Triad shapes in other keys

Major Triad Cycles

The next piece, Major Triad Cycles, is about getting to know your major triad in all keys.

Importance of Major Triads

I think this is really important because they are the building blocks of harmony. If you're not familiar with your major triads in different keys and all their inversions, it's going to be much harder to progress into more complex harmony later on.

Key Observations

• We have already seen how, in the key of C, F, and G, we have the I, IV, and V chords.
• Notably, those chords are white-note shapes because the key of C has all white notes.

Same Triad Shapes in Different Keys

Key of A

• Here's the A triad: remember the major third consists of two tones, and that has a black note in the middle.
• It's easy to remember this shape because you will also use it on D and E.
• In the key of A, the I, iv, and V chords all share the same shape. That's pretty cool!

Key of Ab

• There's one more key where this also works, and that's the key of Ab.
• This triad has a major third, with a white note in the middle of two black notes.
• In this key, only the IV and V chords maintain the same shape, making it easy to remember.

Summary of Triads

So that accounts for nine triads:

• C, F, G
• A, D, E
• Ab, Db, Eb

The three remaining ones will all have different shapes because there are only 12 in total. For now, let's focus on those nine.

Practical Application

One thing you could do is play something like "No Problem" in a different key.

For example:

• Instead of going G, C, G, and D, try:
  • Starting with A
  • Transition to the V chord and back to A

This would be a good opportunity to learn both the A major pentatonic and the E major pentatonic. I strongly recommend starting to do that.

Learning things in different keys is a great way to really expand your musicality at the piano. And the same applies, of course, in Ab. Learn those shapes and the Ab major pentatonic. When you move to the five chord, you'll know where to go.

Explore Harmony

Don't forget, you can play some top harmony. Use blue thirds!

Once you've done that, you're well on your way to mastering your triads in all 12 keys, which is what we are going to do in the Major Triad Workout.

The Cycle of Fifths

These chords will move around the cycle of fifths. We've already seen that the perfect cadence is a little chunk of this cycle.

• When a chord moves up a fourth, it's important to note that going up a fourth is the same as going down a fifth.
• For instance, if we start on E and go up a fourth, we arrive at an A triad.

We could also get there by going down the E scale:

• Down a fifth or up a fourth, it's the same thing!
• This is just convention; we call it the cycle of fifths.

Chord Progression

The chords are going to flow as follows:

• E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb

So, I'm alternating up and down, leading to a lot of jumping around, isn't it?

Using Inversions

The whole point of major triad cycles is that we use some inversions to avoid excessive jumping. For example:

• You could do E to A using second inversion, and then do the same on D to G.

As a result, everything now will fall under your fingers.

However, it may start getting a bit low, especially down in the lower octaves, which can be uncomfortable.

Further Inversion Techniques

• Try starting on the first inversion of E and progressing to the next chord in root position.
• Alternatively, you could start on the second inversion and move to the first inversion.

Practice Regimen

When you practice major triad cycles, aim to cycle through all 12 keys three times, using bass and drums.

You can do this with either your right hand or left hand; in fact, practicing it both ways is beneficial.

This exercise is about getting to know your inversions.

If you want, stick with the first cycle for a bit, but at some point, challenge yourself with the second cycle, and eventually the third one.

Eventually, you'll know these triads inside and out, 36 shapes in total.

Good luck!