Stuck on this about 3 notes

[bassville pete]

It's my understand that a triad is 3 notes. Like for the C chord it would be C E and G.

So I'm studying off of Stu's Bass Basic and he goes over a power chord. The Root, lets say it A and the 5th note on the A string 7th fret would be a the E note and the Octave would be the A on the D string 7th fret. I can't make it out, but he seems to be saying its a triad. Is that correct?

Also he gave a name for a power chord using the root and 5th. It sounded like " diad" . I couldn't make it out, so what would one be calling it other then a power chord just using the root and 5th notes ?

Thanks.

 

[Spin Doctor]

It's my understand that a triad is 3 notes. Like for the C chord it would be C E and G.

So I'm studying off of Stu's Bass Basic and he goes over a power chord. The Root, lets say it A and the 5th would be a the E note and the Octave would be the A on the D string 7th fret. I can't make it out, but he seems to be saying its a triad. Is that correct?

Also he gave a name for a power chord using the root and 5th. It sounded like " diad" . I couldn't make it out, so what would one be calling it other then a power chord just using the root and 5th notes ?

Thanks.

Yeah a diad is two notes played together. Most people call a root and 5th played together a power chord.

 

[bassville pete]

Yeah a diad is two notes played together. Most people call a root and 5th played together a power chord.

Thank you.
I really couldn't understand what he said because he spoke to fast. It puzzled the heck out me.

Again thank you.

 

[bassville pete]

So I'm studying off of Stu's Bass Basic and he goes over a power chord. The Root, lets say it A and the 5th note on the A string 7th fret would be a the E note and the Octave would be the A on the D string 7th fret. I can't make it out, but he seems to be saying its a triad. Is that correct?

So is this still called a " chord triad " ?

I thought a chord triad uses 3 different notes?

 

[Spin Doctor]

So is this still called a " chord triad " ?

You mean the root, 5th and octave? Personally I don't call that a triad. Triads are usually notes stacked in 3rds, although I had a pretty heavy jazz guy tell me that any 3 notes can be a triad.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it too much as most people don't think about triads as "root 5 octave", but some over the top people might think differently. However, in certain aspects of jazz, you can make chords stacked in 4ths. Again, I would not worry about that right now either.

Music has a lot of randomness in it. You'll get used to it , lol.

 

[CallMeAl]

I learned this way- a triad is a specific type of 3-note chord, consisting of notes that can be stacked in thirds:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[bassville pete]

You mean the root, 5th and octave? Personally I don't call that a triad. Triads are usually notes stacked in 3rds, although I had a pretty heavy jazz guy tell me that any 3 notes can be a triad.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it too much as most people don't think about triads as "root 5 octave", but some over the top people might think differently. However, in certain aspects of jazz, you can make chords stacked in 4ths. Again, I would not worry about that right now either.

Music has a lot of randomness in it. You'll get used to it , lol.

Hey! Really thanks for the explanations. I'm posting my study and learning over on the other thread and in todays lesson on 3rds and 10ths Intervals this stuff comes up. Learning this stuff is a new path for me. Now how much of it will stick in... but I think getting some basic music theory at this point of starting out could be helpful for me in the long run.

Again, thanks for your patients. ( maybe I have more unusual question soon )

 

[Spin Doctor]

Hey! Really thanks for the explanations. I'm posting my study and learning over on the other thread and in todays lesson on 3rds and 10ths Intervals this stuff comes up. Learning this stuff is a new path for me. Now how much of it will stick in... but I think getting some basic music theory at this point of starting out could be helpful for me in the long run.

Again, thanks for your patients. ( maybe I have more unusual question soon )

No problem

 

[bassville pete]

I learned this way- a triad is a specific type of 3-note chord, consisting of notes that can be stacked in thirds:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

That was the site I had to check this stuff out on. Wow! Same page "CallMeAl". That's why it was hard to understand what Stu was teaching. Wasn't for sure if he said "diad" which I had to look up also.
Oh, and thanks for following me on my practice log.

 

[Wasnex]

@bassville pete , you're really going down the rabbit hole.

CEG is a major chord. It's also a triad, and if you say triad, most people will assume you mean a chord built in thirds, 1,3,5. So if you say C major triad, the meaning is clear you mean a C major chord. Keep in mind most Western music is based on what we call tertian harmony--I.E. harmony built in thirds.

But what if you are using quartal harmony where the chords are built in fourths? An example of a quartal triad would be C,F,Bb...You probably don't need to worry about this just yet, but here's a related article: Essential Quartal Triads You Must Know As A Gospel Or Jazz Musician - Hear and Play Music Learning Center

A power chord is generally root, 5th, and usually the octave. Sure you could call it diad or a triad, depending upon if you played two or three notes, but I don't think most people would.

Usually when I play two notes at the same time on a stringed instrument that does not normally play chords, I call it double stops. The term triple stop, quadruple stop, etc is also applicable. When you are playing double and triple stops on bass, you tend to play a chord fragment. IMHO a power chord is pretty much a chord fragment, because it's not major or minor. So you could say, play a power chord using a double stop or triple stop, and hopefully the meaning is clear. I could be wrong, but I think double stop and triple stop would be a better choice than diad or triad. It really depends on who you are talking to, and what they have learned. Sometimes you have to stop and explain what you mean.

 

[Lesfunk]

I would consider a C power chord a “C5”, even if it had the octave added. (C,G,C)
A C major triad is C,E and G, also considered a “C maj” or simply “C”

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

The "root-fifth-root" type of "triad" (or power chord) is useful because they work for both major and minor chords, since it lacks the (major or minor) third.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[bassville pete]

@bassville pete , you're really going down the rabbit hole.

CEG is a major chord. It's also a triad, and if you say triad, most people will assume you mean a chord built in thirds, 1,3,5. So if you say C major triad, the meaning is clear you mean a C major chord. Keep in mind most Western music is based on what we call tertian harmony--I.E. harmony built in thirds.

But what if you are using quartal harmony where the chords are built in fourths? An example of a quartal triad would be C,F,Bb...You probably don't need to worry about this just yet, but here's a related article: Essential Quartal Triads You Must Know As A Gospel Or Jazz Musician - Hear and Play Music Learning Center

A power chord is generally root, 5th, and usually the octave. Sure you could call it diad or a triad, depending upon if you played two or three notes, but I don't think most people would.

Usually when I play two notes at the same time on a stringed instrument that does not normally play chords, I call it double stops. The term triple stop, quadruple stop, etc is also applicable. When you are playing double and triple stops on bass, you tend to play a chord fragment. IMHO a power chord is pretty much a chord fragment, because it's not major or minor. So you could say, play a power chord using a double stop or triple stop, and hopefully the meaning is clear. I could be wrong, but I think double stop and triple stop would be a better choice than diad or triad. It really depends on who you are talking to, and what they have learned. Sometimes you have to stop and explain what you mean.

Thank you for the reply.
I'm going over Stu's Hamm's Bass Basics to start learning the bass. So I posted what I was not sure of . I have my log going on here. Just started so it probably is more of a journey to learn, but soon to record my progress.
(2) Would making a practice log on the forum be a good idea to keep one on a path of improvement | TalkBass.com

I'm following his video so hopefully I don't fall off the roadmap and try another instructor until I finish his. Although his video lesson " Stu Hamm's Bass Basic " is probably pretty old, it does have some gems in it that keep me wanting to finish his course first and then move on.

 

[Malcolm35]

There are all kinds of books, videos, etc. out there but most end up saying the same thing. There are scales, chords and rhythm. There are all kinds of scales. All kind of chords and all kinds of rhythms, however all of them follow a few set patterns.

Don't try to learn it all at first. Take it one step at a time. The following may help with chords. My old standby chart of generic bass lines using the major scale box as a Rosetta stone may also help.

Major Scale Box.
........Index middle...ring....little
G~~|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D~~|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A~~|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E~~|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string
You may recognize this pattern with dots.
Adding the numbers lets the pattern come alive.

Cmaj7 chord coming up in the song. Find a C note on the 3rd or 4th string and put this box's R over that C note. Then play the "spelling" for the Cmaj7 chord. That spelling is listed below and it is R-3-5-7. If you wanted to play the C major scale, that spelling is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7.

Basic Chord Spellings

• Major Triad = R-3-5 for the C chord. A two note chord is usually a R-5 and called a power chord by us good ole boys.
• Minor Triad = R-b3-5 for the Cm chord.
• Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5 for the Cdim chord.

7th Chord Spellings

• Maj7 = R-3-5-7 for the Cmaj7 chord.
• Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7 for the Cm7 chord.
• Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7 for the C7 chord.
• ½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7 for the Cm7b5 chord.
• Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7 for the C with the little o - no strike through.

See a chord and play it's chord tones. As every key will have three major, three minor and one diminished chord it's a good idea to get your major, minor and diminished bass line chord tones into muscle memory so when you see a chord your fingers just know what will work. Now the song may only give you enough room for the root, or root five - adapt and get as many chord tones into your bass line as needed. Root on 1 and a steady groove from the other chord tones plus something to call attention to the chord change is what we do.

Generic Notes - for your bass line.

• The root, five and eight are generic (R-5-8-5) and fit most any chord. Remember the diminished has a flatted 5.
• The 3 is generic to all major chords. So R-3-5-3 will fit under any major chord.
• The b3 is generic to all minor chords. And R-b3-5-8 will fit under any minor chord. Why the 8? Well the 8 is just another root in the next octave.
• The 7 is generic to all maj7 chords. Yep, R-3-5-7 fits nicely.
• The b7 is generic to all dominant seventh and minor seventh chords. G7 = R-3-5-b7 or Gm7 = R-b3-5-b7.
• The 6 is neutral and adds color, help yourself to 6’s. Love the sound of R-3-5-6 with a major chord.
• The 2 and 4 make good passing notes. Don’t linger on them or stop on them, keep them passing. Why? About the only chords that have a 2 or 4 in their makeup are the Sus and Add chords. So unless you are playing a Sus or Add chord forget about 2's and 4's for now.
• In making your bass line help yourself to those notes, just use them correctly.
• Roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 & 7 will play a lot of bass.

OK fine, how to use all that I know is the question. Get some fake chord sheet music. Google can find most anything you want using these search words -- chords, name of the song.

HEARTACHES BY THE NUMBER CHORDS by Ray Price @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com (ultimate-guitar.com)

video, ray price, heartaches by the number - Bing
Classic three chord wonder.

Have fun.

 

[bassville pete]

There are all kinds of books, videos, etc. out there but most end up saying the same thing. There are scales, chords and rhythm. There are all kinds of scales. All kind of chords and all kinds of rhythms, however all of them follow a few set patterns.

Don't try to learn it all at first. Take it one step at a time. The following may help with chords. My old standby chart of generic bass lines using the major scale box as a Rosetta stone may also help.

Major Scale Box.
........Index middle...ring....little
G~~|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D~~|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A~~|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E~~|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string
You may recognize this pattern with dots.
Adding the numbers lets the pattern come alive.

Cmaj7 chord coming up in the song. Find a C note on the 3rd or 4th string and put this box's R over that C note. Then play the "spelling" for the Cmaj7 chord. That spelling is listed below and it is R-3-5-7. If you wanted to play the C major scale, that spelling is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7.

Basic Chord Spellings

• Major Triad = R-3-5 for the C chord. A two note chord is usually a R-5 and called a power chord by us good ole boys.
• Minor Triad = R-b3-5 for the Cm chord.
• Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5 for the Cdim chord.

7th Chord Spellings

• Maj7 = R-3-5-7 for the Cmaj7 chord.
• Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7 for the Cm7 chord.
• Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7 for the C7 chord.
• ½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7 for the Cm7b5 chord.
• Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7 for the C with the little o - no strike through.

See a chord and play it's chord tones. As every key will have three major, three minor and one diminished chord it's a good idea to get your major, minor and diminished bass line chord tones into muscle memory so when you see a chord your fingers just know what will work. Now the song may only give you enough room for the root, or root five - adapt and get as many chord tones into your bass line as needed. Root on 1 and a steady groove from the other chord tones plus something to call attention to the chord change is what we do.

Generic Notes - for your bass line.

• The root, five and eight are generic (R-5-8-5) and fit most any chord. Remember the diminished has a flatted 5.
• The 3 is generic to all major chords. So R-3-5-3 will fit under any major chord.
• The b3 is generic to all minor chords. And R-b3-5-8 will fit under any minor chord. Why the 8? Well the 8 is just another root in the next octave.
• The 7 is generic to all maj7 chords. Yep, R-3-5-7 fits nicely.
• The b7 is generic to all dominant seventh and minor seventh chords. G7 = R-3-5-b7 or Gm7 = R-b3-5-b7.
• The 6 is neutral and adds color, help yourself to 6’s. Love the sound of R-3-5-6 with a major chord.
• The 2 and 4 make good passing notes. Don’t linger on them or stop on them, keep them passing. Why? About the only chords that have a 2 or 4 in their makeup are the Sus and Add chords. So unless you are playing a Sus or Add chord forget about 2's and 4's for now.
• In making your bass line help yourself to those notes, just use them correctly.
• Roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 & 7 will play a lot of bass.

OK fine, how to use all that I know is the question. Get some fake chord sheet music. Google can find most anything you want using these search words -- chords, name of the song.

HEARTACHES BY THE NUMBER CHORDS by Ray Price @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com (ultimate-guitar.com)

video, ray price, heartaches by the number - Bing
Classic three chord wonder.

Have fun.

Really, thank you for taking the time to help me get on the right path to some shortcuts . Some great info there. I'm glad I posted a question that lead to some fine replies . Most grateful for your time in doing what you did.

Them some great bass lines in Ray Price's tune by the way. Got to get my earphones on. Thanks for the links. My mother had all his records. So I grew up on that music.

 

[jj.833]

It's my understand that a triad is 3 notes

I understand it this way: triad = chord = any 3 DIFFERENT notes. C-E-G is a triad. C-F-F# is a triad. C-G-C is not a triad, because it consists only of two different tones. If you play C1-C-c-c1-c2-c3 on piano, from a harmonic point of wiev it is still a single note, not a six tone chord.

How it is with any 3 notes = chord? Some of the triads (C-E-G) sound nice and these have other names (major, minor, diminished, augmented, and some other) and you should start your learning with these.

Some triads sound weird and to use them, the easiest way likely is to delve into theory. Example: C-F-F# sounds ugly and to use it 'safely', you should be able to analyze that it might be used ie. as part of the D7#9 chord, which is a five tone chord made of D-F#-A-C-F. If bass played D and guitar would play C-F-F#, it would likely sound okay. There's much more to this; learn to understand, play and hear 'nice' triads first. But be aware that there are other possibilities.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

Hi,
The "root-fifth-root" type of "triad" (or power chord) is useful because they work for both major and minor chords, since it lacks the (major or minor) third.
Thank you for your indulgence, BassCliff

You were reading my mind. This is really the definitive statement and a great starting point for beginners. Also may want to stay off the E string when using power cords as this can sound too muddy. When in doubt or getting lost, the root / 5th can save your butt in a jam.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

So is this still called a " chord triad " ?

I thought a chord triad uses 3 different notes?

So, if tri is 3, di is 2, 1 would be a Monad, and 4 would be a Quadrad?

 

[Bob_Ross]

So is this still called a " chord triad " ?

I thought a chord triad uses 3 different notes?

You are correct that the term "triad" refers to a very specific type of three-note simultaneity, although octave displacements or duplications don't negate the functional definition of "triad". (In other words, for example, a chord spanning two octaves and voiced bottom-to-top CEGEC could still be considered a "C major triad".)

A more proper [sic] term for a three-note simultaneity that doesn't conform to the functional understanding of "triad" -- regardless of whether or not any of the pitch classes are duplicated within it -- is "trichord". From the same etymology as "tetrachord" and "hexachord" etc.

 

[Koshchei]

It's my understand that a triad is 3 notes. Like for the C chord it would be C E and G.

So I'm studying off of Stu's Bass Basic and he goes over a power chord. The Root, lets say it A and the 5th note on the A string 7th fret would be a the E note and the Octave would be the A on the D string 7th fret. I can't make it out, but he seems to be saying its a triad. Is that correct?

Also he gave a name for a power chord using the root and 5th. It sounded like " diad" . I couldn't make it out, so what would one be calling it other then a power chord just using the root and 5th notes ?

Thanks.

A triad is three different notes. It doesn't have to be root-third-fifth (see quartal harmony), but is most commonly used this way. Two really common exceptions are 6 and 6/4 inversions, which are really still root-third-fifth, but with the root in different positions (i.e. not the lowest note).