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Spread Triads

Home › Forums › Music Theory › Spread Triads

Tagged: triads

  • This topic has 4 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 6 months, 2 weeks ago by Richard W.
Viewing 4 reply threads
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    Posts
    • October 23, 2024 at 12:57 pm #380558
      Fitz S
      Participant

        Any chance that someone could share a few quick suggestions on integrating spread triads?

      • October 23, 2024 at 4:15 pm #380563
        JoLa
        Participant

          Hey Fitz, thanks for that question! I’ve never heard of spread triads so I had to look it up and discovered something new and exciting. Sorry for not answering your question but I’m sure one of our music theory wizards will soon 🙂

          🎸JoLa

        • October 23, 2024 at 8:52 pm #380576
          charjo
          Moderator

            Hi Fitz,
            It’s hard to answer your question without knowing much about your fretboard knowledge.
            The spread triads should fit within each of the 6th, 5th and 4th string rooted bar chords. It would help to understand how to harmonize a key, ie. know the chords that fit within a key. It would also help to see the intervals, ie. the root, 5th and 3rd within those bar chords. The spread triads could then be used in a progression along with the overlying scale of the key and associated triads and licks around the chord shapes.
            Brian did a series on the contents of each CAGED shape, ie EP’s 556-560. It might help to see the spread triads within that context.
            Not sure if any of that is helpful but happy to try again with some more info on your question.
            John

          • October 24, 2024 at 2:16 am #380587
            Jean-Michel G
            Participant

              Hi!
              It would also help to know what you you would like to do with “spread triads” (a.k.a. open voicing triads).
              I wrote an overview about them there. Basically, open voicing triads are “drop-2 voicings”.

              In this Theory Forum you will also find a recent post of mine about how to use inversions here; this is relevant since most open voicing triads are indeed inversions.

              Let us know if you need more specific information.

            • October 24, 2024 at 9:30 am #380593
              Richard W
              Participant

                I think the video below is probably a decent introduction.

                A great way to get started is to become familiar with a few of the more comfortable shapes for both a major chord and a minor chord (you can get them from the video) and then take those shapes up the fretboard for all the chords in a given key.

                So say you are in the key of C, start with one of the major chord shapes for C, then play Dm, Em, F, G, Am moving up the fretboard.

                Another approach – after learning a handful of comfortable shapes – is to take a song you know or are working on, and work out that chord progression using only spread triads, but as physically close to each other on the fretboard as possible.

                You’ll definitely have fun working on this, it’s a great thing to have under your fingers.

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