Bass Edu
Chord Tone/Arpeggio lesson #2 part 3
Last but certainly not least is the Augmented triad. Just like the diminished chord this chord/arpeggio comes up a lot more often than you’d think so please make sure that you know it thoroughly. If nothing else this chord/arpeggio will twist your fingers into ways that you never thought possible, increasing your left and right hand technique by 10 fold. However I must say that I definitely do not recommend learning this or any other piece of musical information strictly for techniques sake. I have noticed that technique is often a bi product acquired while getting to know a piece of musical information intimately, i.e. backwards, forwards, upside down etc. Just like with the other 3 triads (see previous lessons) take your time with the Augmented Triad, get it in your ears as well as under your fingers. The Augmented triad pairs up with its corresponding Augmented chord. So once again, if you are at a rehearsal or on a gig and the guitar or piano player tells you that they are playing a C Augmented Chord then a C Augmented Triad would be the perfect choice, if they tell you that they are playing a B flat Augmented Chord then a B flat Augmented Triad would work great. Remember, my goal is to give you the information, the artistry of how the information is played is up to you.
Now with the Augmented Triad being the last of the 4 triads it may seem like things are coming to a close, however I can assure you that we are just getting started. As I have mentioned in previous columns, there are more advanced applications for these necessary fundamentals and I am excited to say that we will begin scratching the surface on these starting in next months article.
Click to Download C Augmented Triad (Root Position Only)
C Augmented Triad
-Comprised of the notes C,E,G#
-Comprised of the intervals 1,3,#5
-Corresponds with the C Augmented Chord
-Written as “C+” on chord chart