Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Triads Survival Guide - applied to essential exercises & progressions! (Patreon)

Published:
2024-10-12 15:00:12
Imported:
2026-08
Tags:

Downloads

Content

For this latest instalment in my “Survival Guide” series, we take a deep dive into triads.. and how best to organise them, practice them and most importantly.. use them! Major, minor, diminished and augmented.. all applied to a handful of different progressions. From dark, deep, ambient Americana style triads on the bottom string set, to choppy, soulful Hendrix style riffs over “Hey Joe”.

It’s important to put these things to work right out of the gate if you really want them to stick, and with these exercises and my exhaustive lesson materials you’ll have a life-long resource to revisit time and time again.

So whether you’re looking to improve your ability to play over chord changes, or just need to brush up on your fretboard fluency.. this is the lesson for you.

The materials that accompany this one are truly vast. Not only containing my “Triads Survival Guide” but also every single example and progression neatly typed up in TAB and notation, in guitar pro and PDF formats! I’ve also included my backing track for the “Low Triads Americana style” exercise! Truly a lifetime’s worth of reference materials here!

Files

The Triads Survival Guide. Essential progressions & exercises! From Americana & Blues to Hendrix!

Full lesson materials available on my Patreon page at the link below; https://patreon.com/AlexFarranGuitar If Patreon isn’t your bag, you can purchase the 6 pages of lesson materials for this lesson alone, directly at the link below; https://smogfalls.gumroad.com/l/fozcsz Book in for a private Zoom lesson!.. just choose a slot at the link below; https://tidycal.com/alexfarranguitar/guitarlesson For this latest instalment in my “Survival Guide” series, we take a deep dive into triads.. and how best to organise them, practice them and most importantly.. use them! Major, minor, diminished and augmented.. all applied to a handful of different progressions. From dark, deep, ambient Americana style triads on the bottom string set, to choppy, soulful Hendrix style riffs over “Hey Joe”. It’s important to put these things to work right out of the gate if you really want them to stick, and with these exercises and my exhaustive lesson materials you’ll have a life-long resource to revisit time and time again. So whether you’re looking to improve your ability to play over chord changes, or just need to brush up on your fretboard fluency.. this is the lesson for you. The materials that accompany this one are truly vast. Not only containing my “Triads Survival Guide” but also every single example and progression neatly typed up in TAB and notation, in guitar pro and PDF formats! I’ve also included my backing track for the “Low Triads Americana style” exercise! Truly a lifetime’s worth of reference materials for no more than the cost of a coffee!.. check the links in the description to get hold of it all! ⏱️Time Stamps ⏱️ 00:00 - Intro 00:43 - Mapping out the string sets 01:02 - String Set #1 01:35 - String Set #2 01:58 - String Set #3 02:13 - String Set #4 02:25 - Lesson Materials! 02:50 - Exercise #1 03:44 - Triad Stacks 05:20 - The Four Triad Qualities 05:43 - Minor triads 06:05 - Diminished triads 06:55 - Augmented triads 07:43 - Exercise #2 - Cycle of Fourths 10:11 - “Sleepwalk” exercise 12:49 - Bringing in the diminished! 15:08 - Augmented application exercise 16:20 - Country Blues progression using all four triad types! 17:07 - Low Triads - Americana style exercise 19:00 - Triad based phrases and transposition 21:42 - “Hey Joe” application 22:47 - Sign-off! Reference videos; Jazz Chords Survival Guide; https://youtu.be/YuGjk8Hqpnw?si=Iuibh3I2nXscMy7Q CAGED System Survival Guide; https://youtu.be/v8bNsQhYYP0 Diminished Chords Survival Guide; https://youtu.be/cE7DTVknkXU?si=x6ePOZku3vFLv1dU Turnarounds Survival Guide; https://youtu.be/JJlv1zc3v-o?si=oqYtkSiS9cNAkBUI Tritone Substitution Survival Guide; https://youtu.be/Djm-tN43Q2g?si=BXd8IiaRgQiNxDGi Chord Inversions Survival Guide; https://youtu.be/beNIoPZsq6Y?si=MMwPOUbnhHXICQ4S Three Note Voicings & Spread Triads; https://youtu.be/fvvIc93f-EU?si=rQiZPIhQtTgy5oEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for watching and please do leave a comment down below, and if you could hit the like button and subscribe to my channel, that would really be so appreciated. If you'd like to support the work I do, you can buy me a coffee at this link; https://www.buymeacoffee.com/alexfarran I'm also very active on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexfarranguitar #triads #survivalguide #jazzguitar #jazzlesson #guitarlesson #chords #survivalguide #musician #swingguitar #guitarteacher #learning #tuition #guide #howto #music #blues #jazz #guitar #guitarra #bebop #triads #scales #arpeggios #jazzstandard #gypsyjazz #jazzmanouche #chordmelody #chitarra #vintagemusic #guitarsolo #blues #guitarsolo #bluesguitar #inversions #chordinversions #country #countrymusic #reference #guide #musictheory #theory #practice #homework #guitarchords #rhythmguitar #chordlesson #inspiration #motivation #mustknow #101 #americana #pop

Comments

Shmookie

Wonderful to have you back. Sending you strength and healing.

The Walker Project

What an incredible lesson- months of practice packed into 20 minutes.

Ty Miller

Ur the best Gives me what I need when playing out🤑🤑🤑

nick kizirnis

Wow! I just finished my first pass at this awesome lesson. Really fantastic! I will be digging into this starting tomorrow - but I will be using that first triads exercise as I warm up for the gig tonight. Thanks so much for putting this together and including the low Americana example, that is my jam. 😊

MarkF

Great lesson thanks. I love the insight on using the augmented triad as voice leading. I’d never would have gotten that! I think I heard Adam Levy talk about SUS triads and wondering if they are just some adaptation of the big 4 triads?

nick kizirnis

I did! And I got a lot out of that lesson, great to see it connected here. Really inspiring and very timely for some music I am working on this fall. Thank you!

nick kizirnis

Well I am trying! Your lessons have really helped me to keep moving forward!

Bill Atterberry

I drill triads every day--cycle of 4ths really keeps it solid-- but I have never seen such an extensive breadth of context-rich practice resources! I also appreciate your focused, to-the-point presentation style. I can't wait to see the other installments in your "survival series." Thanks! Bill

Alex Farran Guitar

Thank you so much Bill, I really appreciate your comment! Feels good to add another one to the “Survival Guide” series! 🙏🏻

Daghan

Great Lesson again Alex !Thank you for this one

James

Yeah. Fantastic, huge scope and yet concise. Fine work Alex.

Simon Modig

Yes, this is very very useful. Thanks! When you are playing a new song, do you find all the triads by finding the root and build the shapes with knowledge about where the thirds and fifths are, or have you memorized everything?

Marinho Del Santo

Hey Alex, thank you for the "philosophy" of the triads... I believe that many, like me, have never figured out how it really works. I am sure that arpeggios and scales come in the sequence, one of the next "Survival Kits". So, here comes the "claim": please, show us how to organize an useful "method" to study arpeggios and scales bases upon this material. THANK YOU VERY MUCH for such very helpful insights!

Alex Farran Guitar

Thanks for the comment my friend. Yes, everything is certainly intertwined in the world of triads, arpeggios and scales, but like anything, it's better to really understand one particular concept first. For a glimpse into some useful ways to organise these systems together, make sure to watch my "People Get Ready part 2 - lead study" lesson and download those materials.. it's highly relevant to your question. And for sure, in future I will do a "Scales; Survival Guide" video :)

Alex Farran Guitar

Depending on the context, if a song is completely new to me, I'd figure out the changes first by ear (not using triads, but full chords), and then take another pass at it with the triads. But, if I'm on stage or in a "one chance" situation where I have to solo over the changes to a song I don't know, I will go straight to the triads and trust my ears to recognise/predict the chord progression, all the while thinking of the function of each chord, ie; I, V/IV, IV, iv, I, vi, ii, V, I etc

Marinho Del Santo

Yes, it is there—my fault. I am new on board and have not checked it out. This is the first time that I have gotten serious about learning guitar. You are an AWESOME advisor! Your friend from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

Michael Friedman

Loving the Sleepwalk exercise. I know all this stuff but I'm always trying to get better/faster at it so I have it in time anywhere on the neck and.....I do get bored practicing it. Having a new way to apply this to songs will help me keep it fresh every day.

Alex Farran Guitar

Thanks for the comment buddy, glad you enjoyed the exercises. Get that Beatles songbook open and pick a random tune each day and navigate it in triad form ;)

John Boehmler

Alex, this lesson has really been a revelation for me. I've found myself working through this from beginning to end the last three days straight, and it has connected so many dots for me. When I go to play with the backing track at the end of a session, triads, melodies, and even really pleasing dissonant triads and chords are seemingly just falling into place. It's amazing what a great teacher (and practice) will do!

Guardian Weaponry

Hi Alex, I absolutely love you lessons. By far the best I've found. Can you tell me what gauge strings are in your Tele in this video? Thank you. Update: I found a post where you said you use 10 gauge pure Nickel on teles.

Ian Quittner

Can we expect an "Arpeggio" survival guide next?

Alex Farran Guitar

Thank you buddy, so glad you enjoy the lessons! Yes indeed.. 10 gauge pure nickel are my preference ..Pyramid strings, DR Pure Blues and Curt Mangan are all good options 👌🏻

Alex Farran Guitar

That’s music to my ears John!.. and well done to you for bringing all the information together and absorbing it into your playing! 👌🏻🍻

Ron Bogdanoff

There are literally unlimited songs that can be used for these inversion exercises. I'm using very early Duke Ellington like East St. Louis toodle oo for some minor and dim work right now!

Michael Friedman

Is there a version of the I -> Iaug -> IV for minor? I was playing around with it last night, but Im -> Im#5 just becomes a major chord and it doesn't really work (at least to my ear). e.g. Gm -> Gm#5 = Ebmaj -> ?

Alex Farran Guitar

Great question my friend! I think if you’re looking at ways of navigating that same type of change (i going to iv) but in a minor key, say the key of G minor, the most common approach would be; Gm, G7(b9), Cm

Michael Friedman

Ah cool, I am going to give that a shot when I get home. If I was sticking with triads, maybe Gm -> rootless G7 -> Cm?

Michael Friedman

Cool, I'll check it out. I feel like minor is something I haven't really started to digest yet, but it's so central to the styles I like.

nick kizirnis

The Triads Survival Guide has already made a big difference for me as I've been getting back into my daily practice. Working through stacked triads, circle of fourths (+aug), and a song (I'm thrilled with playing Sleepwalk of course) is a great workout for my brain and hands. I'm also adding a bit of transposition and the Americana Soul lesson. I'm all for more survival guides but this one is going to hold me for quite a while! Related, it's been nice to have the health and energy to get back to practicing, and this is perfectly suited for my indie-noir-americana-surfish-songwriter style. Thank you!

Alex Farran Guitar

Wow thanks for the comment Nick, that is music to my ears! Very glad you're getting back to a flow with your practice and health.. amazing news my friend! 🙏🏻

David Silbert

First and foremost, Alex, thank you so much for the thoughtful, deep, beautiful lessons. In a virtual sea of online guitar instructors, you are at the very top. I feel so lucky to have found you. I wanted to note something that I suspect was obvious to everyone else, but that took me a bit to grasp. When I set out to move through the cycle of fourths, I first thought that it would take me all day because I’d need to work through the CAGED shapes of F to find a triad near my starting point, and so on. But then it dawned on me that there’s a much simpler and better way: I can always move the third of the current chord up one fret, call that the root of the new chord, and play the resulting shape. Likewise, I can move the fifth up a whole step and call that the third of the new chord, or leave the root where it is and call that the fifth of the new chord. Or if I want to move back down the fretboard, I can move the fifth down a whole step and call that the root. It’s been very helpful to me to drill these approaches independently. E.g.: always locate the new chord based on the third of the current chord (whatever string it’s on), but drop the fifth down a whole step every four or five chord changes to stay in roughly the same area of the neck; always locate the new chord based on the B string (whatever scale degree it is) and alternate between triads on String Sets 1 and 2; etc. Again, as I type this, it all sounds perfectly obvious, but it was a bit of an aha moment for me when I realized it, so I thought worth noting. Thank you!

Thomas A Banks

For me this lesson is my Rosetta Stone to unlock the fretboard. Your clear and concise presentation really brings these concepts home to me. There is so much great information to study and practice in this lesson! I don't know what else to say Alex except thank you, thank you, thank you, my friend. ps - OK my wife is getting a bit tired of hearing triad inversions, but I'm not!

Alex Farran Guitar

Great stuff David! I'm so glad you're having these "eureka moments"! Very inspiring to hear that! 🙏🏻

Richard

I really cannot express just how Eureka moment I found this lesson. I learned the major and minor scale shapes around the CAGED positions, but this lesson has really helped me to move key more fluidly, just geling the whole thing together.