Quick Question-Chord Extensions?

[the*doctor]

Hey everyone,

I just joined a jazz combo band and have to play songs I've never even heard before on the spot, so I've pretty much jumped into the deep end

I'm wondering on tunes with chords like D7+9, G7#5(#9) and EbMaj+4 I could simplify them by playing D7, G7 & EbMaj7?

At least until I can actually get to know all of these tunes and learn all these extra chord extensions.

Cheers

[TruthHertz]

Just one minor person's opinion: You don't need to play all the extensions, by all means it's not a requirement. And if you're working with other musicians, find a way to play less anyway. Do you have a bass player? If so, your roots are covered... piano player? You can figure out important chord tones between you. Learn a small variety of chord voicings and you'll be able to make your #9 by moving that 3rd down a fret. You can find your 9 that way too. #5, and b16 you can find where your 5th is if you want, or not. Get the idea?
The combo is nice because in your practicing, you can try to find things that sound more interesting, and they don't have to be complete chords in one "grab" or "block voicing." As a matter of curiousity, you might think in terms of modes of the harmonic or melodic minor scale in triads. Don't take it in all at once, but once you feel the sound of these as melodic movements of the harmonized triad scale, you can move around, you'll have your extensions, you'll have harmony, you'll have a melodic movement and it'll feel like the most natural thing in the world.
That's just one person's opinion of what works. I'm sure somebody will tell you that anything with the word mode in it is total BS. Listen to them too and decide yourself.
To directly address your original question, sure you can play generic uncoloured chord voicings. Those extensions are spices. You're the chef. Nothing wrong with hard boiled eggs if you're hungry enough. Nobody's going to starve but people expecting the mushroom and brie omelette will notice.
David

[bako]

What are these chords? What is left over without the root?

D7+9-----D / F# A# C E

F# C E A# // A# E F# C // C F# A# E // E A# C F#

G7#5(#9)-----G / B D# F A#

F B D# A# // A# D# F B // B F A# D# // D# A# B F

EbMaj+4-----Eb G Bb D A or Eb G A D (in this case root included)

Eb A D G // G D Eb A // A Eb G D // D G A (F)------F is a sub for Eb in the last chord to avoid b9 between D-Eb

or EbMaj+4-----Eb G / Bb D F A

F Bb D A / A D F (C) / Bb F A D / D A Bb F--------C is a sub for Bb to avoid b9 between A-Bb

Play high enough above the bass to keep the root function clear.

"I could simplify them by playing D7, G7 & EbMaj7"

Simplifications are possible but it's good to know what you are subbing for. Are the extensions in the melody?
Playing it safer might be playing without the 5th

D7+9----------D C F# or D F# C
G7#5(#9)-----G F B or G B F
EbMaj+4-------Eb D G or Eb G D

In your situation, survival is the 1st goal, finding a useable chord to play by any means necessary. Silence is also an option.
Whatever chord you choose, focus on making the rhythm feel good. Being in your situation was my first great motivator to learn more chords, as soon as possible.

[the*doctor]

Cool, thanks for the good advice.

After a couple of weeks hopefully I'll know more chords, but for now I'm just trying to keep up.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

One more thing... Consider the differencet between G7 and G7#5(b9) in a chart.

G7 suggests you can play a G13 or G9 if you feel like it -- adding notes like E or A, while G7#5(b9) suggests Eb and Ab instead.

Now you could just play a minimal two-note chord for either (B & F), but the chord symbol is suggesting some possibilities.

[FatJeff]

In a word, yes. You can play the "vanilla" chords until you're familiar enough with more esoteric voicings to start to use them on the spot. At least that's how I started out when I was thrown into the deep end (and it was pretty deep!). Then take you charts into the woodshed and learn the specific voicings you need for those specific songs.

[JakeAcci]

Some things might have a regional difference wrt chord symbols

I see D7+9 As "D dominant seventh with an augmented 9th", synonymous with D7#9

and D9+ as "D dominant seventh with a ninth and a sharp 5th"

Is this what you guys are familiar with? Just curious. Bako had the opposite interpretation as me about the D7+9

[FatJeff]

I see D7+9 as D7#9 (D F# A C F). D9+ would be D7aug (D F# A# C) plus the natural 9th (E). At least that's how I would interpret it.

[karnajitsen]

We can arrange those chord notes as follows,

-- D7#9: D-- F#-- C -- F - A
G7#5#9: Eb--G -- B -- F - A#
EbM7#4: Eb--G -- Bb-- D - A

If you see here, the chord notes are arranged in such an order that each chord note is either a same note or a chromatic note of the previous chord note (see columnwise). Exception is only the note D of EbM7#4. So in guitar these 3 chords are in very close proximity of the others. We can move to the next chord only by moving a previous note by a half note. There lies the trick of ths chord progression.

Let me know if you like it

Thanks,
Karna

[bako]

Jake, I suspect you are right on this one. Generally I would write the chord I indicated as D9+
or D7(#5/#9) or D7+(#9) for the other.
Thanks for the correction.

Personally I don't use + for anything other than augmented 5th.
I use #11, #9 when I want those notes.

[JakeAcci]

Originally Posted by bako

Personally I don't use + for anything other than augmented 5th.
I use #11, #9 when I want those notes.

Same. It leads to confusions like this one, but it's unfortunate that people make their charts in such varying ways.

Potentially getting off topic, you guys see a triangle as major seventh? I do but then realized some people see that as a major triad, or are just unfamiliar entirely.

[the*doctor]

Wow information overload
Thanks for the help.

I've started to learn some more of the extensions, and I'm slowly getting there...

Jakeacci- I see triangle as a major triad.