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Lesson 16: Decoding Chords (Triads)
Level: Expert

Triads are a very popular form of chord. A Triad basically means a three note chord. These are a great tool for guitar playters, allowing you to be able to easily create chords and it's a great way to practice scales. Although there are thousands of triad chords playable, we'll focus in on minor triads and major triads.

The first thing you should take note of is that you can already play triads. Power chords, also known as "5th" chords, are triads. You play three notes, and it gives you a unique sound. These are the easiest form of triad. Other triads focus on different scales, and are not moveable shapes like power chords are.

Lets start with the C Major scale and compare the Major triad to a C5 power chord:

The first thing you might notice is that the C Major Triad and the C5 triad have the same root note (C). The root note establishes the chord name. This brings us to the first step of creating a triad.

Step One: Choose a Root Note.

This is normally the same as that of the key your playing. In this example we'll just use "C."
The root note also represents the first note of the scale you'll be using.

Step Two: Pick Your Formula

This is the hardest part of constructing a triad. Lets start with the formula for a Major Triad. Memorize this: To find a Major Triad, take the First note, Third note, and Fifth note, of the scale.

Also consider the scale: C D E F G A B C

We'll cover how to use this in step three, here is the formula for the Minor Triad

Also consider the scale: C D D# F G G# A# C

Step Three: Follow the Directions Given in the Formula

For the Major chord, say we've picked a C for our root note. The formula for a major chord states we use the 1st note, the 5th note, and the 3rd note. So, we've got our scale, lets figure this out, we're looking for a combination of a: C, E, and G. It's that simple!

Pick a C, an E, and a G and play them together. That is a C Major Triad. Now for the Minor Triad, the root note, a flat third, and a fifth. We refer to our minor scale and take the first note (C), the flat third note (D), and the fifth note (G).

Useful Tip:

To help with finding root note positions, try this: For every note, if you move up two strings, and up two frets, unless your crossing the G string, you will hit the same note, but an octave higher. Check out this chart:

From the lowest C you go up two strings, and over two frets and you find another C. Then up two strings again, and up three frest because we crossed the G string. This trick can help you find notes all across the fretboard. When you look at the board and think of a C, you should start to be able to visualize at least three or four positions to play a C. Also if you go from a high string to a low string, move up or down three strings. Try going from the lowest C again, down 3 strings, and down two frets (2nd string, 1st fret). It works everywhere!

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