Playing Triads
We will be looking at the way chords and chord patterns are used in improvised music.
We will be looking at Jazz and Blues as forms of music that use improvisation. You might like to practice forming triads
on a keyboard to prepare for this. Here are some suggestions to try.
 |  Try playing this on the keyboard using thumb, middle and little fingers. Use both hands. |
 Which is written like this:  |
 Which is written like this:  |
 With the notes of a C chord. |
 with the notes of a G chord. |
The triads of C, E and G are known as Chord I, Chord IV, and Chord V, when we are using the scale of C major for our music. This is because C is the first, F the fourth and G the fifth note of the scale.
| Playing Triads | Triad Patterns | Playing the Blues | Twelve Bar Structure | Seventh Chords | Using Bass Notes | Bass Patterns | Making up Blues Melodies | And Finally |
Playing the Blues
The blues originated in the southern states of the USA around the time of the abolition of slavery. African Americans, although no longer forced to work as slaves, found that life was very hard and made up songs, sometimes called sorrow songs, that expressed their misery and feelings. Simple blues lyrics consist of three lines, where the first two are the same, and the third rhymes. | e.g. Good morning, blues, blues, how do you do? |
The Twelve Bar Structure
| The basic blues structure is a 12 bar chord sequence; each chord lasts for four beats: I, IV, I, I, |
If notes from the C scale are used then the chords will be as follows: C, F, C, C, |
To add variety some chords have flattened seventh notes added; I, IV, I, I7, Listen. |
| Playing Triads | Triad Patterns | Playing the Blues | Twelve Bar Structure | Seventh Chords | Using Bass Notes | Bass Patterns | Making up Blues Melodies | And Finally |
Seventh Chords
A triad uses the first, third and fifth note of a scale. By adding the flattened seventh note we change the colour of the chord. In C this means: a B flat is added to a C chord, an E flat to an F chord, and an F natural to a G chord. |
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| Playing Triads | Triad Patterns | Playing the Blues | Twelve Bar Structure | Seventh Chords | Using Bass Notes | Bass Patterns | Making up Blues Melodies | And Finally |
Using Bass Notes
If we play the triads and seventh chords with the right hand, we can then use the left hand to play the bass note. This is usually the same as the name of the chord. Alternating bass note and chord gives us a simple pattern with a little more depth. Notice the seventh chords, which have four notes.
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| Playing Triads | Triad Patterns | Playing the Blues | Twelve Bar Structure | Seventh Chords | Using Bass Notes | Bass Patterns | Making up Blues Melodies | And Finally |
Beefing up the Bass!
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Look at the two diagrams. The first shows the C triad with the middle note missing. In the second the top note has moved up one to A. The Chord note is played with the little finger and the alternating note with the thumb of the left hand.
Alternating the two patterns in the left hand gives us a bass pattern.  |
If the same pattern is applied to the F and G chords a bass line for the twelve bar structure can be made up. With the F Chord the thumb alternates C and D and in the G chord the thumb alternates D and E
With practice the left hand bass line can be combined with chords in the right hand to begin to develop a reasonable sound.
| Playing Triads | Triad Patterns | Playing the Blues | Twelve Bar Structure | Seventh Chords | Using Bass Notes | Bass Patterns | Making up Blues Melodies | And Finally |
Making up Blues Melodies
In most music the notes that make up a melody are taken from a particular scale. In simple pieces this is usually either major or minor, and the chords used to accompany the tune will be based on the same scale. |
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Melodies for blues often use a special scale called a blues scale. The melodies are not usually written down, but are made up by a musician as he plays the piece. This is called improvisation. The second and sixth notes of the scale are often missing, the third is flattened, and the fifth can be flattened or natural to the scale. The seventh is usually flattened. |
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| Playing Triads | Triad Patterns | Playing the Blues | Twelve Bar Structure | Seventh Chords | Using Bass Notes | Bass Patterns | Making up Blues Melodies | And Finally |
And finally.......
By practicing the blues scale up and down the keyboard, or on your own instruments if you play them, you will be able after a while to make up, or improvise, melodic lines that go with the chords. It will take a lot of practice, but will be rewarding. The best way to play blues is in a group. Take turns in leading the chords, the bass line or improvising using the blues scale. Perhaps swap every time you finish one twelve bar sequence and start again. |
If you play the guitar then the easiest blues uses the A scale, so Chord I will be A, IV will be D and V will be E.
If you want to play with someone playing in C then use a capo on third fret. 
Slow Blues in A. or Medium tempo Blues in A (Left click to hear, right click and save target to file to download.) |
Transposing Instruments
If you play a B flat instrument and want to play with a group playing using the C scale then you will need to learn the blues scale in D |
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If you play an E flat instrument you'll need to play using the blues scale in A, |
 | and on an F instrument (like the french horn) a G blues scale. |
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| Playing Triads | Triad Patterns | Playing the Blues | Twelve Bar Structure | Seventh Chords | Using Bass Notes | Bass Patterns | Making up Blues Melodies | And Finally |