Triad Pairs for Jazz

Why Practice Triad Pairs?

1. By limiting note selection to six tones (each triad consisting of

three), a more concise sonority is created. For example, the
conventional chords used in the Jazz idiom are oftentimes
associated with parent chord-scales of seven or more tones
(melodic minor, major, minor, harmonic minor, and so on).
Rendering these scales in the form of triad pairs yields more variety
in tone color and suggests novel melodic possibilities.

2. Each of the triads expresses a tonality. By using two triads, bi-

tonal effects are created. This effect is multiplied when the triad
pair is used over a root tone that is not present in either triad.

3. The structure and "tensile strength" of triads give the melodic

line an independent internal logic. The "stand alone" sound is
oftentimes enough to make a strong, effective melodic statement
regardless of how it is (or isn't) relating to the harmony over which
it is being used. It sounds "right".

4. The triads offer a skeleton structure to base lines on. This can be
very helpful in modal settings where there are no diatonic, cycle-
forth root movements or resolutions and where each chord change
may last a long time (for instance, four, eight, or sixteen measures)"

Here is an example of the concept applied to a C melodic minor

tonality:

A C melodic minor scale contains the following triads-

Cmin Dmin Eb+ Fmaj Gmaj Adim Bdim

The possible triad pairs are:

Cmin/Dmin Dmin/Eb+ Eb+/Fmaj Fmaj/Gmaj Gmaj/Adim

Adim/Bdim Bdim/Cmaj
Of these the preferred selections are:

Cmin/Dmin Eb+/Fmaj Fmaj/Gmaj

These are the chords that a C melodic minor scale can effectively be
applied to:

Cmin(maj7) Dsus(b9) Ebmaj7(#5) F7(#11) G7(b13) A-7b5 B7alt

* One of the most basic triad pairs is Major triads a whole step
apart. This one triad pair is explored exhaustively in Walt Weiskopf's
book Intervallic Improvisation (Abersold press). I f you have ever
heard Walt play you will hear him use this A LOT! It can be used
over ANY Major chord and any Dominant chord with a natural 9th
and 13th. These two triad triads contain the following:

1st triad- root, 3rd, 5th

2nd triad- 9th, #11th, 13th

Over a Dominant chord that resolves down a fifth you could play:

Major triad from #11 and Major triad from b13

or

Major triad from root and Major triad from #11

.

Other triad pairs covered are:

* Major Triads a half-step apart

* Major Triads a Tritone apart (works well over dominant seventh

b9 chords from the root)

* Minor triads a half-step apart

* Minor Triads a Tritone apart

And on and on.........

Here are is a triad pair idea for a /ii-7 /V7 /Imaj:

Over a:

/ D-7 /G7alt / Cmaj /

Play:

/ G triad F triad / Eb triad Db triad / C triad D triad /

• Here is the same concept applied to a diminished scale:

Over a C7b9 chord you can play a C# diminished 7th chord, a D#

diminished 7th chord, also A, F#, Eb, and C major triads.

All these ideas will open your playing up and break you out of the
linear rut that Jazz players often fall into. If you start with some of
these ideas and then start adding more outside triads to the mix
you can come up with some very modern and interesting lines. Try
adding some passing tones between the triads to smooth things
out.