Jerry Jennings - Triad Magic - An Introduction to Guitar Chord Theory (Book/Online Videos)

Were simply going to take the 1st (root), 3rd, and 5th notes from the G Major Scale, and this gives a G major triad. Here it is on the neck:
The spelling of a G major triad is G, B, D. We will look more at chord spelling as we go. If you add in the higher G note, youll probably notice it looks a lot like an F chord, only two frets higher. This is no accident. Youll find that most basic open position chords are triads.

Since any combination of G, B, and D make a G chord, you could leave out the fourth string or the first string, and still have a complete G chord.
Triads Come in Four Types In this book, we will talk about each of the four types. For now, I just want you to memorize the four names and the chord symbol associated with each one.
Lets look at the actual note spacing of the four types of triads. Remember that a major scale has two sets of notes that are a half-step apart; 3 & 4, and 7 & 1
Lets try the four types of triads on a G.
Now that we know the spelling of a G chord ( G, B, D ), lets look at a diagram of a typical G chord shape and identify the parts.
Now that we know the spelling of a G chord ( G, B, D ), lets look at a diagram of a typical G chord shape and identify the parts.

As you can see, what you know as a G Chord is really just notes of the G Major triad. In this case, there are three Gs, two Bs, and one D.
What if we use the four finger G chord? Again, we are still looking at nothing but a combination of Gs, Bs, and Ds. The only difference is, we have swapped a 3rd for a 5th (swapped a B for a D). But we still just have the sound of a G chord, dont we?
Once I know that the spelling of a G chord is G B D, there are numerous ways to construct a G chord on the neck. Here are a few you can try.

Find as many as you can. Dont include any open strings unless they are part of the triad. If you need blank chord diagrams, you can get them from our site at jenningspublishing.com/downloads.
For more exercises using open chord shapes, see Appendices 1 & 2.


TRIAD INVERSIONS Triad Shapes on Three Strings (Online Video - Lesson 2)
For the next several pages we will be working on only strings 2, 3, and 4.



Try this exercise using your third finger only.

Play these notes. If youre using an acoustic guitar, the 17th fret may be out of reach. Dont worry, the exercise works fine without it. Youre sliding your third finger all the way up the neck, stopping to play each of the notes of a G major triad.
Now lets try it a little slower. (These are all G chords.)
Lets try the same exercise with another chord. (These are all G chords.)
Lets try the same exercise with another chord.

We can play all the same shapes for the F, but they will be two frets lower. The spelling of an F chord is F A C.
Again, we have taken the Root, 3rd, and 5th notes from the major scale, giving us an F major triad.
On the following page, we will work with two major triads a whole step apart from each other. There are a couple of songs that come to mind when descending from a major triad, down a whole step to another major triad. If you speed it way up, its reminiscent of Tequila.