Disecting a Jazz chord

[guzmang]

Lately i've been pickin up jazz chords. Its not that its hard to play, but understanding what exactly the chord means. For example: G7. What does the 7 mean;Esus4, what does it mean to suspend. This goes for all the little numbers and terms. Could anyone help.

[Valentin Zukovsky]

The G7 would be a G major Arpeggio with the minor 7th of G. There are tons of different 7th Chords. A sus4 would be a suspension of the note that is a 4th above the root and then resolves down to the 3rd. I'm not exactly sure how they work on guitar, since I really only know how they work in 4 voice part writing from music theory.

[blink<3]

The G7 would be a G major Arpeggio with the minor 7th of G. There are tons of different 7th Chords. A sus4 would be a suspension of the note that is a 4th above the root and then resolves down to the 3rd. I'm not exactly sure how they work on guitar, since I really only know how they work in 4 voice part writing from music theory.

you stop 9oin9 to music colle9e... you just confused the shit outta me.!

[Fingers]

Chords are derived from scales.  The 2 most common scales that chords are derived from are the Major scale (also known as the Ionian mode) and the Natural Minor Scale (also known as the Aeolian Mode)

Major Scale Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 or sometimes you will see it written R 2 3 4 5 6 7 R, where R means root or the 1 degree of the scale.

an example would be the C major scale: C D E F G A B C

Major Chord formula: 1 3 5

C Major Chord Name: C

C Major Chord Spelling: C E G

as per the formula above using the 1 3 5 from the C Major scale.

Minor Scale Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

where by b3 we mean, the flatted third interval above the root also known as the 1 degree of the scale

Minor Chord Formula: 1 b3 5

A minor Chord Name: Am

A minor Chord Spelling: A C E

To create a chord with 4 tones in it such as C7

7 Chord Formula: 1 3 5 b7

C7 Chord Name: C7

C7 Chord Spelling: C E G Bb

Notice, its simply the major chord with a flatted 7, b7 included in its formula.

This page gives a good reference for a lot of chords and shows the relationships between scale formulas and chords:

http://www.activeguitar.com/basics/ctable.asp

note:

sharp 5, as in 5# is the same as flatted 6, as in b6. They are one in the same.



Important Jazz Concept:

Also, playing jazz chords on guitar you will encounter the important concept known as chord voicings.  In other words, "how will you finger the chord from its many possibilities".  There are very common ways someone plays a C7 chord in jazz, and some other ways, that they generally do not voice the chord.

Some Complications To Be Aware Of:

One additional complication in jazz, is that chords are often labeled, C7, but some of the notes that exist in a C7 chord are missing from the chord voicing.  For example, in jazz, a C7 may not include the 5 degree.

Instead of C7: C E G Bb, you may only finger C E Bb, and therefore play only those notes.  Strictly speaking, C E Bb is not a C7 chord, but in Jazz, it is very much a C7 chord, as a matter of fact its commonly the preferred method to spell a C7 chord and should be voiced accordingly.

Sometimes, they omit the root too!

C7: E G Bb, the C is missing.  The concept at work here is that in a jazz ensemble, the bass player is playing the C, not the guitar player.

 

[Valentin Zukovsky]

Important Jazz Concept:

Also, playing jazz chords on guitar you will encounter the important concept known as chord voicings.  In other words, "how will you finger the chord from its many possibilities".  There are very common ways someone plays a C7 chord in jazz, and some other ways, that they generally do not voice the chord.

Some Complications To Be Aware Of:

One additional complication in jazz, is that chords are often labeled, C7, but some of the notes that exist in a C7 chord are missing from the chord voicing.  For example, in jazz, a C7 may not include the 5 degree.

Instead of C7: C E G Bb, you may only finger C E Bb, and therefore play only those notes.  Strictly speaking, C E Bb is not a C7 chord, but in Jazz, it is very much a C7 chord, as a matter of fact its commonly the preferred method to spell a C7 chord and should be voiced accordingly.

Sometimes, they omit the root too!

C7: E G Bb, the C is missing.  The concept at work here is that in a jazz ensemble, the bass player is playing the C, not the guitar player.

The 7th chords lacking 5ths isn't just a jazz thing, because unless you're playing something that is diminished the root, 3rd, and 7th tend to keep the same texture with or without the P5.

As a bass player, sometimes I like to figure out ways in which I wouldn't be using the root at all while walking through a chord, without obscurring the sound of the chord, and implying that the root is in a there all at the same time.

[Fingers]

The 7th chords lacking 5ths isn't just a jazz thing, because unless you're playing something that is diminished the root, 3rd, and 7th tend to keep the same texture with or without the P5.

As a bass player, sometimes I like to figure out ways in which I wouldn't be using the root at all while walking through a chord, without obscurring the sound of the chord, and implying that the root is in a there all at the same time.

That's true.  I wanted to point out to someone who is obviously new to the theory of chords aware of some of the things that happen to chords in a "jazz environment" although its not exclusive to jazz.

Which can be confusing to folks new to the theory of chords.

They see C7 on their chord sheet or tab, etc.  and then see:

[xx535x], (G Bb E), or [x323xx] (C E Bb) and say why are they C7?

because its really ( (C) G Bb E ) where the C is missing or ( C E (G) Bb) where the G is missing.

1. As for walking bass lines its usually safe to walk the chord tones. 

2. But, to be a little more creative, as you know, if you use leading tones to step into a chord tone, it usually works well.

C7 to F, play the E of the C7 then the F of the F chord.

3. or even whole tone steps

C7 to F, play the Bb of the C7 then step to the C of the F chord.

You can get a lot of mileage just using those 3 concepts alone.

Its not the most imaginative thing to do but unless you have total mastery of your fretboard and great ears, its safe, especially when the chord changes are flying at you.  LOL.

[Valentin Zukovsky]

1. As for walking bass lines its usually safe to walk the chord tones. 

2. But, to be a little more creative, as you know, if you use leading tones to step into a chord tone, it usually works well.

C7 to F, play the E of the C7 then the F of the F chord.

3. or even whole tone steps

C7 to F, play the Bb of the C7 then step to the C of the F chord.

You can get a lot of mileage just using those 3 concepts alone.

Its not the most imaginative thing to do but unless you have total mastery of your fretboard and great ears, its safe, especially when the chord changes are flying at you.  LOL.

I've found that strictly walking chord tones can sometimes sound a little more aimless without true leading tones. I mean, sometimes going town a 5th can sound great(especially a tritone), but figuring how to be a 2nd away from the next chord's root or 5th can really keep things moving properly. Anyways I kind of went off on a tangent there.

Fingers, got anything more to say about suspended chords to add to what I already said?

[Fingers]

[Fingers, got anything more to say about suspended chords to add to what I already said?

I like the sound of them.  Although I don't like the name of them which comes from Counterpoint (I think) where a disonant note, like the 2, or 4 (sus chord tones) from the major scale is held before resolving to the 1 or 3 (major chord tones) respectively.

e-
B--1===-0
G--0--0
D--2--0
A--3--2
E-----3

where === the C note continues to ring before resolving to B

So the chords are C to Gsus

The way I think about them is that if the melody uses them and you want to harmonize a part of the melody and like that harmonization, then form a sus triad (Csus2, or Csus) for example.

The arpeggios from Kansas "Dust in the Wind" are a good example.

The sus note D is an important melody note (its the highest note played in the arpeggios) in that tune, (Csus2 and Asus) both use the disonnant note D, B--3, before it moves to the note C, B--1.

and of course the simple melody is beautiful and so are the chords.

[bonjovirules]

I use this opportunity to hereby crown Fingers !#@!ing brilliant.

[Sans Script Myth]

For F6 and Fm6 chords, why is the 6th (a D in Fmaj) the same for both chords? Why isn't the 6th of Fm6 a Db?

[Valentin Zukovsky]

For F6 and Fm6 chords, why is the 6th (a D in Fmaj) the same for both chords? Why isn't the 6th of Fm6 a Db?

I don't know exactly, but it's something to do with our ears "preferring" Dorian over Aeolian.

Well, really you could think of it in terms of being based off of the Dorian mode, or F-6 being a different voicing for D-7b5, and F6 being a different voicing for D-7. In other words, do you name all of your chords off of the lowest pitched note, or when analyzing do you want to rearrange them into 3rds?

[Sans Script Myth]

For F6 and Fm6 chords, why is the 6th (a D in Fmaj) the same for both chords? Why isn't the 6th of Fm6 a Db?

I don't know exactly, but it's something to do with our ears "preferring" Dorian over Aeolian.

Well, really you could think of it in terms of being based off of the Dorian mode, or F-6 being a different voicing for D-7b5, and F6 being a different voicing for D-7. In other words, do you name all of your chords off of the root, or when analyzing do you want to rearrange them into 3rds?

I usually go by the root.

[Valentin Zukovsky]

For F6 and Fm6 chords, why is the 6th (a D in Fmaj) the same for both chords? Why isn't the 6th of Fm6 a Db?

I don't know exactly, but it's something to do with our ears "preferring" Dorian over Aeolian.

Well, really you could think of it in terms of being based off of the Dorian mode, or F-6 being a different voicing for D-7b5, and F6 being a different voicing for D-7. In other words, do you name all of your chords off of the root, or when analyzing do you want to rearrange them into 3rds?

I usually go by the root.

I typed that bit wrong. Rearranging into 3rds is how one finds the root.

The major 6th doesn't clash as much with the perfect 5th and major 9th. Of course, that all depends on what kind of a sound you're looking for.

[Sans Script Myth]

For F6 and Fm6 chords, why is the 6th (a D in Fmaj) the same for both chords? Why isn't the 6th of Fm6 a Db?

I don't know exactly, but it's something to do with our ears "preferring" Dorian over Aeolian.

Well, really you could think of it in terms of being based off of the Dorian mode, or F-6 being a different voicing for D-7b5, and F6 being a different voicing for D-7. In other words, do you name all of your chords off of the root, or when analyzing do you want to rearrange them into 3rds?

I usually go by the root.

I typed that bit wrong. Rearranging into 3rds is how one finds the root.

The major 6th doesn't clash as much with the perfect 5th and major 9th. Of course, that all depends on what kind of a sound you're looking for.

I don't see how clashing/not clashing would make any difference when it comes to the nomenclature.

Taking into account the method used for naming other chords, isn't it odd that we call a chord with the notes [F Ab C D]  an  F-6 chord instead of an F-(#6)?

[bonjovirules]

damn, Ive never thought about it. Here's what I got from a description from another site.

The 6th chord (major) can probably be best described as whimsical. It’s the kind of chord you’d think a harp would play. Try out some of the chord formations and see if they can fit into your repertoire. The structure of the chord is the same as the major or minor plus an added 6th note. The 6th is not flatted, this would make the chord a C 6 flat or C minor 6 flat for example.