Music
Theory
Tutorial
Part III
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Chords
In this section we'll focus on making chords on the keyboard. Following will be
some charts to help you create chords and understand their structure.
C
minor 7
Here is a C minor 7th played in the first (or root) position. We start on the
C, go up 1 and 1/2 steps to Eb,
two more whole steps to the fifth note in the scale, G
and finally another step and a half to the minor 7th tone, Bb
to complete our Cm7 chord.
The following keyboard fingering diagrams depict this same C minor seventh
chord in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th positions. These are voicings for this chord.
A voicing doesn't necessarily have to consist of all four notes, particularly
in an ensemble playing situation. You may want to only use part of the full
chord. Leaving out the root or fifth will still define the chord, and there
is a good possibility those notes might be sounding by other instruments.
You'll need a good dose of intuition, musical feel and a little bit of
technical prowess wouldn't hurt in the least. When you hear it in your head
the moment before you sound it on your instrument, you know you're getting
somewhere in your musical apprenticeship. This can easily come with a
generous serving of practice in your musical diet. Connect the neurons to
the ends of your fingers. Below are the three other positions for the C minor
7th chord on the keyboard.
Cm7, 2nd position
Cm7, 3rd position
Cm7, 4th position
C Major 9
The C Major 9 chord has the 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, or, C, E, G, B, and D. This is a sweet
sounding chord, rich and lush. This chord can be looked at as having a triad built on
the 5 chord with the root note. In other words, in the key of C, it is played with a
G major chord triad (G, B, D) with C in the bass. Try using this as a substitution for
the major 7th chord in a progression. Have you learned the Major 9th in all 12 keys yet?
What are you waiting for?
C 13
This is a common voicing for a C 13 chord on the keyboard with the
bass in the left hand. The thirteenth chord has the 1, 3, 5, 7, 9,
and 13, or, in the case of our C13: C, E, G, Bb, D, and A, consecutively. This is a
six note chord, harmonically rich and full. A quintessential jazz chord. In classical
music, the 11 is also added but in most modern music, this is omitted, and for good
reason, if you ask me. The 11 will really muddy it up, IMHO. Besides, you'd never be
able to play seven simultaneous notes on a guitar. The 5 also can be left out easily
and still maintain structural integrity and a pleasant sonority, as is the case with
this voicing. The 13th chord can
sometimes be used in place of a dominant 7th or a 9th chord but, more often than not, can
hold its own rightful place within a well constructed progression. In the voicing
shown above, the two C notes played an octave apart are played by the pinky and thumb
on the left hand while the four other notes are played by the right hand, fingered
consecutively. Thirteenths are versatile chords and can facilitate all kinds of
chordal movements and harmonic intricacy. Try playing a 16 bar blues progression with
13th chords instead of dominant 7ths and give it some stacatto rhythmic figures. Funky!
Look out Herbie Hancock!
C 11
This is a C11 chord, and can sometimes also be written as a Bb/C (a Bb major triad over
a C bass). The eleventh chord has the 1, 5, 7, 9, and 11, or C, G, Bb,
D, and F. This can be used as another 5-7 substitution, in the right place of course.
The 11, being the same as the 4th tone in the scale, gives the sound of suspension, as
opposed to the sound of the resolve of the 3rd tone, conspicuously absent from our 11
chord. This is another commonly used chord that you should know if you are already
well versed in the use of the 7ths and ready for some action in the higher latitudes.
C7#9
Above is the fingering for a C7#9 chord on the keyboard. This has
the flatted 7th tone (also called a dominant 7th) in the bass (Bb), The #9 tone (D#),
which is the same note as the minor 3rd; the major
3rd tone (E), and the flatted 7th tone (Bb), repeated on top. We have left
the 1st tone, (C), and the 5th tone (G) out of the chord for this particular voicing.
These aren't always necessary to sound and this particular voicing works well when
there are other instruments voicing the same chord. Note the interval of a half step
between the #9 and the 3rd tones of this chord. Technically, the #9 is 6 notes away
from the major 3rd but a voicing may or may not have these notes in their prospective
octaves. Although this is a dissonant interval
by itself, with the addition of other related notes in the scale it becomes a rich
and complex timbre suitable for just the right musical statement. This chord can be
used as, what is called a, 5-7 substitution. In the key of F, C7 is the 5-7, or
turnaround chord. A C7#9 is used as a substitution for the 5-7. It's a good jazzy
sound, even gritty you might say, and at the same time with a certain air of
sophistication. Right at home as easily in a samba as it can be in a rockin' blues,
this chord has a versatile place in your repertoire of chordal structure and voicings.
Try voicing this same chord in different keys. Watch out, you might run into some
double sharps. Didn't anyone tell you about those? Be careful, don't cut your fingers
on one of these. Try a C#7#9.
to Page II
of Music Theory
©2000 by Jaris Dreaming
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