Alternating Thirds

Lesson 3/30 | Study Time: 5 Min
Course: Rock Saxophone
Alternating Thirds

Alternating Thirds

Another important sound commonly used in Rock and all its related styles is the use of both the minor and major third of a chord. There are literally thousands of sax, guitar and keyboard riffs which either alternate between the two thirds or begin on the minor third and then move to the major third.

Here is an example of this sound in the key of A. The minor (or flattened) 3rd is C and the major 3rd is C#. The notes of this solo come from a combination of the Blues scale (which contains the minor 3rd) and the A7 arpeggio (which contains the major 3rd).

Here are some more examples which use both the minor and major 3rd of a chord. Once again, these riffs are making use of a combination of 7th arpeggios and Blues scales.

This one is another R&B style solo. Notice how the use of both of the 3rds makes it sound bluesy. The dominant 7th chord, combined with the use of the minor 3rd is the real heart of Blues harmony.

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Peter Gelling

Peter Gelling

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Class Sessions

1- Breathing Technique 2- Expressive Techniques 3- More on Triplets 4- Triplets 5- LESSON ELEVEN 6- Arpeggios 7- Improvisation 8- More on Blues Scales 9- Playing in All Keys 10- Transposing 11- Using Ties 12- Developing Rhythmic Control 13- INTRODUCTION 14- The 12 Bar Blues 15- The Blues Scale 16- Alternating Thirds 17- Vibrato 18- Breath Marks 19- Swing Rhythms 20- Improvising With Set Rhythms 21- Enharmonic Notes 22- Riffs 23- The Chromatic Scale 24- Breathing Exercise 25- Playing With Other Instruments 26- Growling 27- Helpful Hints 28- A Final Solo 29- Approach to Practice 30- Saxophone Fingerings Index

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