Triads for Minor ii V I Comping

www.mattwarnockguitar.com When learning how to play jazz guitar, one of the rst chord progressions we encounter in our practice routines, and when learning tunes, is the Minor ii V I. Though it is used almost as much as its major cousin, the Minor ii V I can often handcuff us on the bandstand or in our jams since it uses m7b5, altered and sometimes mMaj7 or m6 chords for the tonic chord of the progression, compared to the relatively straight forward m7-7-maj7 chord in the major ii V I progression. To help you get your ngers around these chords, and to do so with proper voice leading, this lesson will cover using 3-note chords to outline each change in the Minor ii V I, and do so with as little hand movement as possible. So grab your guitar, turn up your amp and lets dig in to working triads through Minor ii V I chord progressions on the guitar.

Minor ii V I Triads Construction

Before we explore these 3-note chords on the guitar, lets take a quick look at how they are built so that you can have an understanding of why you are using them, as well as how you can use them in your jazz guitar playing. There are two basic triads used in these examples throughout the lesson, the Fm triad that is played over Dm7b5, and the Eb aug triad that is used over the CmMaj7 chord in each progression. The reason that these two chords are used, is that they outline the 3 to 7 triad for the underlying harmony. For each of these two chords, Dm7b5 and CmMaj7, the triads are built from the 3rd, 5th and 7th of those two chords. Here is how that works: Dm7b5 = D F Ab C and Fm = F Ab C CmMaj7 = C Eb G B and Eb aug = Eb G B

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So you are essentially just playing the given chords, but taking the root note out in order to make things easier on your hands when using them to comp through tunes. For the V7alt chord, G7alt in the given examples, you are simply taking the Fm triad from the Dm7b5 chord and lowering the 5th note to produce the notes F Ab and B. When doing so, you are playing the b7, b9 and 3rd of G7alt, giving you all the notes you need to produce the 7alt sound that is being heard in the underlying changes. So, there is a bit of background into why these 3-note chords work over Minor ii V I chord progressions, now its time to grab your guitar and get these puppies under your ngers, into your ears and out on the bandstand!

Minor ii V I Triads Top 3 Strings

The rst set of triads that we will explore to outline our Minor ii V I chords, are found on the top 3-strings of the guitar. Since they have a clear sound up on the top 3-strings, and tend to cut through the ensemble better than the lower string sets, these chords are often used by great players such as Joe Pass, Lenny Breau and Wes Montgomery to build chord soloing ideas. So, when working on these shapes, in the given key and the other 11, feel free to explore them in a comping and chord-soloing context in order to get a full grasp of the potential that these upper-string triads have when applied to Minor ii V I chords. Click to hear audio for this example.

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Minor ii V I Triads Strings 4-2

Probably the most popular place to play these, or any, 3-note chords on the guitar is the 4-3-2 string set. Since it sits in that nice, sweet spot of the guitar where each note rings clearly and the tone is still full, having a handle on these shapes is a great place to start when exploring outlining Minor ii V Is using 3-note chords. As will any exercise you do, work the following shapes in C minor rst, at various tempos, and then take them around the neck to the other 11 keys as you build an indepth understanding of how these chords lay on the neck of the guitar. Click to hear audio for this example.

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Minor ii V I Triads Strings 5-3

Here are the same chords used to outline the Minor ii V I chord progression in C, but this time they are laid out on the 5-4-3 string set. Though not as common as the previously learned string sets, these chords do get used from time to time, and are worth checking out as they will add some nice low end to your chord melody, solo playing and duo comping where there is no bass player in the ensemble. Work these slowly in the given key, then take them to other keys around the neck to expand on them further in your jazz guitar practice routine. Click to hear audio for this example.

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Minor ii V I Triads Low 3 Strings

To nish up our exploration of using triads to navigate Minor ii V I chord progressions, here are these chords written out with proper voice-leading over the bottom 3 strings. Though they are not as commonly used as the other string sets, as they can sometimes sound muddy, learning how to properly voice-lead Minor ii V I chords on the low 3 strings can be a good ear-training exercise, as well as open up your neck to new possibilities if you decide to pursue the low-end of the guitar further. As always, work these in one key at a variety of tempos, and then take them to other keys around the neck as you expand on them in the practice room. Click to hear audio for this example.

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How to Practice Minor ii V I Triads

Apart from learning these triads through Minor ii V I chord progressions in different inversions and strings sets, such as the examples above, here are a few of my favorite ways to practice these chords in my jazz guitar practice routine. Sing the root of each chord as you play through the Minor ii V I triads on different string sets and in different inversions. Play any/all of the above inversion groups in all 12 keys at various tempos. Put on a Minor ii V I backing track, in one or more keys, and practice playing these different shapes and inversions over those changes. Put on a tune like Autumn Leave, or What Is This Thing Called Love and practice comping each Minor ii V I using only these triads on different string sets as the basis for your chordal idea. Try and mix and match as many inversions and string sets as you can over a tune like Autumn Leaves, where the Minor ii V I is always in the same key. As you can see, you dont always have to learn large chord-shapes in order to navigate Minor ii V I chord progressions when jamming or gigging on jazz guitar.
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Often times, these simple, three-note shapes are all you need to properly outline the chord changes, and keep things aurally interesting at the same time. Do you have a question or comment about this lesson, triads or voice leading? Head on over to the Matt Warnock Guitar Facebook page and post a question on my wall. Always happy to answer any questions and help you out any way I can.

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