-
I have been trying to learn some "Go-To" chords for Rhythm/Comping. I did not see many fingerings that I found comfortable for the Major 9 Chord, nor did I really see many available.
I am starting to wonder if all the extended chords are limited in fingerings since there are so many notes to choose from. I found most of the fingerings for Major 9 required some serious stretching on my part. Would you agree with this, and if so, is this BASICALLY true of most extended chords?
-
01-23-2012 01:03 PM
-
With a bass player you can just leave the root to him:
G + Bm7 = GMaj9, So play a Bm7 chord.
If you are playing solo and want to play the root on the 6th string, here are some GMaj9s:
32423x
3x4435
3x423x <-- no third. You may want to pair that with a G chord with a third.
3x420x <-- like this, but this might be the stretch you alluded to.
Also, try other inversions; you don't always have to have the root in the bass.
I also don't think extended chords necessarily imply "serious stretching" because you can do things like "Bm7 for GMaj9". What does happen is that there are more opportunities for major or minor seconds in the chord, and who can resist that?
-
Daddy,
I forget how in the "real world," I would often be playing as part of a group, so in learning chords with 6th String roots, I would have to consider where and when to utilize those roots, or if they are even needed.
Sigh.
More to think about, but I will get there.
Thanks for the chord suggestions.
-
If you do not want to imply the rootless inversions, which I think you should look into, it is easy and sounds great, there are some fingerings that are not hard that will give you that sound.
CM9
x3543x
x3243x
8x978x
xx10 12 12 10
xx9788
-
Dad's right.
The thing with 'extended' chords is that you don't need to include every note.
If you are playing with a bass player, it's considered 'complete' to just have the third, seventh, and whatever tension or extension is required.
So in this case, maj9 is just three notes - 3, 7, 9. So any permutation is fair game as long as the registers or spread of the voices isn't too awkward.
For comping the fact is that if a tune says "Gmaj7" it's your call whether you want to play anything from just a single note to a G major triad to a Gmaj13#11 - you can have as few or as many notes and extensions as you'd like based on the musical setting and the melody or soloist.
If a chart for a standard says "Gmaj9" I usually wouldn't pay much attention to the 9. (If it were a more modern tune or a it was a chart the composer himself made then I might try to include the 9 in my voicing.) It's not that I would just avoid the 9, it's just that when I'm comping I'm try to voice lead smoothly and play something complimentary to what else is going on, so the important thing for me at that point would be something that is congruent with a Gmaj7 sound, and that might have a 6 or a 9 or a #11 or a 5 etc, it just depends.
-
Nothing wrong with those, I do just want to point out - maj9 without a 3 is cool, it's just good to be aware that there isn't a third. I think of it as a brighter and more modern sound. In the voicings above that don't have a three, a fifth is present, so if one wanted a more conventional maj9 sound, swap out the 5 for the 3:
Originally Posted by brwnhornet59
8x975x
xx10 9 12 10
xx9758
Of course that makes them a little harder...the first one should be do-able, the second maybe a little tough but there isn't that much gained at that point by having the root on the D string, so that could be omitted or another change made.
The last one of course had the b9 interval in it which just has to be handled with care, and is again a bit of a brighter more modern sound, but it can be dissonant
But anyway, as stated, most extended chords are a simpler chord if you take out the root.
Gmaj9 = Bm7
Gm9 = Bbmaj7
Gmaj9#11 = Bm9
G7#5b9= Fm7b5
etc
-
Not that you, Britt, were unaware of any of that, but the addendum was more for the benefit of any reader that wasn't.
-
LOL Jake! No worries brother. I took no offence. Your points were spot on, as were Big Daddys!
My only objective was to give the sound without cumbersome fingerings.
Last edited by brwnhornet59; 01-23-2012 at 03:13 PM.
-
Very enlightening BrownHornet and Jake. I see your points.
Brownie, you are right about the great Maj 9 chord forms I can make if I don't concentrate on just those with roots on the 6th string. In fact, a couple of the chords you and Daddy mentioned are what first attracted me to the Maj 9 sound.
And Mr. Jake, I can see it all comes back to good voice leading and personal taste, as I have heard time and time again on the forum. I like the way you compartmentalized the chord to it's guide tones and any additions.
Alas, it appears some of the chords I am learning may have less "bang for the buck" than others. So in this case, I am going to learn just two of them inside out and leave it at that.
As you may be able to tell, I am trying to learn just those chords with roots on the 4, 5, and 6 strings as a starting point for really applying harmonic principles.
When my new instructor evaluated my knowledge, I embarrasingly drew a blank on many of the chords that I thought I knew, and definitely revealed my lack of knowing concerning which note was the third, seventh, etc...
Once I get a few chord shapes down for each non-altered chord, I believe he is going to lead me into arpeggios - another skill I am weak at. Ultimately, I chose thi gentleman because he will take me all the way to the APPLICATION phase - which is where we (us newbies) all want to get to eventually.
-
Of course, playing without the 3rd always reminds me of Message In A Bottle:
Code:1---------------------------------------------------------------------1 2---------------------------------------------------------------------2 3----------8-----------4----------6-----------------------------------3 4------6-----------2----------4--------------6-7----------------------4 5--4-----------0----------2--------------4----------------------------5 6------------------------------------2--------------------------------6
-
I always liked Sting!
-
What I learned.. is if you have all these notes, and can't figure which ones to use, a good guide would be: if you have a multi-note chord., is to leave notes out.. The first you can eliminate is the Root (more than likely your bass player has that covered), never eliminate the 3rd, it gives them major minor quality.. and the dominant quality, which does the most to lead the chord progression is the major 3rd and the b7.. the tritone.. tritones between any chord tones can lead in multiple directions. The next note to eliminate is the 5th, again, your bass player has probably got both the Root and 5th covered, unless it's b5 (#11) or #5.. all in all you can play any combinations of the altered tones, and it will probably sound okay, find the combos that sound best.. just keep in mind the 3rd (major or minor) is pretty powerful to center your chord. For me, I found that it's the intervals between any two notes of a chord that give things the flavor, not always chords as you see written on a lead sheet.. know how to spell the chord in you mind like you spell words on a page. remember chords contain many intervals, some dissonant and some consonant.. combining them is the art, so depending on what kind of color you want.. There really are not strict rules.
Happy Travels.
-
I think that instead of learning chords, the more fruitful path is to learn how to create and even improvise chords. Originally Posted by AlsoRan
Also, in this post here I talk about building rootless voicings, but you can simply and easily slap the root on to the A or E string to any of those voicings...
-
Light Bulb Moment! Originally Posted by JakeAcci
When I use less notes, as you espouse, then the chords are more than likely going to be easier to finger. This will make it easier to comp, especially with the Bass taking the root note, since changing from chord to chord will be easier as well!
Wow.
-
Now your using your noodle!!! Originally Posted by AlsoRan
Light Bulb Moment!
When I use less notes, as you espouse, then the chords are more than likely going to be easier to finger. This will make it easier to comp, especially with the Bass taking the root note, since changing from chord to chord will be easier as well!
Wow.
3-9 and 6-5 arps and chords and their inversions are your friends. There are many many ways to express these ideas besides the ones mentioned. Sometimes less is more.
Last edited by brwnhornet59; 01-23-2012 at 10:37 PM.
-
One more thing about major 9th chords with 3rds omitted -- my ear continues to interpret them as MAJOR ninth chords. I don't know if that's a overtone series thing or just conditioning, but I never expect them to turn into a min9(Maj7) chord.
And as for pop music, sus2 and add2 chords are very common these days, especially in CCM.
Reply With Quote
Autumn Leaves (Fingerstyle Chord Melody)
Yesterday, 11:56 PM in Improvisation