
that involve fourths and seconds—along
with thirds and fifths—that could work
their way into your improvised lines. Keep
your ears alert for the sound of these
angular lines and listen to your own new
ideas develop.