Triads and Triad pairs in improvisation Part 3

In the 3rd part I’ll have a look at some of the possibilities you have when making your lines from a pair of triads without common notes. Again the idea is to use the strong melody that a triad is by itself and choose triads that fit the chord in this song.

First it might be useful to have an overview of all possible triad combinations:

I have given the combinations and also a suggestion to the kind of scale or chord sound that it might be used for.

Triads without common notes

halfstep apart:

C    Db            F harmonic Min
C    Db+            F harmonic Maj

Cm    Db            F aeolian
Cm    Dbm            Ab harmonic Maj
Cm    Db+            G gypsy Min

Cdim    Db            Db major
Cdim    Dbm            Db harm/mel min
Cdim    Dbdim            C7 dim
Cdim    Db+            G gypsy min

C+    Db+            Db augmented

Whole step apart:

C    D            G major
C    Dm            C major
C    Ddim            C harm min/F mel minor
C    D+            G mel minor

Cm    D            G harm min/maj
Cm    Dm            G aeolian
Cm    Ddim            Eb major
Cm    D+            G harm min

Cdim    Dm            D7 dim
Cdim    Ddim            D7 dim

C+    D            A mel min
C+    Dm            A harm min
C+    D+            C whole tone

Minor third apart:

C    Ebm            C7 dim
C    Ebdim            C7 dim

C+    Eb            C augmented
C+    Ebm            Ab harm maj
C+    Ebdim            Db harm min
C+    Eb+ (= C+ Db+)

Major third apart:

Cm    E            C augmented

Cdim    E            E harm maj
Cdim    Em            E harm min
Cdim    Edim            C7 dim

Fourth apart:

C    Fdim            C harm maj/F gypsy

Cm    Fdim            C harm min

Cdim    Fdim            F7 dim

Tritone apart:

C    F#            C7 dim
C    F#m            C7 dim
C    F#+(= C D+)

Cm    F# (= C F#m)
Cm    F#m            C7 dim
Cm    F#+ (= Cm D+)

C+    F#  (= C F#+)
C+    F#m (= Cm F#m)
C+    F#+ (= C+ D+)

38 combinations

When I write C augmented, I am referring to this symetric scale: C Eb E G G# B