Often times, the sound of closed-position triads (triads stacked with chord tones within an octave) may not be "big" or "wide" enough for a composer or an improviser.
These small triads are great for creating funk riffs, and are also very common in classical music. John Coltrane used them a lot while blazing over changes.
But while playing the guitar as a solo instrument, or accompanying a vocalist, these chords may not add the bite you need to elevate your performance.
In this blog, we will take a little dive into the idea of open triads, which act as a solution for the above situations.
How Do We Build These Triads?
In theory, figuring out open triads is actually pretty easy.
Each closed-position triad is built of 3 notes (or 3 voices as we often call them).
We simply take any such closed triad (regardless of its inversion), and play the middle note/voice up an octave.
For example, the C major closed triad is built using CEG. So we simply play the E note up an octave, leaving us with CGE.
Similarly, for the 1st inversion (EGC) We play ECG. And for the 2nd inversion (GCE) we play GEC.
The picture below will show you the difference between the closed triads and open triads for each inversion of the chord.
The same method is used on all types of triads (major, minor, augmented, diminished, and suspended chords).
A similar method (drop voicing) is used for 4-note chords (7th chords) as well, but we will look into those in another blog.
How & When To Use Them
For starters, learn how to play them on the fretboard first and absorb the sound of each inversion.
Next, play a song or any chord progression you like by substituting the original chord voicings with these open triads.
Alternatively, if you are not very much into learning tunes, consider composing a little piece using these triads and your ears.
As per when to use them is concerned, I usually use them to add some change in texture while playing standards or freely improvising.
It's also a great sound for songwriters looking for chords that sound intervallic and clean at the same time.
These are also great for composing etudes that have a bit of the "classical" flavour. But of course that also depends hugely on the harmonic progression you are using.
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Here are some of the things I talk about in class:
Music fundamentals and theory
Ear-training
Composition
Improvisation
The guitar as a solo instrument
Musical, compositional, and improvisational philosophies
Artistry
Expression
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