One great technique to experiment with is triad pairs. They’re a pretty cool sound, which you get from using two different alternating triads.
For many jazz musicians, the way that they know triad pairs is just two major triads a whole step apart. But triad pairs can be so much deeper and more colorful than this! So today we’re going to check out five different triad pair combinations that you can use to give your playing an extra edge.
Everything we talk about can be found in the resource 72 Triad Pair Phrases. This resource opens with a thesaurus of some of the best triad pairs you’ll want to use in all 12 keys. Plus, it includes backing tracks and recordings for you to play along to. Plus, make sure to check out our accompanying YouTube video 5 Ways to Use Triad Pairs in Jazz.
Contents
Major/minor triad pair
Our first pair is a major triad with a minor triad a whole step apart.
The 72 Triad Pair Phrases resource shows us a C major alternating with D minor, which sounds awesome over Bbmaj7#11, G7sus, and Dm7. We’ll look at this from the G7sus perspective.
In our first cell, we have the C major triad, which is the 11, 13, root, and 11 of this chord. The next four notes are the D minor triad, which is the G7sus’ 9, 5, b7, and 9. Then we’ll play a diatonic enclosure around the third of the C major and this enclosure is still notes from our triad pair. After we target this third, we walk down the C major triad and insert a chromatic passing tone to the third of Dm, which is the b7 of this chord. Then we embellish the sound of Dm for this entire chord and end the phrase on the 13 of the G7sus.
Augmented/major triad pair
Our next pair is a little more spicy—it’s an augmented chord and a major chord a whole step apart. We’ll look at C+ and D as our pair.
Our resource shows that this pair works best over D7#11 and F#m7b5. Looking at this phrase through the lens of F#m7b5, we’ll start on the b7 of this chord, which is also the 3 of the C+ chord. Then we’ll dip down and chromatically approach from below the G# and ascend the C+. Then we voice lead to the F# of the D major triad and do the same thing for this triad, chromatically approach the A and ascend up the D major triad. Now we’ll chromatically approach the major 9 of this F#m7b5 chord, which is a particularly colorful pitch and we’ll descend the C+ triad. Then we’ll play a fun chromatic enclosure around the A of the D major and skip up to F#. After that we’ll approach the E and descend the C+ triad. Finally, we voice lead to the root of the D major triad, skip down and octave and play D again and ascend the D major triad, which brings us to the ending of this phrase, the G# of the C+ triad, which is the 9 of the F#m7b5.
Major/diminished triad pair
On to our next pair, this one is a major chord and a diminished chord a whole step apart. We’ll look at C major to D diminished. This combination sounds great over G7b9sus and E7alt.
Looking at this line over the E7alt, we start on this chord’s b13, which is the root of the C triad. We play a four-note C triad figure here, then a four-note diminished triad figure next. Then we alternate back to a four-note C major triad figure again, followed by a mix of both triads here. Then we come back to a four-note C major triad, followed by a four-note diminished figure and we finally resolve on a C, which is the b13 of this chord.
Major/major triad pair
Like we mentioned earlier, we have the classic triad pair a whole step apart. But we also can also do a triad pair a tritone apart. In this case, we’ll try C and F# major.
This pair is great to use over dominant/diminished chords like C13b9 and Gdim7, as well as these chords transposed minor thirds away.
When we look at this from the lens of a C13b9, we see we start on a b7, which is also the 3 of C major, and we ascend up this triad. Then we switch to the F# major triad and ascend that as well. Now we chromatically approach the C# of the F# major triad and descend it. This last F# here ends up being a chromatic approach as well to the G above it. From there, we go down the C major triad and arrive to the C. Again, this functions as a chromatic approach note to the C# above it and we descend the F# major triad again. And once again, this final F# functions as a chromatic approach into the G and we descend the C major triad. This C functions as yet another chromatic approach to the C# but we break the pattern finally going up notes that are a mix of this triad pair and we end on the #11 of this C13b9 chord.
Diminished/minor triad pair
Our final triad pair is extra interesting—a diminished and a minor triad a half step away from each other. For this, we’ll look at Cdim paired with Dbm. This pair sounds best over DbmM7 and a Bbm7b5.
If we look at this through the lens of a DbmM7 chord, we start right on the major 7 and play a four-note cell with a Cdim triad. Then we’ll play a four-note cell on the Dbm triad, alternating back to the C diminished triad with another four-note cell and continue this alternating triad pair pattern of four-note cells all the way to the very end, landing on the 11 of this DbmM7 chord.
That’s it for today, but if you want to learn more about triad pairs, you’ll want to check out our resource 72 Triad Pair Phrases. And if you want to hear how Nathan plays through these examples, make sure to check out our accompanying YouTube video 5 Ways to Use Triad Pairs in Jazz.
See you next time!
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