Triads, Inversions, Arpeggios, and Extensions

Description

This lesson begins our first of three lessons on the idea of stacking thirds. In brief, stacking thirds is how we build our triads and their extensions. Here is a breakdown of how this works:




Here are the notes of a C major scale:
CDEFGAB




In that, we have our major triad which is as follows:
CEG




From our C, to E, to G; each note is a third interval away from each other. Our triads are built by stacking third on top of third on top of third. From there, we can add other notes using this same concept to build other familiar chord shapes. In this lesson, we are looking at how to build Dominant 7 and Major 7 chords using this concept. By simply stacking thirds, we can make each of these chords playable in a variety of fun and exciting ways.





We will take a look at how to play these chords in a stacked form along with how to work with them as arpeggios. You can use these shapes and ideas in both your rhythm and lead playing. Work at your own pace, and enjoy the eye opening introduction.