The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hello folks,
    This chord sounds like a Phrygian or Esus7(b9) chord but doesn't fit either the E Phrygian mode or Dorian b2 (due to the Bb). It does fit the Locrian, which normally corresponds to a half-diminished chord, but it definitely doesn't sound half-diminished to me. How would you classify this chord?
    Thanks!

    Is this a Phrygian chord?-chord-jpg

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  3. #2

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    Sounds like an altered chord to me.. Condensing the chord within an octave and removing the repeated note gives me 1 b2 b5 b7 so E7b5susb9? Could use over dominant. Phrygian chord to me should at least have 1 b2 5. Locrian 1 4 b5.

  4. #3

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    Nice voicing.

    E Altered scale or E half whole fits; it’s ‘true altered’ in my terminology due to the b5 (Bb.) E7sus4b9 is more ‘diatonic minor dominant’

    If I had to solo on it one thing I’d probably use is D F Bb, which is a Bb triad.

    So Bb/E is another way of writing that chord, in which case we can see it as an inverted ‘quadrad’ - Bbadd#4

    this is a useful little structure for playing nice altered voicings and lines while still sounding logical, and your voicing belongs to that family.

    The triad in this voicing gives it a very ‘settled’ sound despite it being a complex chord to my ears.

  5. #4

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    It also sounds modern because of the fact that there’s a triad and also no 3rd.

    I’ve noticed third-less dominants are common throughout jazz history (it often sounds better not to play the guide tones on dominant, as the third tends to point you towards the root on the I chord when resolving) in fact I was in a Barry Harris stream last week when he was talking about this sort of thing in a minor key.

    but 3rd less altered dominants (with a b5) sound particularly modern to me.

    I hear them a lot in Lage Lund’s playing for instance.

  6. #5

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    What's the context? Isolated chords can be anything.

    As for scales, you could quite happily play F major over it, why not? F melodic minor would fit too.

    What's the context?

  7. #6

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    It will probably resolve to Am or Amaj7

  8. #7

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    Probably...

    What's the context? That could be a rootless C9sus resolving beautifully into an F major chord! I just tried it. Olé!



    Give us the context! Enough speculating already.

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by ll00l0l
    Hello folks,
    This chord sounds like a Phrygian or Esus7(b9) chord but doesn't fit either the E Phrygian mode or Dorian b2 (due to the Bb). It does fit the Locrian, which normally corresponds to a half-diminished chord, but it definitely doesn't sound half-diminished to me. How would you classify this chord?
    Thanks!

    Is this a Phrygian chord?-chord-jpg
    Where is the A to make it an Esus? I see E7b9#11. Or a Bb triad with an E on top and bottom.

    I agree that it depends on context. At first glance, my mind goes to triad with #11, which I use most often in Fmelmin (for this key). But, it could be a C dominant chord or something else.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
    it could be a C dominant chord or something else.
    Exactly, could be anything.

    Do you think he's vanished?

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by ragman1
    Exactly, could be anything.

    Do you think he's vanished?
    He has been vaporized to the lol dimension. Or receded.. Who knows