How the Basic Major Triad Chords in Jazz Guitar

Video Transcript

"Hi! My name is John Armstrong with expertvillage.com. I'm a professional guitar instructor and today we are going to be studying beginning jazz guitar. Okay next I would like to discuss how basic triad chords are built off of the major scales. For example, a major chord or major triad is built by combining the first note of the major scale with the 3rd note to the major scale and it's the name triad; 3 notes, roots, 3rd and 5th. Notice here that I am building in an upward fashion using the odd numbered notes of the major scale and I used a 2 or a 4, just 1, 3, and 5. For example in a C major chord, if I take a c major scale, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, I have c, e and g which gives me a c major chord or c major triad, c, e, and g. I can double up and sometimes even triple up some of the notes for example, for your basic open c and e chord is c, e, c, g. Same thing will hold true in a g major triad, g major chord, g major scale, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, g, b, d. To triple up some of nose we have g, b, d, g, b, d, g. So there are major triads taking the 1st and 3 note of any major scale and combining them, we come up with a major chord. "