-
Yeah man... that 6/9 is a great one as well.
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I prefer to conceptualize and apply things from the standpoint of lower structure vs upper structure (or sometimes I call it 'melodic' structure since it's really about what's happening within the melody and sometimes that's based on the basic 1-3-5 triad of the chord... so it's not always 'upper structure'... just in the sense that it sits above the harmonic/lower structure.)
There's a few ways that I would look at the 6/9 chord... each that offers its own, unique personality traits. The most common for me these days is a sus2 triad built a whole step above the harmonic root note. So C6/9 is a Dsus2 triad over a C6, or even just a C triad. Breaking it down this way, for me, is helpful in finding inversions and alternate voicings. Unlike traditional 'bottom-up' chord construction, I don't invert equally. I invert the upper/melodic structure, but I (almost) always keep that sitting above the lower structure. So this might yield voicings like:
X3223X
8X775X
8XX755
8XX9.10.10
X15X14.15.12
...or for more open sounds maybe...
87X7X5
8X79X10
X15.12.14X12
... always inversion and variations of the Dsus2 triad sitting above the CMaj lower structure.
Fellow chord nerd my man
Never get enough of these little dudes.
-
12-01-2016 05:04 PM
-
My fave "heavy" major: Maj7b6: Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
CMaj7b6: x36453
-
I love this thread. It's very helpful. It reminds me of sitting with some guys jamming, hearing something great, and trying to figure what we did right.
Maj7 sounds okay to me when the root is a passing tone.
-
I still remember when I learned the 6/9. It sounded great but being the same shape with the root on 6, 5 and 4th strings is what made me put it everywhere. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
-
To get the forward motion feel with a Maj7th, you might try playing a repeating pattern like this:
| CM7 C6 | Cm7 F7 | BbM7 Bb6 | Bbm7 Eb7 | AbM7 Ab6 | Abm7 Db7 | ... etc.
Keep that going 'till you're back to CM, then go to a different chord voicing and try it again.
You can make up similar exercises with other 2 bar fragments you might find in common tunes. Another one:
| CM7 C6 | Gm7 C7 | FM7 F6 | Cm7 F7 | BbM7 Bb6 | Fm7 Bb7 | ... etc.
It's something I do when I want to explore how a fragment sounds in different positions on the fretboard and in different voicings.
-
Classic 7-6 resolution. Originally Posted by KirkP
7-6 resolution with descending bassline is a close relative of movement in 4ths. Let's use Autumn Leaves
Cm7 | F7 | Bbmaj7 | Ebmaj7 | Am7b5 | D7b9 | Gm
Cm7 | Cm6 | Bbmaj7 | Bb6 | Am7b5 | Ao7 | Gm
See baroque music, of course. These things came out of counterpoint, but now we understand them as functional harmony, but for Bach etc it was 7-6 resolutions on a descending bassline.
You can do this in two parts, it's lovely if you do this, say, by inverting the 7th so that you get 2nds resolving to 3rds:
Notice how each dissonance is prepared and resolved - I have added in ties to demonstrate this. Ideally the guitar fingerings would reflect this.
So we've gone from a chord progression to intervals in the G harmonic minor scale.
Another thing I like is to but the 7-6 resolution into the bass:
Cm7/Bb | F7/A | Bbmaj7/A | Ebmaj7/G | Am7b5/G | D7b9/F# | Gm
The Art of Partimento book has lots of these sort of patterns. It's fun thinking about them as intervals in a diatonic scale too, as opposed to chords and inversions.Last edited by christianm77; 12-02-2016 at 05:20 AM.
-
Thanks to the OP for posting this question and for all the good replies.
I tend to choose the chord form that contains the melody note - i.e. - if the 6th is in the phrase I use the maj6 chord (or resolve to it); if a maj7 is in the phrase I choose the maj7. This helps me as an untrained singer and emphasizes the melody note instead of clashing with it. As Generalduke mentioned, it may be desirable to avoid the half-step dissonance. The movement as outlined in other posts is super.
Much good info in this thread.
-
It's useful to note that these as substitutions, too. Originally Posted by christianm77
Cm6 = F9(no root)
Bb6 = Eb9(no root)
Ao7 = D7b9(no root)
-
Sound great for swing rhythm guitar Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
8 x 8 8 x x
8 x 7 8 x x
6 x 7 7 x x
6 x 5 7 x x
5 x 5 5 x x
5 x 4 5 x x
3 x 5 3 x x
If you go back and forwards a couple of times, I call it 'Tea for Two-ing'
And these are chords that would have been recognisable to Bach. Notice that when we leave out the 5th of the 6th chord, you get a 6 3 chord, or a first inversion triad, so in a sense we are playing
Cm7 | Ao/C | Bbmaj7 | Gm/Bb | Am7(b5) | F#o(7)/A | Gm
So - it's also, down a third, up a step.Last edited by christianm77; 12-02-2016 at 11:17 AM.
-
Thanks for saying this right out loud. I used to think a triad was boring. Now I see them as viable, useful chords. Sometimes they are perfect for the transition and/or the easiest to grab. Originally Posted by KirkP
To my ear, a maj6 chord presents a "happy" sound and a maj7 is bittersweet. A basic triad sounds strong to me.
Reply With Quote
A Quilter Superblock US in Canada
Today, 01:08 PM in For Sale