The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    "+" in it's simplest form means "augmented"--raised.

    If you see a chord like D+--it's a D augmented chord, Root, 3rd, raised 5th.

    Folks use the + to mean other raisings of notes too, which I hate. But yeah, for the most part, C7+9 is synonymous with C7#9.

    I hate this, because when you get into some regional styles, or charts made by "unschooled" musicians, I have seen the + mean "add." This is a HUGE pain in the ass, especially when going in "cold."

    While I disagree with the notation in your book, it appears to be consistent--"+" = "#"

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27
    Cool, thanks so much that helps me a LOT. Thanks Bro!

  4. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by Henry Mars
    Functionally it is a dominant 7b5. Which can also can be used as an dom 7#11. Don't read more into it than there is.
    I'm sure that it is possible to split hairs, but it is really isn't necessary?
    Hi! I must disagree here, as a b5 implies a natural 11 and viceversa. I don't think is splitting hairs to know which tensions are available to play. Maybe wich a bass drums trio there's not much to it, but when playing with piano players or vibes, that accidental can make a whole difference. Just my .02

  5. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    "+" in it's simplest form means "augmented"--raised.

    If you see a chord like D+--it's a D augmented chord, Root, 3rd, raised 5th.

    Folks use the + to mean other raisings of notes too, which I hate. But yeah, for the most part, C7+9 is synonymous with C7#9.

    I hate this, because when you get into some regional styles, or charts made by "unschooled" musicians, I have seen the + mean "add." This is a HUGE pain in the ass, especially when going in "cold."

    While I disagree with the notation in your book, it appears to be consistent--"+" = "#"
    Couldn't agree more. + always means augmented; and any other usage to mean "add", "sharp", "raise", etc. is plain wrong.

  6. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by kambor
    Hi! I must disagree here, as a b5 implies a natural 11 and viceversa. I don't think is splitting hairs to know which tensions are available to play. Maybe wich a bass drums trio there's not much to it, but when playing with piano players or vibes, that accidental can make a whole difference. Just my .02
    Hey Kambor... not always...but your on the right track and that's the point I've been trying to make for a while... If your not implying standard harmonic motion... (what was implied in the jazz standards). Notation is how you spell out what you want. I guess the problem is most musicians don't understand harmony... not simply a harmonic style but the concept of how harmony works.(It's not simply function and voice leading).... Anyway how we notate chords is how we imply where the chord is from, what harmonic concept or organizational system or method we're using or implying. Can be as simple as implying modal, HM, MM or any collection of pitches as source for harmony structure. It's not the actual note being spelled out... it's the rest of the notes as well as harmonic concept, which will influence how we play the tune... As I've posted many times... the actual changes that are notated are simply an outline ... a very basic harmonic guideline. For every chord notated... we may play ten additional changes... which could be chord patterns, sub's etc... it's similar to melodic development or embellishment but instead your working with changes... and many times it's expected, just not notated. The longer you've been playing jazz the better you understand what's implied.... that is if you actually listen.... which obviously most don't or haven't reached a level where they're able to... But that should be where your trying to get, if you really want to play jazz. Sorry to be so pushy and straight to the point... and if your a beginner, it's probable over the top. But don't be a beginner for ever...Reg

  7. #31

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    Hey Reg! I'm not a world-class nor a beginner, I kind of survive (literally) playing.

    I might have been a little simplistic in my post, what I really wanted to say is that, given no other information, a G7b5 implies that a Db and, implicit, a C, are available. It wouldn't be the same with G7#11, where we have D and C#.

    I think I know what you mean, people like to use various aproaches, like only modifying the available notes according to the new chord for example (from Cmaj7 to Dmaj7 somebody would alter F# and C# in that case).

    I think the point is to make it clearly understandable to the players, so if anyone took a chart would be able to play it wthout any clashes or "uncomfortable tension points"

  8. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by kambor
    Hi! I must disagree here, as a b5 implies a natural 11 and viceversa. I don't think is splitting hairs to know which tensions are available to play. Maybe wich a bass drums trio there's not much to it, but when playing with piano players or vibes, that accidental can make a whole difference. Just my .02
    Where did I imply a natural 11? Maybe I missed something.

  9. #33

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    7b5 does not imply a 4 (11) in the chord.

    7#11 doesn't necessarily "imply" anything, but it does allow for a perfect fifth to be present.

  10. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    7b5 does not imply a 4 (11) in the chord.

    7#11 doesn't necessarily "imply" anything, but it does allow for a perfect fifth to be present.
    Of course it does, but as practical matter in most cases you aren't going to miss the 5th ... especially if you have a cocky piano player.

    I have studied theory and harmony ...voicing and the whole nine yards. The bottom line for me is that unless I am composing I need to deal with the practical aspect of things.

    Now if you are putting a chord melody arrangement together and playing a solo you should split those hairs. For comping chords you don't need to.

  11. #35

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    Exactly.

    My post was intended to agree with you, and to question kambor's statement.

  12. #36

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    Hi!

    Sorry, english is not my mother language so sometimes I can't express myself very well.

    What I meant is that, when soloing, a #11 chord allows for a perfect 5th, and a b5 chord allows for a diminished fifth and perfect fourth (given no other information).

  13. #37

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    And that I think we'd all agree with.

  14. #38

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    What else does the chord symbol imply... I think I'm beating a very dead horse.
    The Harmonic Maj. has a few Dom chords, V7 b9 11 13 and sometimes from the 3rd degree... a dom7 with b9,#9, 5 and b13
    Har. Min has the standard... V7b9b13, many add #9 to get rid of the aug 2nd interval.
    Mel. Min has the standard ... V7b13, and the 4th degree version, which were mainly talking about... Dom7#11 and also it's tri-tone sub, built from the 7th degree of MM, which if spelled traditional is a min7b5... but through jazz practice we call Dom.7 altered... example of spelling...
    1, b9, #9, 3, #11 or b5, b13 or #5, b7.
    Double Har. Maj has V7 with b9, 11, b5, 13... ( and the min version)
    There are the Dim. versions, whole tone with #11 and either #5 or no 5... locrian concepts and the list goes on...
    There really is a lot more going on when playing jazz than chord tones, or just the actual notated changes. Even if you really can't cover playing more... you need to be aware... or not Reg

  15. #39

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    Lads-I think I'm going to just stick to dixie!!!

  16. #40

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    You can over analyze anything. When you see a chord symbol on a lead sheet it is a crap shoot unless you have a full arrangement or know how the melody was derived. In a lot of cases it is obvious and in a lot of cases it isn't obvious. If you are old enough to have used what we used to call "volume one" fake book you know exactly what I am trying to say.

  17. #41

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    Hey Henry sorry... if I'm going to extremes... and yes I was at berklee when Volume I was put together.( lots of mistakes just as in the new versions) And 40 years ago there were pretty standard harmonic understanding of how standards were played... generally. The difference is in the years that followed we now have and use different harmonic concepts that may be applied to standards as well as newer tunes, and generally when making lead sheets the quickest method of notating where that concept is from or even simply what the harmonic concept is... is with the use of labeling chords... The melody doesn't always imply the harmonic area. Again different harmonic schemes that aren't basic chord tones etc... That's a different discussion... Half my calls for gigs are because I can interpret what charts say or are trying to imply. I'm very use to crap shoots... I'm simply trying to eliminate as many as possible... there getting worse, and should be getting better. It's not like the info. isn't out there... It really doesn't effect my playing or ears... I know what charts are trying to say... generally, and when played by composer, arranger or even a soloist, I can hear what someone wants. But I can also hear many musicians who don't hear or understand ... I'm simply trying to get guitarist off the top of that list... Might be a relationship to how many guitarist there are... I don't usually get into these discussions at gigs... Unless somethings really bad...Reg

  18. #42

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    We're on the same page Reg. There is a lot of serious confusion out there.
    I had to "unlearn" a few things over the years. The real problem lies around the lack of standard notation in chord symbols. It causes a great deal of confusion.
    A lot of this confusion comes from people that write "guitar method" books and should know better.
    When I was an active player and had students my biggest problem was to teach them to be a musician who happens to play guitar as opposed to a guitar player trying to play music.
    If you pick up some of the published sheet music out there, the chords are often incorrectly notated and yet the earth still spins.

  19. #43

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    Given that Abersold and the Real Books are filled with errors, is there anyone out there publishing correct lead sheets and transcriptions? It's especially frustrating for someone coming in to the game from a different background. One thing I have been enjoying is the Jazz Standards website. At least there is some decent information and harmonic analysis on a lot of the repertory.

  20. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by whatswisdom
    Given that Abersold and the Real Books are filled with errors, is there anyone out there publishing correct lead sheets and transcriptions? It's especially frustrating for someone coming in to the game from a different background. One thing I have been enjoying is the Jazz Standards website. At least there is some decent information and harmonic analysis on a lot of the repertory.
    Chuck Sher's series of real books are supposed to be good. I've got three. Alternate changes are listed too.

  21. #45

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    Quote Originally Posted by kambor
    Hi!

    Sorry, english is not my mother language so sometimes I can't express myself very well.

    What I meant is that, when soloing, a #11 chord allows for a perfect 5th, and a b5 chord allows for a diminished fifth and perfect fourth (given no other information).
    Hmmm. I don't agree with this statement. If you use the perfect fourth on a 7b5 chord, then you get 2 halfsteps in a row in the scale, for example...

    C7b5... E and Gb are in the chord, so if you play F, you get a cluster. Just wanted to point that out.

  22. #46

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    Hey Thanks Henry... It can be a little frustrating... +1, as Bill said the Shur books are by far the best, the only problem is the #5 as b13... But that is because they use "Standard Chord Symbol Notation" by Carl Brandt and Clinton Roemer as source for chord symbols from the mid 70's... I have an old copy.... Reg

  23. #47

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    Quote Originally Posted by whatswisdom
    Given that Abersold and the Real Books are filled with errors, is there anyone out there publishing correct lead sheets and transcriptions?
    The question is what are the correct changes.

    Is it the changes that went with the song when it was first composed and performed in a Broadway show back in the 1920s or 1930s. Is the correct changes those used in the famous version by Coleman Hawkins from the late 1930s? Or is it the modernized version by Herbie Hancock from the 1970s?

    I have often been surprised when I had the chance to to see the original (but by now little known) versions as they came from the composers hand. They can be rather different from the versions which are used most now (and are considered the "correct" one?).

    In older sheet music the modulation to a new key in the bridge is often approached by a series of dominant 7 chords descending along the cycle of fiths, whereas in newer leed sheets the same modulation is often approached by II-V-I cadences.

    In another post, the changes in Hal Leonard fake book has been labelled as sometimes incorrect. But Hal Leonard own the rights to most of the songs they publish in their books. Of course there can be printing errors, but who can say that the version published by the owner of the rights is wrong.

    So ... it may be a futile task to establish the "correct" version. Maybe we should just take those leeds sheets as a starting point for our own versions.

  24. #48

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    I think the discussion was for the most part dealing with notation of chord symbols, not so much what the original harmonic concept was... but the correct notation for chord symbol. But I totally agree with your point about actual original changes as compared to more modern harmonic treatment.... but isn't that what chord symbols are for... telling the player what harmonic scheme or concept is implied. Most fake books list what version the lead sheet is transcribed from.
    My goal is simply to have the actual notation be correct... reflect where the changes are from... not just voice leading concepts or based on a harmonic concept that has nothing to do with tune... I may be in dream land... but what else is new....Reg

  25. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by oldane
    The question is what are the correct changes.

    Is it the changes that went with the song when it was first composed and performed in a Broadway show back in the 1920s or 1930s. Is the correct changes those used in the famous version by Coleman Hawkins from the late 1930s? Or is it the modernized version by Herbie Hancock from the 1970s?

    I have often been surprised when I had the chance to to see the original (but by now little known) versions as they came from the composers hand. They can be rather different from the versions which are used most now (and are considered the "correct" one?).

    In older sheet music the modulation to a new key in the bridge is often approached by a series of dominant 7 chords descending along the cycle of fiths, whereas in newer leed sheets the same modulation is often approached by II-V-I cadences.

    In another post, the changes in Hal Leonard fake book has been labelled as sometimes incorrect. But Hal Leonard own the rights to most of the songs they publish in their books. Of course there can be printing errors, but who can say that the version published by the owner of the rights is wrong.

    So ... it may be a futile task to establish the "correct" version. Maybe we should just take those leeds sheets as a starting point for our own versions.
    I guess that I will add to the confusion. There are differences between "changes as written " and "changes as they are commonly played". Over the years some of this stuff kind of evolves as substitutions more or less become standard changes. I believe that the Real Books try to use the "commonly played" approach which may account for the mistakes. I'm just speculating though.

  26. #50

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    The Sher Real Books seem to pull their info from a well known recorded version (often, they'll tell you where) whereas the Hal Leonard Real Books are more of a blend of specific versions and common changes...

    All in all, the fact remains the same. Your ear is the #1 tool. The book is a resource, a suggestion, a possibility.