Major Triads: An In-depth, practical guide

The guitar is an instrument founded on harmony. Dionisio Aguado said that “ guitar music is founded on chords”. This means that chords are found behind any piece written for the guitar. So what would happen if you never practiced chords in a systematic and thorough way? You won’t have a connection or understanding of the foundations of guitar music.

Practicing exercises in harmony can seem overwhelming - it’s like learning the vocabulary of a whole new language! But this time is well worth the effort, as it enables you to make huge leaps in progress when sight reading or learning pieces. You’re essentially practicing the stuff music is made of. If you don’t practice exercises like these, then you will very slow progress sight reading and learning new pieces. Each new piece you read or learn will feel like going back to square one.

While there is some theoretical information presented, it’s aimed to be minimal and focus much more on the practical side of harmony. This is what guitarists like Sor, Giuliani, Mertz, Regondi, Tarrega and Bream practiced. This tradition is now lost.