Upper Structure Triad

[dadolfin]

I have a somewhat long background in music and theory but I am not sure I understand the term upper structure triad. Maybe I am making it out to be more complicated than it is. Could someone explain this to me?

Thanks,

[donnapalmari]

Bascially Upper Structures are dominant chords that use the tritone in the left hand (the 3rd and 7th) and different chords in the right hand. For example a C7 upper structure would use E and B flat in the left hand and the right hand could play any of the following chords:

i in 1st inversion (eb g c)
flat ii in 1st inversion (fb ab db)(can also use root and 7th in LH for this one)
II (D F# A)
flat iii (eb gb bb)
flat III (Eb g Bb)
sharp iv in second inversion (c# f# a)
sharp IV in second inversion (C# F# A#)
VI (A C# E)
flat VI in second inversion (Eb Ab C)

Hope this helps
Donna