3rd Triads in 1, 4, 5 Chord Progressions on the Three Highest Strings Voicing (3, 5, 1), (3, 5, 1), (3, 5, 1)

I start with theory, but if you only want the patterns, feel free to search for “3:15” in this lesson using the command F function if you have a PC.

3:1  Triads are three note chords, where each of the three notes in each three note chord is a different interval of a 7 note major scale, specifically the Ionian mode.

3:2  A 1, 4, 5 chord progression is probably most common chord progression.

3:3  Because it is a 1, 4, 5 chord progression, it is a pattern of 3 chords in progression, where 1, 4, and 5 represent the root notes of the chords.  The 1 of “1, 4, 5,” represents a chord.  The 4 of “1, 4, 5,” represents a cord.  And, the 5 of “1, 4, 5,” represents a chord.  These chords do not necessarily need to be played in order.

3:4  1, 4, 5 chord progressions take their name, 1, 4, 5, by the root notes of the scale they occupy.

3:5  Every chord in a 1, 4, 5 chord progression is a major chord.  Major means that it sounds happy, as opposed to minor which sounds sad, taking its root notes as the 3 major notes of the Ionian scale, the 1^st note, 4^th note and the 5^th note.

3:6  Every note of the 1 chord, the 4 chord, and the 5 chord is contained within the respective Ionian scale pattern of the key that the progression is played in.

3:7  In the key of C, the Ionian mode has no sharps or flats.  The root of the Ionian mode in the key of C is C.  Its notes follow the pattern C (major) D, (minor) E (minor), F (major), G (minor), A (minor), B (diminished), repeating C, which is an octave.

3:8  There are seven notes to the Ionian scale, which should sound very familiar if played in order.  Additionally the Ionian sound can be played in any key, and that is true for any mode.  The notes are of Ionian Mode in the key of C are Doe (which when Doe is used as a root note in any key the result sound is Ionian), Ray (which when Ray is used as a root note in any key the result sound is Dorian), Me (which when Me is used as a root note it any key the result sound is Phrygian), Fa (which when Fa is used as a root note in any key the result sound is Lydian), Sew (which when Sew is used as a root note in any key the result sound is Mixolydian), La (which when La is used as a root note in any key, the result sound is Aeolian), Tea (which when Tea is used as a root sound in any key the result sound is Locrian).  However, for this exercise, because it consists of 1, 4, and 5, chords, the only sounds that will be used are, Ionian, Lydian, and Mixolydian, respectively, but not the Dorian, Phrygian, Aeolian, and Locrain modes.

3:8  In any key the Ionian scale follows the pattern Root, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step, where a whole step is 2 notes (2 frets) higher than a previous note, and a half step is 1 note (1 fret) higher than a previous note.

3:9  With respect to the Ionian major scale, the intervals for these exercises will always be stacked as (3, 5, 1).  Consequently, the 1 chord, the 4 chord, and the 5 chord all have 5, 1, and 3 notes of different Ionian keys, where the 1 is a root note of the beginning of the respective Ionian scale.  Although, the 4 chord has the 4^th interval of the song key as its root, that root is considered as the 1 note of a different Ionian mode for the purpose of labeling its identity, as in comparison to the 1 and 5 chords though it sounds Lydian.  And, although the 5 chord has the 5^th interval of the song key as its root, that root is considered as the 1 note of a different Ionian mode for the purpose of labeling its identity, as in comparison to the 1 and 4 chords it sounds Mixolydian.

3:10  Each root is “1” of the three different chords, each consisting of 3, 5, and 1 intervals, where 3 is on the fattest of the 3 highest strings, 5 is on the next fattest of the 3 high strings, and 1 is played on the highest string.

3:11  The root note is called 1, the root note of the Ionian scale.  The 2^nd major root note of the major scale is the 4^th note of the Ionian mode.  The 3^rd major root note of the major scale is the 5^th note of the Ionian mode.

3:12  The 1 chord of the C major (Ionian) scale is “Doe.”  The 4 chord of the C major scale (Ionian) has its root as “Fa” chord of the major scale because it is the 4^th note of the pattern “Do Ray Me Fa.”  The 5 chord of the C major scale (Ionian) is Sew because it is the 5^th note in the pattern, “Do Ray Me Fa Sew.”

3:13  The labeling of the intervals of the three chords of the 1, 4, 5 chord progression is made with respect to as if the root note as if each of these 3 chords was created by a separate Ionian scale pattern.

3:14  The strings are labeled as such: the 6^th string is the highest pitched string, or the thinnest string, the 5^th string is the next highest pitched string, and the 4^th string is the lowest pitched string of the three highest pitched strings, whose pitches are measured in standard E tuning and played at the same fret.

3:15  For this exercise the chords will all be fretted with the middle finger on the 4^th string, the index finger on the 5^th string, and the index finger on the 6^th string.

3:16  The key of E:

The 1 chord consists of the notes, G#, B, and E.

The G# is the 3 of the chord.  The B is the 5 of the chord.  The E is the 1 note, the root note, of the chord.  This is why it is a chord with 3, 5, 1 voicing.

Because of the way this chord is stacked, the G# is on the 4^th string at the 13 fret.  The B is on 5^th string at the 12^th fret, and the E is on the 6^th string at the 12^th fret.

Get familiar with it.

The 4 chord is an A and it consists of the notes, C#, E, and A.

The C# is the 3 note of the chord.  The E is the 5 note of the chord.  The A is the 1 note, the root note, of the chord.  This is why it is a chord with 3, 5, 1 voicing.

Because of the way this chord is stacked the C# is on the 4^th string (the 3^rd thinnest string) at the 6^th fret.  The E is on the 5^th string (the 2^nd thinnest) at the 5^th fret, and the A is on the 6^th string (the thinnest string) at the 5^th fret.

Get familiar with it.

The 5 chord is a B chord.  It consists of the notes, D#, F#, B.

The D# is the 3 note of the chord.  The F# is the 5 note of the chord.  The B is the 1 note, the root note, of the chord.  This is why it is a chord with 5, 1, 3 voicing.

Because of the way this chord is stacked the D# is on the 4^th string at the 8^th fret.  The F# is on the 5^th string at the 7^th fret, and the B is on the 6^th string at the 7^th fret.

Get familiar with it.

Now play these chords in the 1, 4, 5 pattern, strumming each for a count of 4 before switching to a different chord.

Try playing them in different orders other than 1, 4, 5; for instance play 5, 1, 4 or 4, 1, 5.

3:17  The key of D# (the same pattern, but a half step lower):

The 1 chord consists of the notes G, A#, and D#.

The G is the 3 note of the chord.  The A# is the 5 note of the chord.  The D# is the 1 note, the root note, of the of the chord.  This is why it is a chord with 3, 5, 1 voicing.

Because of the way this chord is stacked, the G is on the 4^th string at the 12^th fret.  The A# is on 5^th string at the 11^th fret, and the D# is on the 6^th string at the 11^th fret.

The 4 chord is a G# and it consists of the notes, C, D#, and G#.

The C is the 3 note of the chord.  The D# is the 5 note of the chord.  The G# is the 1 note, the rood note, of the chord.  This is why it is a chord with 3, 5, 1 voicing.

Because of the way this chord is stacked, the C is on the 4^th string at the 5^th fret.  The D# is on the 5^th string at the 4^th fret, and the G# is on the 6^th string at the 4^th fret.

The 5 chord is an A# chord and it consists of the notes D, F, A#.

The D is the 3 note of the chord.  The F is the 5 note, of the chord.  The A# is the 1 note, the root note, of the chord.  This is why it is a chord with 3, 5, 1 voicing.

Because of the way this chord is stacked the D is on the 4^th string at the 7^th fret.  The F is on the 5^th string at the 6^th fret, and the A# is on the 6^th string at the 6^th fret.

Now play these chords in the 1, 4, 5 pattern, strumming each for a count of 4 before switching to a different chord.

Try playing them in different orders other than 1, 4, 5.

3:18  The key of D (the same pattern, yet another half-step lower):

The 1 chord consists of the notes F#, A, and D.

The F# is the 3 note of the chord.  The A is the 5 note of the chord.  The D is the 1 note, the root note of the chord.  This is why it is a chord with 5, 1, 3 voicing.

Because of the way this chord is stacked, the F# is on the 4^th string at the 11^th fret.  The D# is on 5^th string at the 10^th fret, and the G is on the 6^th string at the 10^th fret.

The 4 chord is a G and it consists of the notes, B, D, and G.

The B is the 3 note of the chord.  The D is the 5 note of the chord.  The G is the 1 note, the root note, of the chord.  This is why it is a chord with 3, 5, 1 voicing.

Because of the way this chord is stacked, the B is on the 4^th string at the 4^th fret.  The D is on the 5^th string at the 3^rd fret, and the G is on the 6^th string at the 3^rd fret.

The 5 chord is an A chord and it consists of the notes, C#, E, and A.

The C# is the 3 note of the chord.  The E is the 5 note of the chord.  The A is the 1 note, the root note, of the chord.  This is why it is a chord with 3, 5, 1 voicing.

Because of the way this chord is stacked the C# is on the 4^th string at the 6^th fret.  The E is on the 5^th string at the 5^th fret, and the A is on the 6^th string at the 5^th fret.

Now play these chords in the 1, 4, 5 pattern, strumming each for a count of 4 before switching to a different chord.

Try playing them in different orders other than 1, 4, 5.

3:19  The key of C#:

Using the patterns established in this exercise, play a 1, 4, 5 chord progression in the key of C# with 3, 5, 1 voicing.  The 1 chord is a C#.  The 4 chord is a G#.  The 5 chord is a F#.

3:20  The key of C:

Using the patterns established in this exercise, play a 1, 5, 4 chord progression in the key of C with 3, 5, 1 voicing.  The 1 chord is a C.  The 5 chord is a G.  The 4 chord is a F.