TPS Guitar Field Manual

Triad Placement System — Guitar

AMF Internal Band Role: Keyboardist / Harmonist

Version 1.0 | Built for blues-rooted, genre-agnostic adaptive musicianship.

What TPS Is

TPS is the voicing system of AMF. In the Internal Band metaphor, TPS holds the Keyboardist / Harmonist role. Its job is to produce harmonic color — the specific emotional quality created by placing particular notes over a root.

TPS works through compression. A chord symbol like Cmaj13#11 contains a great deal of information. The practical musical action is often much simpler: place a D major triad over C. That one small shape produces the 9th, #11, and 13th. The mental load drops; the harmonic color remains powerful.

TPS Core Formula: Shape + Placement + Spacing + Purpose = musical color.

Shape is what your hands know — the four triad atoms
Placement is what your mind understands — which scale degree
Spacing is what your ear feels — how the notes are distributed across strings and register
Purpose is what PDC decides — why this color in this moment

TPS is not just a chord trick. The same placement map can generate voicings, comping parts, chord melody fragments, fills, melodic material, intros, outros, and atmospheric textures. When you play the notes together, TPS produces harmony. When you play them one at a time, TPS produces melody. When you apply a rhythm cell, TPS produces groove vocabulary.

TPS and PDC

PDC determines the musical need. TPS supplies the harmonic option. Without PDC, TPS becomes a pile of pretty but contextless colors. With PDC, every TPS choice has a reason: this color serves this musical moment.

The Four TPS Questions

Before choosing a voicing:

What is the root or bass note underneath the sound?
Which triad shape am I placing above that root?
How should I space or register the triad?
What PDC purpose does this serve?

Guitar as the TPS Geometry Instrument

Guitar is the TPS geometry instrument. Triads become movable shapes across string sets. The same physical shape, moved up the neck, produces the same harmonic color with a different root. This is TPS's primary efficiency advantage on guitar.

On piano, you see the bass/root and the upper triad simultaneously. On guitar, the root is often supplied externally — by a bassist, a backing track, an open string, or your own thumb in fingerstyle — while the upper strings carry the color triad. This makes guitar TPS inherently ensemble-minded: the color lives above a floor that someone else (or your thumb) is providing.

The Movable Shape Advantage

This is the most important structural feature of guitar TPS.

On piano, learning a TPS placement in one key does not automatically mean you know it in other keys — the patterns shift with the black and white key arrangement. On guitar, all movable shapes are geometrically identical across all roots. Learn a minor triad on strings G-B-e in root position at fret 5, and you know the same shape at every fret — only the root changes.

This means: learn one root position, learn all 12. The transfer is immediate once the shape is in your hands.

The practical workflow is:

Learn the shape and its three inversions on one string set, in one position
Associate the shape with its harmonic placement (e.g., "minor on 5")
Practice finding the same shape when the bass note changes
The shape's color relationship to the bass remains identical regardless of fret position or key

This is why TPS on guitar rewards early investment in shape mastery before placement vocabulary. A shape that is genuinely in your hands — not requiring conscious thought to locate — becomes instantly available at any root.

Physical Prerequisite: String Muting

String-set triads cover only three of the six strings. The unused strings must be muted to avoid unwanted sound. This is a physical skill that must be addressed explicitly before using TPS shapes in ensemble contexts.

For beginning guitarists, clean muting is a prerequisite for guitar TPS. Partial-string voicing technique (muting with the fretting hand, light palm muting, or pick-hand string avoidance) should be practiced as part of TPS shape mastery, not separately from it.

The Four Triad Atoms

Triad	Formula	C Example	Emotional Tendency	Priority
Major	1 3 5	C E G	Stable, bright, clear	Primary
Minor	1 b3 5	C Eb G	Darker, warmer, emotional	Primary
Diminished	1 b3 b5	C Eb Gb	Tense, directional	Secondary
Augmented	1 3 #5	C E G#	Dreamy, unresolved	Secondary

The Three Inversions

Inversion	C Major Example	Musical Function
Root position	C E G	Most direct and stable
First inversion	E G C	Smooth, connected, less heavy
Second inversion	G C E	Open, suspended; useful for top-note melody

On guitar, each inversion corresponds to a different fretboard shape on a given string set. Learning all three inversions gives you three different voicings within the same fretboard area — the foundation of smooth voice leading on guitar.

String Sets

TPS guitar organizes triads across string sets. The primary sets:

Top string set (G-B-e): This is the main TPS color zone. Most comping, fills, and chord-melody work lives here. The three highest strings are above most bass movement, avoiding low-register mud.

Middle string set (D-G-B): Usable for fuller sounds and rhythm guitar. Slightly lower in register, so spacing matters more.

Bottom string sets: Used primarily for Blues Root (bass notes) and shell voicings, not typically for TPS color triads.

G-B-e String Set: C Major and C Minor Shapes

These shapes are fretted on strings G-B-e. Numbers indicate fret positions.

C major (top string set):

Root position: frets 5-5-3
First inversion: frets 9-8-8
Second inversion: frets 12-13-12

C minor (top string set):

Root position: frets 5-4-3
First inversion: frets 8-8-8
Second inversion: frets 12-13-11

These are starting positions. The movable advantage means you can use these same shapes — the same finger spacings — at any fret to produce the same triad quality at a different root.

The Placement Layer: Same Shape, New Meaning

A C major triad means one thing over C, another thing over A, another thing over F, another thing over D. Placement is the scale degree of the triad's root relative to the bass note.

The First Seven Placements

These seven are the core of TPS. Learn these before exploring further.

Placement	Example over C	Intervals	Sound Created	Best Use
1 major	C/C	1 3 5	Plain major foundation	Clarity, grounding, simple support
3 minor	Em/C	3 5 7	Cmaj7 compression	Elegant major color, rootless thinking
5 major	G/C	5 7 9	Cmaj9 color	Safe sophistication without tension
5 minor	Gm/C	5 b7 9	C9 dominant color	Blues, swing, funk, gospel dominant support
b7 major	Bb/C	b7 9 11	C9sus / Mixolydian sus	Soulful dominant, funk, gospel, rock
2 major	D/C	9 #11 13	Lydian color	Floating, cinematic, modern, open
b3 major	Eb/C	#9 5 b7	C7#9 blues bite	Grit, blues tension, dominant bite

How to Practice the First Seven on Guitar

Choose one string set
Keep C as the root (backed by a drone, pedal, or open string)
Play only one triad placement at a time
Say the placement aloud: "minor on 5," "major on 2"
Name the intervals it creates
Describe the emotional color in plain language
Use it in a two-bar musical phrase
Rest. Let the sound register emotionally.

Complete Major Triad Placement Reference Over C

Degree	Triad	Intervals	Color	Emotional Quality	Priority
1	C	1 3 5	Major foundation	Stable	Core
b2	Db	b9 11 b13	Dark/altered	Heavy tension	Advanced
2	D	9 #11 13	Lydian	Bright/open	Core color
b3	Eb	#9 5 b7	Dominant blues bite	Gritty	Core color
3	E	3 #5 7	Maj7#5	Dreamy	Advanced
4	F	11 13 1	Sus/add	Open	Secondary
#4/b5	F#	#11 b7 b9	Altered cluster	Sharp tension	Advanced
5	G	5 7 9	Maj9	Elegant	Core
b6	Ab	b13 1 #9	Dark dominant	Moody	Secondary
6	A	13 b9 3	Dominant 13b9	Functional tension	Advanced
b7	Bb	b7 9 11	Dominant sus	Soulful	Core
7	B	7 #9 #11	Strong Lydian/altered	Very tense	Advanced

Complete Minor Triad Placement Reference Over C

Degree	Triad	Intervals	Color	Emotional Quality	Priority
1	Cm	1 b3 5	Minor foundation	Clear minor	Core
b2	Dbm	b9 3 b13	Altered dominant	Exotic tension	Advanced
2	Dm	9 11 13	Sus/Dorian/modal	Open	Secondary
b3	Ebm	#9 #11/b5 b7	Altered dominant	Gritty tension	Secondary
3	Em	3 5 7	Maj7 compression	Smooth	Core
4	Fm	11 b13 1	Borrowed minor/plagal	Dark/gospel	Secondary
#4/b5	F#m	#11 13 b9	Lydian/altered tension	Modern tension	Advanced
5	Gm	5 b7 9	Dominant 9	Blues/swing/funk	Core
b6	Abm	b13 7 #9	Altered dominant	High tension	Advanced
6	Am	13 1 3	Major 6	Warm	Core
b7	Bbm	b7 b9 11	Phrygian/sus shade	Dark	Advanced
7	Bm	7 9 #11	Lydian major color	Shimmer	Core color

Chord-Family Maps

Major Family (Root = C major)

Goal	Placement	Example	Emotional Effect
Plain major	1 major	C/C	Stable and clear
Maj7	3 minor	Em/C	Elegant and resolved
Maj9	5 major	G/C	Polished and open
Major 6	6 minor	Am/C	Warm and classic
Lydian	2 major	D/C	Floating and cinematic
Lydian shimmer	7 minor	Bm/C	High-color modern brightness

Dominant Family (Root = C7)

Goal	Placement	Example	Emotional Effect
Dominant 9	5 minor	Gm/C	Blues and swing color
Dominant sus	b7 major	Bb/C	Soulful, open, less final
Blues bite	b3 major	Eb/C	Gritty #9 sound
Open dominant 13sus	2 minor	Dm/C	Modal/sus openness
Dark altered	b6 major	Ab/C	Moody dominant tension

Minor Family (Root = C minor)

Goal	Placement	Example	Emotional Effect
Plain minor	1 minor	Cm/C	Clear minor identity
Minor 7	b3 major	Eb/C	Stable minor 7
Minor 9	5 minor	Gm/C	Smooth minor color
Minor 11	b7 major	Bb/C	Open minor/sus sound
Dorian	2 minor	Dm/C	Modern modal minor
Borrowed darkness	4 minor	Fm/C	Gospel/cinematic shade

PDC to TPS Matrix

PDC Diagnoses	TPS Options	Warning
Clarity	1 major/minor; shells; guide tones	Reduce color. State the harmony.
Openness	Spread triads; pedal + upper triad; 2 major	Use register and silence.
Blues bite	5 minor; b7 major; b3 major	Phrase and resolve the rub.
Sophistication	3 minor; 5 major; 2 major; 7 minor	Keep rhythm simple.
Crowded texture	One triad high; shell only; silence	Remove before adding.
Calm	1 major/minor; 6 minor; soft spread	Longer values, less movement.
Lift	2 major; high spread triads; anticipation	Lift without rushing.
Tension	b3 major; b2 minor; altered colors	Resolve intentionally.

The Spacing Layer

On guitar, spacing is achieved primarily through:

String set selection — upper strings produce brighter, lighter color
Open strings — adding an open string against fretted notes creates natural spread
Skipped strings — non-adjacent strings produce interval spread similar to piano's open voicings
Inversions — different fret positions on the same string set produce different note orderings

Spacing Operations on Guitar

Operation	What You Do	Effect	When to Use
Closed	Standard fretboard triad shape	Clear, compact, direct	Learning, tight comping
Open/spread	Skipped strings or added octave	Wide, spacious, beautiful	Ballads, intros, solo playing
High register	Top string set only, upper frets	Shimmer without mud	When lower register is full
Pedal + upper triad	Open low string held while upper strings move	Atmosphere, suspension	Ambient, gospel, folk
Sparse fragments	Two notes instead of three	Implied color, less density	Crowded ensemble

Guitar-Specific Voicing Considerations

Root Supply

Guitar TPS triads on the top string set do not include the bass root. The root must come from:

The bass player in an ensemble
A backing track or loop
An open low string (when it matches the harmony)
Your thumb in fingerstyle

Always know where the root is, even when your fingers are playing notes far above it.

Register Choices

The top string set (G-B-e) is the default TPS color zone for guitar because it stays above the bass register and avoids mud. The middle string set (D-G-B) works for rhythm guitar and fuller voicings but requires more careful spacing.

Avoid: Placing closed TPS color triads on the bottom two strings (E and A). Those strings are Blues Root territory.

Partial Chords Over Full Grips

Full six-string grips are often less clear than three-note shapes. TPS is built on this principle. Three notes, correctly placed, with clean muting of the others, produce a more defined harmonic color than six strings that include root doublings and potential color conflicts.

Resist the habit of reaching for full barre chords when a top-string triad would be cleaner and more specific.

Muting Technique

This is a prerequisite. Clean TPS shapes require that unused strings produce no sound.

Methods:

Fretting hand muting: Unused strings lightly touched by adjacent fingers
Pick hand muting: Thumb or palm lightly contacting unused lower strings
Position-specific knowledge: Know which strings are involved in each shape and which must be muted

Practice shapes in isolation — play only the target strings — before integrating them into musical contexts.

Blues Root Integration on Guitar

Blues Root and TPS work together on guitar. The relationship is:

Blues Root supplies the floor. Whether through open strings, a bass player, your thumb (fingerstyle), or a backing track, the root orientation is always present. TPS colors live above that floor.

Which string is the root? In any voicing or fretboard position, know which note is the lowest-pitched sounding note. That string carries Blues Root weight. The upper strings carry TPS color.

Fingerstyle: The classic thumb-bass approach (thumb alternates between root and 5th or walks bass lines on lower strings while fingers pluck upper triads) is a direct integration of Blues Root (thumb) and TPS (fingers). Practice them as one system, not two separate exercises.

Ensemble: When a bassist is present, your guitar is free to operate purely in the TPS color zone (upper string sets). Trust the bassist to carry Blues Root; add color above.

Voice Leading on Guitar

Voice leading — connecting one TPS color to the next with minimal movement — is the natural second layer after the First Seven Placements are internalized.

On guitar, voice leading means:

Choosing the inversion where your fingers travel the shortest distance between positions
Looking for shared notes between adjacent voicings and keeping those notes stationary while others move
Using fretboard position awareness to find nearby inversions rather than jumping to a distant position

The fretboard position principle: When moving from one TPS placement to the next, stay in the same fretboard area when possible. The same string set, one to three frets of movement, usually produces the smoothest voice leading.

Practical example: Moving from Em/C (3 minor) to Gm/C (5 minor) on G-B-e:

Em at the 9th position → look for Gm in the same area (12th position) rather than jumping to a lower position
The E note in Em (fret 9, string B) is near the G note in Gm (fret 8, string G)
Minimal hand movement = smoother musical motion

Voice leading is a Semester 2 skill. Do not let it overwhelm early learning. Build the habit of looking for nearby inversions rather than always defaulting to root position. The explicit voice-leading training happens later.

Guitar Execution Modes

Mode	How It Works	Use
Upper triad only	Backing track or bass supplies root; guitar plays color triad	Ensemble comping
Thumb bass + triad	Thumb plays root/pedal on lower strings; fingers pluck upper notes	Solo guitar / fingerstyle
String-set triads	Triads on G-B-e or D-G-B	Movable color and comping
Skipped-string spreads	Non-adjacent strings for openness	Beauty and atmosphere
Broken triads	Pick/pluck notes one at a time	Fills, riffs, solos

Guitar SOP: Learning a New Placement

Choose one string set
Find the triad shape in three inversions on that string set
Use a drone/backing track/open string to establish the bass note
Play the triad over the root and name the color
Move to another inversion without breaking time
Apply one rhythm cell
Break the triad into a melodic fill
Record and evaluate with PDC

Guitar Case Study: D/C (2 major)

Let a backing track, looper, or thumb bass establish C. Play a D major triad on the top string set (G-B-e), higher up the neck. The shape is a simple D major triad. But the color over C produces the 9th, #11, and 13th — a Lydian color: bright, floating, and modern.

Use it as a chord stab, arpeggio, or melodic phrase. Then return to a simpler C or Em/C sound so the color feels intentional. Notice how the same physical shape on the same string set produces the same color relationship regardless of where you are on the neck — this is the movable advantage at work.

TPS in Musical Roles

Accompaniment Applications

Context	TPS Approach
Blues comping	5 minor, b7 major, b3 major, simple triads on top strings; leave space
Ballad support	Spread triads, 3 minor, 5 major; fingerpicked, not strummed
Funk/groove	Short triad stabs on top strings; b7 major or 5 minor; rhythm before density
Singer-songwriter	Plain triads, spread triads, gentle inversions; no unnecessary sophistication
Neo-soul/gospel	Spread triads, sus colors, 2 major; groove-conscious

Guitar Texture Rules

With bassist: Avoid duplicating low roots unless it helps. Use upper triads.
With singer: Play between phrases. Do not fill every space.
Solo guitar: Use thumb bass and small upper structures.
Fingerstyle advantage: Plucked triads separate bass, harmony, and melody clearly.
Avoid mud: Full six-string grips are often less clear than three-note shapes.

TPS for Fills and Solos

When using TPS melodically, treat the triad as a small melodic territory: three notes that can be repeated, sequenced, inverted, rhythmically displaced, and resolved.

Melodic Move	TPS Example	Effect
Broken triad	D–F#–A over C	Lydian line without scale running
Target top note	Aim for B from Em/C	Maj7 arrival
Leap and resolve	Jump within triad, step back to chord tone	More interesting contour
Motif repetition	Repeat same 3-note idea with new rhythm	Creates identity
Question/answer	Triad phrase, then simpler resolution	Blues/jazz conversation

TPS in a 12-Bar Blues

Bar Area	Common Function	Starter TPS	Color Expansion
I chord	Home dominant color	5 minor over I	b3 major for #9 blues bite
IV chord	Lift away from home	5 minor or b7 major over IV	2 minor for sus/modal openness
V chord	Strongest tension	5 minor or b3 major	Altered/tension triads briefly
Turnaround	Return path	Shells and guide tones first	Small upper triad answers

Chord-Symbol Decoder

Chord Symbol	Traditional Idea	TPS Action over C
C major	1 3 5	C major
Cmaj7	1 3 5 7	E minor (3 5 7)
Cmaj9	1 3 5 7 9	G major (5 7 9)
C6	1 3 5 6	A minor (13 1 3)
Cmaj13#11	1 3 5 7 9 #11 13	D major (9 #11 13)
C7	1 3 5 b7	C major + Bb guide tone
C9	1 3 5 b7 9	G minor (5 b7 9)
C9sus	1 4 5 b7 9	Bb major (b7 9 11)
C7#9	1 3 5 b7 #9	Eb major (#9 5 b7)
Cm7	1 b3 5 b7	Eb major (b3 5 b7)
Cm9	1 b3 5 b7 9	G minor over minor context
Cm11	1 b3 5 b7 9 11	Bb major or D minor

Genre Taste Rules

Genre	TPS Tendency	Use More	Use Less
Blues	Dominant color and emotional rub	5 minor, b7 major, b3 major	Overly clean Lydian color
Jazz	Functional motion and color	3 minor, 5 major/minor, 2 major	Random upper structures without voice leading
Funk	Rhythm first	Short stabs, b7 major, 5 minor	Long dense voicings
Gospel	Emotional lift and suspended color	b7 major, 2 minor, spread triads	Dry academic voicings
Folk/Singer-songwriter	Story support	Native triads, inversions, spread triads	Heavy altered tension
Ambient/Film	Texture and atmosphere	Pedal + upper triads, spread triads	Busy functional comping
Neo-soul	Color with pocket	Spread triads, sus colors, 2 major	Color without groove
Rock	Energy and directness	Native triads, sus colors	Overly jazzy harmony

The Trad-to-Pitch Learning Path

TPS follows a specific pedagogical sequence on guitar:

Phase 1 — Shape: Four triad atoms. Major, minor, diminished, augmented. On one string set (G-B-e), all three inversions. Learn the shapes and muting cleanly before adding placement.

Phase 2 — Placement (First Seven): Add a C drone or backing track. Work through the First Seven placements on the top string set. One placement at a time. Associate each shape with its placement name and color.

Phase 3 — Color by family: Work with chord-family maps (major, dominant, minor).

Phase 4 — Spacing: Practice spread and open versions on your string set. Experiment with skipped strings.

Phase 5 — Musical application: Apply placements over blues, ii-V-I, or simple progressions. Record and evaluate with PDC.

Phase 6 — Movable transfer: Once a placement is stable in one position, test it at different fret positions. Verify that the same shape produces the same color relationship at every root. This confirmation is important — it proves the movable advantage is operational in your playing.

Phase 7 — Second string set: Add the D-G-B string set. The shapes are the same; the physical fret positions differ.

Practice Protocols

15-Minute Daily Loop

Time	Focus	Action
3 min	Shape	Major/minor triads on one string set, three inversions
3 min	Placement	Play First Seven placements over C drone/backing
3 min	Spacing	Try skipped strings/open-string spread
3 min	Music	Use one placement over slow blues/vamp
3 min	Visualize	See fretboard shape; hear root underneath

7-Day Weekly Placement Cycle

Day	Focus	Definition of Done
1	Exposure	Understand the placement and play it slowly
2	Shape recall	Find it without reference at 50–60 BPM
3	Ear connection	Describe the color and sing one note from it
4	Spacing	Play closed and spread versions
5	Musical context	Use it in a groove/backing track
6	Melodic use	Break it into a fill or motif
7	PDC review	Record, diagnose, decide if it enters review rotation

Ear Training SOP

Play the root alone (drone, open string, or backing track)
Sing the root
Play the triad above it on the string set
Sing each triad note as an interval against the root
Describe the color in plain language
Compare it to a nearby placement
Use it in a short phrase and listen again

Recording Review SOP

Record 30–60 seconds using one TPS placement
Listen once for rhythm only
Listen once for harmonic clarity
Listen once for space and PDC usefulness
Write one diagnosis
Record a corrected take
Keep only one next action

Extended Exercise Library

Exercise	Instruction
One string set	Play major/minor triads on G-B-e only. All inversions.
Drone color	C drone/backing; cycle Em, G, Gm, Bb, D shapes above it
Thumb bass	Thumb plays C; fingers play upper TPS triad
Spread beauty	Take one placement and find two skipped-string or spread versions
Pedal atmosphere	Hold open C string; move upper triads through different placements
Top-note melody	Choose inversion so melody note sits on top string
Broken triad fill	Play triad notes one at a time as a melodic phrase

Scenario Library

Scenario	PDC Diagnosis	TPS Response
Slow blues feels empty	Needs warmth without clutter	Spread 5 minor or b7 major, leave space
Singer enters	Needs support and room	Small high triads or stop playing
Band groove is strong	Do not disturb foundation	Sparse color or silence
Harmony sounds muddy	Needs clarity	Return to shells or 1 major/minor
Chorus needs lift	Needs brightness/energy	2 major in upper position
Solo section needs grit	Needs blues bite	b3 major over dominant briefly
Ambient intro	Needs atmosphere	Pedal root with moving upper triads
Funk vamp	Needs pocket	Short b7 major or 5 minor stabs
Ballad ending	Needs beauty and space	Spread triads, let strings ring
You feel lost	Needs simplification	Return to root, shell, or silence

Definitions of Done and Progress Levels

Level	Name	What You Can Do	Evidence
0	Exposure	Explain TPS as shape + placement + spacing + purpose	Can describe the formula in plain language
1	Guided Execution	Play a spread triad placement on G-B-e with reference	Can find the shape while looking at diagrams
2	Recall	Find it without reference at slow tempo	Can play minor-on-5 over a root from memory
3	Musical Use	Use it in a real loop or backing track	Can comp a blues chorus with sparse TPS choices
4	Movable Transfer	Produce the same placement at a different root	Same shape, different fret, same color
5	Adaptive Use	Choose or avoid it based on PDC	Can decide not to use color because texture is crowded
6	Integration	Combine with rhythm, Blues Root, melody, and genre taste	Can use rhythm cell, TPS color, and melodic fill coherently

Definition of Done per Fluency Level

Fluency	Meaning	Move Forward When
Conceptual	You understand the formula	You can explain the placement in words
Physical	You can play it slowly	You can play it cleanly at 50–60 BPM
Visual	You can find it on the fretboard	You do not need a diagram
Aural	You recognize the emotional color	You can describe it after hearing it
Musical	You can use it in a groove	It survives time, rhythm, and context
Movable	You can play it at any root	Same color, any fret
Adaptive	You can choose it by PDC need	You know when not to use it

A placement is ready for review rotation when it is stable enough to use slowly in context — not when it is impossible to make a mistake forever.

AMF Definition of Done Template (TPS Guitar)

Technical: Can play shape, placement, and muting at 50–60 BPM without unwanted string noise
Cognitive: Can name the placement, its intervals, and its color in plain language
Auditory: Can hear and describe the emotional color the placement produces
Visual: Can find the shape on the fretboard at any root without diagrams
Musical: Can use the placement in a groove or progression
PDC: Can identify when the placement serves the music and when it would clutter
Review: Can recall it after a spaced delay

Transposition Strategy

TPS should not stay a C-only system. But do not transpose everything simultaneously.

Work in a controlled sequence. Start with C (or whatever key your first drone/backing track uses). Once the First Seven are stable, move to G, F, D, and Bb — the common guitar keys. The movable advantage means the shapes are identical; only the fret position changes.

Definition of done for a key: You can play the First Seven placements slowly, name the interval colors, and use at least two in a simple groove or progression.

Final Warning and Final Promise

TPS is powerful because it makes advanced colors simple. That does not mean every song needs advanced color. The most musical TPS choice is often a plain major triad, a shell voicing, or silence.

The complete reference tables in this manual are maps, not practice orders. The First Seven Placements plus the core major/minor shapes are enough to begin making real music. Start there. The movable advantage means that once those are genuinely in your hands, you have them in all 12 keys.

Shape. Placement. Spacing. Purpose. Learn the shape. Place the shape. Open the shape. Hear the color. Serve the music.

TPS (Guitar)