Left Hand Tips You've Never Heard
Uncover hidden left-hand guitar secrets ignored by most instructional materials. This exclusive livestream reveals advanced fingering techniques, specialized exercises, and precise positioning methods that transform your playing. Instantly optimize comfort, reduce fatigue, and explore your true full potential.
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Hi Ashley, I'll watch the recorded stream later as I can't attend the livestream. I wanted to ask you about building triads from scales. In the example below of building triads from D major scale, why is the F not sharpened in the third triad, even though it's F# in the scale.
While building triads from scales, we have to follow the order of maj, min, min, maj, maj, min, and dim? So,do we keep aside the accidentals in the scale while building triads. I understand that F# to A is a minor 3rd in the third triad, but why is the F not sharpened in the triad itself as the 3rd scale degree in the D major scale is F#?
Apologies for the convoluted question but this has been confusing for me.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary Hi Nijwm - I know you're not asking me, but since it's such a straight-forward matter, I'll answer: the 'f' in the third chord of the example in your book IS sharpened (as the chord name under the stave ('F#min') makes clear). The general convention is that when a sharp (or indeed any accidental) is introduced into a line of music, it applies throughout the line. In other words, not only is the first 'f' (the one in the first chord) sharpened, but so are all subsequent iterations of the same 'f' in that line. (In most cases, the accidental does not apply to the same note in a different octave.) Similarly, the sharp before the 'c' in the same F#min chord applies also to the 'c' in the fifth and seventh chords. Admittedly, the example in your book is a little confusing! Btw, the order of triads that you mention (maj, min, min , etc.) applies to the major scale only. For the minor scale, the order is different. In principle, any triad (indeed any chord type) can be built on any scale degree. Examples of this will be found in almost any actual piece of music that one cares to examine.
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David Krupka Thank very much, David. I think I get it. So, in the third chord (F#min), I got confused that the # wasn't shown on the space before the F. Perhaps that's a notation convention. So, I played that F#min chord on the guitar as #FA#C and it makes sense. So, I think that's one confusion out of the way.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary It's definitely a notation convention! Btw, if the whole line were in D minor and not D major, the chord built on the third degree could well have F natural as the root, A as the third, and C# (the raised seventh degree of the scale) as the (augmented) fifth. That would make it a so-called augmented chord, one of the four basic triad types - the others being major, minor, and diminished. (More often, however the triad on the third degree would have a C natural as the fifth, making it a plain old major chord.) Sorry if all I've managed to do is confuse you here!
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David Krupka No, you haven't confused me at all. Just providing clarity and understanding of something I was racking my brains on. I appreciate your response 🙏
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