A great way to devise a creative and unusual rhythm part is to superimpose a variety of triads over a static one-chord vamp. As you may know, a triad is a three-note entity that, in its most universal function, represents a specific type of chord.
The most common types of triads are major – built from a root, major 3rd and 5th – and minor – built from a root, minor 3rd and 5th.
When playing over a one-chord vamp, that chord represents a key center from which many different triads can be built.
Let’s begin with a simple, funky rhythmic vamp built on an A7 chord, as shown in Figure 1. This is a repeating one-bar pattern that starts with hammer-ons on the A and G strings, followed by syncopated accents on the top four strings.
You could just play different voicings and inversions of A7 over this groove all day long and it’ll sound great.
But the way to get the most out of this approach is to recognize A7 as a chord derived from the A Mixolydian mode (A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G), which is the fifth mode of the D major scale (D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#).
This means you can use all of the scale’s triads – D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm and C#dim – to discover new rhythm patterns to play over A7 that are even more colorful and interesting.
Figure 2 illustrates the triads Em (E, G, B) and F#m (F#, A, C#) played on the top three strings alongside the A7 chord voicing. If you know your triads on the neck, you can devise some really cool rhythmic ideas.
For example, Figure 3 demonstrates Em and F#m triads played on the D, G and B strings before moving over to the top three strings.
Figure 4 offers an example of utilizing the F#m and Em triads over the funky A7 rhythm part.
Notice that the triads are strummed in syncopated 16th-note rhythms and shift smoothly from one to another via finger slides. Figure 5 switches things up by ending with a dyad/single-note type of riff.
In Figure 6, I branch out from minor triads by including some triadic inversions: on beat 2 of bar 1, I bring in a 1st-inversion G triad (G, B, D), sounded with B, the 3rd, as the lowest note. On beat 3, I include a 2nd-inversion D major triad (D, F#, A), with A, the 5th, on the bottom.
As you can see, these options provide more sounds than does simply riding on voicings of A7. There are Em and F#m triad shapes to be found all over the fretboard and on different string groups, so be sure to explore every area of the neck to discover where these triad shapes reside.
As long as we return to our key center of A7, we have some cool options to explore. In Figure 7, I incorporate some chromatic movement between G and A triads to bring in another variation.
Look to map out all of the voicings of the aforementioned triads that live within the D major scale and try to find inventive ways to move between them when playing over a static A7 vamp.
- This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.
