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I have been playing bass for close to 30+ years. I am just starting to learn about theory and the like. I am confused about Triads and what exactly they are. I am working in the "Building Walking Bass Lines" book by Ed Friedland.

His diagrahm shows three notes on the same measure stacked.

____________
_____O______
_____O______ <----- a rendition of C maj triad. I understand it is the Root the 3rd and 5th. I am wondering is
_____O______ are they strummed like a chord ? or just tell me what the notes are in the triad.
____________

Not sure if i am asking this correctly
Help and thanks

From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triad_%28music%29:

"In the late Renaissance, western art music shifted from more "horizontal" contrapuntal approach toward chord-progressions requiring a more "vertical" approach, thus relying more heavily on the triad as the basic building block of functional harmony."

The notes of the triad tell you what notes you can play and stay harmonically within the music at that point. A guitar could strum a chord and it (obviously) sounds fine, but for bass (and I haven't read your book so I can't say for sure) I think the triad diagram just tells you what the notes are in that particular triad.

Well trying to play them as a chord really didn't sound correct. Therefore in the C mag triad the three notes to be in harmonic balence would be C,E,G if I am reading this corrrectly. So while another person on a 6 string plays a C chord a progession of notes using C,E or G would be correct??

RicOSoundMan wrote:Well trying to play them as a chord really didn't sound correct. Therefore in the C mag triad the three notes to be in harmonic balence would be C,E,G if I am reading this corrrectly. So while another person on a 6 string plays a C chord a progession of notes using C,E or G would be correct??

Yes, you'd be correct. Technically, the C or root would be considered the strongest, i.e. most solid of stable sounding with a C chord, followed in strength and stability by the 5th, G, and then the 3rd, E.
I'm assuming that you've been playing bass by ear most of the time? If that's the case, be a little patient. It can take a while for your reading and understanding to catch up.
I would also assume that this book would build triads based on each note of the scale: (Triads consisting of a root, 3rd and 5th).
1. C - C,E,G... C major chord, 2. D - D,F,A... d minor chord. 3. E - E,G,B... an e minor chord 4. F - F,A,C... an F major chord etc. And also show you where the whole steps and half steps are in major and minor scales.
Again, it can take a while and it's rote learning, but memorizing the key signatures of all major and minor scales will go a long way in giving you more options to play. Also learn the intervals.
Have fun!

And by the way... In general, you won't play any chords on the bass.

RicOSoundMan wrote:Well trying to play them as a chord really didn't sound correct. Therefore in the C mag triad the three notes to be in harmonic balence would be C,E,G if I am reading this corrrectly. So while another person on a 6 string plays a C chord a progession of notes using C,E or G would be correct??

A three note chord on a bass will indeed sound muddy - that seems to be a consequence of being low frequency because you get the same muddiness playing the same chord in the same low register on a piano.

You would be "safe" playing C, E or G while a guitar plays a C chord because all of those notes "fit" (are "correct" for the chord). However, you also can play a progression with notes other than C, E and G and it could be more interesting, which is what I expect your book is leading up to.

prjacobs wrote:And by the way... In general, you won't play any chords on the bass.

Oops!

Thanks for the input and explanation. Makes more sense, was portrayed in book as if a chord. But you have given better explanation.

Yes, Have played by ear all these many years...... yet have learned alot of improve in those years. can usually find notes folks are playing with ease. Yet at church where I play now I get sheet music with chords labeled above measures and that is where I am wanting to learn more of the music and reading of it. I have a little back ground but in treble clef playing sax. Having a hard time remembering differences in note placement.

Is fun though