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Open Position Triads in Piano

In the next couple of pieces, we're going to play the left hand triads in open position. So far, they have mostly been in close position, which means within the scope of one octave.

Understanding Open Position Triads

Example: F Major Triad

• If we played F major down here, that's much too low, isn't it? It doesn't sound very nice all that way down the keyboard.
• To open out a triad, take the A out and play it up an octave instead.
• This creates a tenth. The third an octave up is called a tenth, and you can play that several ways:
  • You could play all three notes together if you have a big hand.
  • You could play the bottom note by itself and the top notes together.

Note: Pianists like Art Tatum were famous for having huge hands, enabling them to play all these amazing sonorities. But if you have a smaller hand, you can:

• Put the pedal down and flip the notes.
• Use sustain pedal for a better sound.

Exploring Inversions

• In the beginning jazz piano course, remember the tune "Eau de Cologne" in G? We used several configurations to explore opening out, primarily using root position.
• Now, let's extend this to first inversion.

First Inversion F Triad

• An F triad in first inversion opened out would sound like this:
  • This is derived from the first inversion triad with the C an octave higher.
  • Play three root five, put the pedal down, and hear them all together.

Second Inversion F Triad

• Move the F up an octave for a lovely second inversion.
• It's a bigger stretch than all of them, so consider these options:
  • Play all notes together
  • Flip or split the bottom note from the top two notes, using the sustain pedal.

C Minor in Open Position

Before we have a go at the tunes, let's play C minor in open position.

• C minor triad: Here it is opened out.
• First inversion:
• Second inversion:

Routine Across All Keys

To finish, I'm going to show you a routine that goes through all 12 keys in major open triads:

1. F
2. B flat
3. E flat
4. A flat
5. D flat
6. G flat
7. B
8. E
9. A
10. D
11. G
12. C

Now, repeat that and do the same for minors.

Open Triad Workout

In the open triad workout, we're going to do this in two ways.

Classical Sounding Left Hand

We played B minor in root position.

• Here's how to transition to E7:
  • Going from 1 to 4, B minor to E.
  • This is your second inversion with the fifth on the bass.

Supporting Improvisation

• We'll use this accompaniment to support an improvisation using minor pentatonics, as this is the main topic at the moment.
• Here is your B minor pentatonic; don't forget to put an A in as well.
• Start practicing this sort of thing to hear how the sound of the minor pentatonic fits well with those two triads, B minor and E major.

Major Pentatonic Integration

We've also been playing major pentatonics, haven't we? Let's throw them into the mix too.

The next set of chords will include:

• 1 and 4 in A,
• Play a major pentatonic on top of that.

Track Instructions

In the Open Triad Workout:

• The first track is straight eights.
• The second track will have a more swing feel, also in A.

Contrast in Articulation:

• For the first track, you can use lots of pedal, changing it every bar.
• For the swing track, no pedal.

Remember, the bottom note doesn't change. This is a really useful solo piano style with these open triads.