Guitar Triads Explained [Easy Guide]

To know how triads are constructed, we need to know a bit about chord construction.

Now, quick disclaimer, for this explanation to make sense, you need to know a little about intervals. In short, an interval is the distance between two notes. So, I’ll assume you’re familiar with the basics of intervals on guitar going forward!

A chord is nothing but multiple notes that are played at the same time. By combining different notes, we get different 'chord types', such as:

• major chords, such as A, C or D
• minor chords, such as Am, Cm or Dm
• dominant chords, such as: A7, C7 or D7

Each of these chord types has its own specific sound. That sound is created because each chord type has a 'recipe'. Now, this recipe doesn't consist of notes names (such as B, Ab and F), but of intervals.

For example, the ‘recipe’ for a major chord is:

- root note
- major third
- perfect fifth

As you can see, this recipe consists of three ingredients. That's why this chord is called a triad ('tri' as in 'three'). So this is also the recipe for a major triad!

So, how exactly does this 'recipe' work?

We start with the lowest note in the chord. This note is called the root note. Next, we look at the interval (i.e. the distance) between the root note and the other notes.

For example, in a chord consisting of three notes, that distance might be a major third (four frets) and a perfect fifth (seven frets).

Each interval is like an 'ingredient', which means that each type of chord has its own 'recipe'.

Now, let's explore how this applies to the fretboard. Let's start by listing our 'ingredients' and the distance on the guitar in 'frets'.

And let's compare that to this quick analysis of a major triad on the fretboard:

So, how does this exactly work?

• We start with our root note. In this case, that's the 5th fret on the A string.
• Next, we 'measure' the distance between the root note and the next note, the 4th fret on the B string. This distance is 5 semitones (the same as going up 5 frets on the same string), which makes it a major third interval (M3).
• Finally, we measure the distance between the root note and the 2nd fret on the G string. This distance is 7 semitones (or guitar frets), which is a perfect fifth interval.

In short, this chord has all the 'ingredients' we need for a major triad: a root note, a major third and a perfect fifth!

(Note, if you have no idea how to 'measure the distance' between two notes, check out this article on guitar intervals!)

This might seem like a lot of math, but it's simply a matter of practice. That's why I created Music Theory from Scratch, a music theory course with interactive exercises like this:

Want to give it a shot? You can try a couple of lessons for free, which includes a more detailed explanation of how chords are constructed as well as the above exercise.

Here are those four triad qualities:

- major
- minor
- diminished
- augmented

Let’s take a look at each of them.

First, we have the major triad, which we saw earlier. It’s ‘recipe’ is:

And here’s how we could play it on the fretboard:

Next up, we the minor triad. All we have to do is change the major third into a minor third. Check it out.

Now, the major and minor triads are by far the most important. But we also have diminished triad. This is similar to the minor triad, except we make the perfect fifth into a diminished fifth.

Finally we have the augmented triad. This is similar to the major triad, except we turn the perfect fifth into an augmented fifth.

And those are our four triad qualities. As I mentioned, the major and minor triads are by far the most important. So in the next section, we’ll check out how we can play them in different ways.

There are three basic ways we can play a triad. The root position, the first inversion and the second inversion.

So far, we’ve played triads in ‘root position’, where the order of our ingredients is root, third, fifth. For example, here’s a D major triad in root position.

To get the first inversion, we change the order to third, fifth, root.

And for the second inversion, we change the order to fifth, root, third.

Here’s a quick recap:

Now, you might wonder, when would you use these inversions? Why bother with them?

There are two reasons. First, each inversion has a slightly different sound. The root position sounds more stable, while the first and second inversion sound a bit more ‘up in the air’.

Second, inversions allow us to play the same chords in different places on the neck. This allows for really smooth sounding chord changes, as we’ll see in a bit.

First though, here’s an example of how we can take a G major triad, and play it in different spots on the neck using inversions.

Notice how we’re still playing the same notes, just in a different order!

We can also play a G minor triad all over the neck using inversions too:

Sounds good doesn’t it?

This is the most useful though, when we are playing different chords. For example, here’s how we could play Am – Dm – F – E.

Notice how the notes on each string only move one or two frets between chords? That’s what makes these chord changes sound so smooth. There are no large jumps.

The next step? Give this a try yourself! Take a simple chord progression, such as Am / F and see how you switch between those two chords using inversions.

Of course, knowing how something works isn’t enough in music. We need to practice it so much that it becomes so obvious, that we can use it anytime. So the next step is to take what you’ve learned and to play around with it and practice!

As always, if you have any questions or thoughts on how this article could be better, feel free to get in touch with me here.