Bert Ligon

Let’s be honest – do you really know all of your major triads in all12 keys? Do you know the root position and the first and second inversions in all twelve keys? I mean really know – the kind of know that you don’t have to think about it you know it so well. Can you play the attached triad exercises accurately at a very fast tempo?

If you answered no to any of these questions then this post is for you. In addition to the supplied exercises I will point you to several other resources for improving your triad skills.

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Additional Resources:

In chapter 4 of the following Bert Ligon book, “Triadic Generalization” is discussed.

In chapter 15 of the following Bert Ligon book, “Extended Tertian Structures & Tridac Superimposition” is discussed.

In chapter 3 of the following book Bert Ligon provides many nice ideas and exercises related to “Triads & Generalization”.

In the following book Ernie Watts provides some very nice triad exercises.

The following book by Walt Weiskopf on “Intervalic Improvisation” is based upon using triad pairs and their various inversions.

Exercises 1-12 of “Patterns For Jazz” contain excellent triad exercises. If you don’t yet have this book you should add it to your “Must Have” list.

Be sure to check out the following items from Steve Neff at Neff Music:
“The Ultimate II-V-I Primer” this is an excellent beginning book.
The following Steve Neff lessons are also very good for triads:
“In A Mellow Tone with Triads-Video”
“Major Triad Samba”

Be sure to check out Evan Tates 250 Jazz Patterns

Have fun mastering the major triads!

The playing always comes first and then someone takes the time to analyze what the great jazz artists are doing. This is exactly the case with Bert Ligon and his 146 page book “Connecting Chords With Linear Harmony”.

Bert is a Professor of Jazz at the University of South Carolina School of Music.

Bert has studied hundreds of examples from the jazz greats and extracted three basic outlines from their solos that appear very often. The three basic outlines are covered very quickly in the first part of the book. The outlines are demonstrated in major and minor. The remainder of the book covers how to use embellishing devices to make the outlines sound more interesting. Numerous examples of jazz greats are provided as examples that incorporate the three outlines. An etude section is also included to demonstrate using the outlines over a few jazz standards. This method shows how an improviser can provide harmonic clarity in their solos.

I highly recommend this book . You can purchase the book from the following link.

Buy

Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony – Jazz Book

Bert Ligon

Major Triad Workout and Resources

Review of Connecting Chords With Linear Harmony by Bert Ligon