Have you ever wondered why modern players like Michael Brecker, Bob Berg or even Chris Potter get a contemporary sound using just the same notes as the Bop players?
In this video, we’ll learn how to play better sax solos with one of the techniques that they use to get this great sound. So let’s get into it.
What are Triad Pairs?
So the sound I was getting there is possible through a technique called triad pairs. Now it’s straightforward to do. But you need to understand what a triad pair is, where it comes from, and how to work it out for yourself. And there are so many different ones to try out, all giving unique sounds we can use to play better sax solos.
Triads are familiar to everybody. We’ve got major triads, and we’ve got minor triads. There’s augmented triads and diminished triads. And that’s it from the point of view of triads.
But when we put them in different combinations with each other, they create unique sounds. So today we’re going to have a look at the triad pairs we just get out of a major scale.
And we’re going to do it in the key of C for tenor players. But it doesn’t matter what instrument you’re playing. You can follow along with this and have a go yourself.
Bonus Resources
And by the way, the backing track that we’re going to use in this video, and that you’ll hear me playing over, is available in Sax School. There’s still a 14-day free trial running at the moment. There are thousands of lessons in there to get you going with your practice, and all things saxophone.
How Do We Create Triad Pairs?
So how do we come up with triad pairs?
Let’s take the C major scale. And we’re just going to look at all the triads we can get within that scale.
So we’ve got:
- a C major triad
- a D minor triad
- an E minor triad
- an F major triad
- a G triad
- an A minor triad
- and a B diminished triad.
And these are the triads that we create on any major scale.
Now if we take any 2 consecutive triads, for example, the C and the D minor, what you end up with is 6 of the notes of that major scale. It’s called a hexatonic scale. But we’re going to use them in a specific way.
So, we’re not going to use it as an up-and-down scale. We’re going to interact between the two triads.
We’re going to play a bit of one – the C major triad, and a bit of the next one -the D minor triad. And we’re going to bounce between them. And that’s what creates this unique effect that’s called triad pairs. It’s a great tactic you can use to play better sax solos.
How these combinations sound
So let’s check out what each of the combinations of triad pairs sounds like.
Now, by combining them, we can get 7 different sounds, and 7 different triad pairs, just from one major scale.
The first triad pair
So, first of all, let’s have a look at this C major triad with the D minor triad and see what that sounds like.
So, to me, those two triads together create a sound with a floaty vibe. So that’s a major triad with a minor triad a tone above.
The second triad pair
We’re going to take the second triad of a major scale and the third. So in the key of C major, this is going to be a D minor triad and an E minor triad. And let’s see what that one sounds like.
To me that one’s got quite a melancholy sound. I quite like it though.
The third triad pair
Next we’re going to take the third and the fourth triads. In the case of C major, that’s going to be E minor and F major triads. So that’s a minor triad with a major triad, a semitone above. Let’s see what that’s like.
Now that one always reminds me of a kind of Spanish music, for some reason I like that sound.
The fourth triad pair
So moving on, let’s try triads four and five. This is going to be F major and G major in the key of C major.
Now, I think this one’s my favourite so far. It’s got a strong sound and that’s because it’s two major triads. And our brains and our ears grasp onto major triads. They’re very melodic and very strong sounding.
Could you hear how there was definitive clarity between the two triads as I played in that little example?
The fifth triad pair
So, next, we’re going to move on to the 5 and 6 triads.
Now, there’s something to note here. We’re going to get the G major triad and the A minor triad. So that’s a major triad with a minor triad, a tone above. This is the same sound as the first one we did, which was a C major triad with a D minor triad.
So you can see the triad types are the same. They are both major triads with a minor triad, a tone above. So the sound we’re going get here will be the same kind of vibe, but it may sound different in different contexts. So let’s see what that one sounds like.
The sixth triad pair
We’ve got to the sixth of the seven possible triad pairs we can create out of a major scale. So next we’ve got the A minor triad, triad six – plus the seventh triad, the B diminished triad.
So to me, that’s got a minor classical flavour to it, for some reason. It sounds like Bach a little bit.
The seventh triad pair
So finally, we’ve got our last triad pair, which is triad seven with triad one. So this is the B diminished triad with a C major triad.
And also with that one, I think that’s got quite a classical sound, but it’s more of a major Bach-esque sound.
Choose a triad pair to practice
Now you can’t dive in and practice all these different sounds at once. And always in your practice it’s good to give yourself a specific task or sound, and work on that sound for a long time.
So we’re going to pick the one that I found strongest there, which was those triads four and five.
The two major triads are a tone apart. And in this case, in the key of C, that’s an F triad and a G triad.
So let’s just take a basic groove from the key of C major. We’re just going to take a 2-5 progression. So chord ii of The C major scale is Dm7 and chord V is G7. This is a classic groove and it crops up in jazz tunes and funk tunes – you name it.
II V is a common progression. So we’re going to take that, and we’re just going to play these two triads over it.
We’re going to start with a bit of the F major triad. And then we’ll play a bit of the G major triad, and we’re going to bounce back and forward between the two triads. Now there are no rules here. You can spend as long as you like on each triad.
Rhythm first to play better sax solos
The key thing to remember is rhythm. This is what’s going to make these interesting, – the way that you play them rhythmically. It’s always the important thing when improvising, so you play better sax solos. Taka a rhythm first, approach, and then you apply notes to that rhythm. And in this case, we’re going to apply the sound of these two triads.
Now, once again, you don’t have to play them in the root position.
You can play them in the first or second inversion.
You can open them up and play the notes across the range of your horn.
You can even just play two of the notes and skip one of the others.
You can do whatever you like with it. But the fact is I’m always thinking about the notes of an F triad or I’m thinking about the notes of a G triad. So I’m always in one of those two triadic camps, if you like.
So let’s see what that sounds like if I just do some basic alternating patterns out of time with these two triads.
Applying Different Chord Progressions
Now, what you’ll see as you start applying these to different chord progressions, is you’ll get a very quick sense of which triad it is you’re hearing. And it goes in really quickly.
And this is for a specific reason. If we take a given chord, let’s take this Dm7 chord, and we look at the two triads, you’ll notice that one of them contains just some basic chord tones.
So the F triad is just the flat 3 of the chord, the 5 and the flat 7.
But the G triad is full of upper extensions. It’s got the 11th and the 13th and the root of the chord in there. But it’s got a couple of those upper extensions.
Now, if we look at it over the G7 chord in the vamp we’re about to play over, you’ll notice that the G triad contains the basic chord tones. It’s got the G, the B, and the D, the root, third, and fifth. But the F triad is full of upper extensions, the flat 7, the 9, and the 11th.
So they’ve got really unique sounds in a given situation, and that helps us hear what we want to play.
If this was just a scale that we were playing, it could take us a long time to understand which note we wanted to play, and hear our way through these notes. But dividing them up into these two melodic, strong-sounding triads helps us play what we hear.
A triad pair in context
Let’s see what this triad pair sounds like in context. So, I’m going to play a solo, just over these two chords – Dm7 going to G7. Both are from the key of C major. I’m going to take the four and five triads of C major, this F and G triad, and I’m going to play a bit of one and a bit of the other.
Now, through this solo, I’m going to start off really basic, so you can kind of hear the two triads working together. And then I’m going to mix them up and see what sounds I can get out of it. So, let’s have a listen to what this technique sounds like.
Remember, this is all I’m doing through the entire solo. I’m either playing an F triad or a G triad – nothing else. And I’m not thinking about anything else,apart from trying to find some good rhythms and being creative with my ideas.
Joel’s pro tips
So there you go. Hopefully, you agree that that’s a really strong contemporary sound. And it’s really easy to use to play better sax solos.
Now obviously if you were in a different key then it would be relative to that key. So if I were in the key of E, the four and five triads if I wanted this particular triad pair would be A and B.
So there’s a bit of practice to do there. It’s worth doing lots of patterns just for facility. It stops you from just playing everything in the root position and lets you explore your horn. And if you add a bit of rhythm to those patterns when you play them, it makes them much more interesting.
So now you know one of the secrets of the modern players. Have a go, work out some for yourself and try some different combinations.
Remember you can do the same thing with melodic minor scales or harmonic minor scales –any scale type you want – and develop these triad pairs to play better sax solos.
And if you want access to the bonus content with this lesson – plus the hundreds of lessons and courses inside Sax School PRO, get a 14 day free trial here.