Major triad inversions
Lesson time: (1min 35sec)
Learn how to play notes of the major scale on the piano against an F major triad in the left hand. Discover F major triad inversions.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Beginning Jazz Piano: Triads & Pentatonics
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Introduction to Major Triads
Okay, so let's start with the most basic of chords: the major triad.
F Major Triad
Here's an F major triad, which is formed from the first, third, and fifth notes of the major scale.
Playing the Notes
Let's try playing the notes of that scale with the left hand chord:
- Root
- Second
- Third
- Fourth
- Fifth
- Sixth
- Seventh
- Root (again)
You can hear that they all sound fine, apart from one that really sticks out: the fourth.
Why the Fourth Sticks Out
That's because you're getting a massive clash between the A and the B flat. They are an octave and a semitone apart, which creates the most discordant interval known to man, otherwise known as a flat ninth.
"It doesn't mean you can't play that chord. It just means you don't want to hang around on it."
To be 100% safe and stick to the really safe notes, you should just play the notes of the chord.
Ways to Play the Triad
You can do that in three ways:
- Root Position: Thumb on the root.
- First Inversion: If you put the thumb on the third.
- Second Inversion: You can also put the thumb on the fifth.
Application in Arpeggio Fun
In the first piece, Arpeggio Fun, you'll be placing your hand in one of those positions to create phrases using only the notes under your fingers.
Remember: The left hand will keep time by playing the triad on the first beat of every bar.
About the instructor
Critically acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Tim Richards is one of Britain’s most experienced jazz educators, teaching piano privately for over 30 years, as well as at Morley College, Goldsmiths College, the University of Surrey, Premises Studios and other venues in the UK and abroad. He has produced numerous titles for Schott Music, including the best-selling two-volume Exploring Jazz Piano, Blues, Boogie & Gospel Collection and the acclaimed Improvising Blues Piano. He is also co-author, with John Crawford, of Exploring Latin Piano and Brazilian Piano Collection.More recently Schott have published Jazz, Latin & Modern Collection (15 pieces for solo piano), comprising Tim Richards originals alongside pieces by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and the two volume set Beginning Jazz Piano (now a two-part MusicGurus course).“The real joy of Tim’s music… is that it is both hugely educational but also such great fun to play. Anyone with the slightest interest in learning to play or teach jazz piano should really acquire a set of Tim’s books.” PianoDaoAs a performer Tim has been a presence on the UK jazz scene since the 1980s, also playing the blues with UK and US legends such as Otis Grand, Earl Green, Dana Gillespie, Larry Garner, Joe Louis Walker and Mojo Buford. He has released over a dozen albums as a leader (featuring many of London’s best jazz musicians including Pete King, Gilad Atzmon, Tony Kofi, Jason Yarde, Seb Rochford, Ed Jones, Dick Pearce and many others), and toured all over Europe with line-ups ranging from duo to nine-piece. His latest recording, the album ‘Telegraph Hill’ by the six-piece Hextet, was described in The Observer as "A true joy from beginning to end". More info can be found on his website www.timrichards.ndo.co.uk read more