Adding to and extending chords
Many of the higher added notes are considered extensions of the "stack of thirds" begun in the triad. In other words, a C13 can include (it's sometimes the performer's decision which notes will actually be played) the seventh, ninth, and eleventh as well as the thirteenth. Such a chord can be dominant, major, or minor; the performer must take care to play the correct third and seventh. If a chord symbol says to "add13", on the other hand, this usually means that only the thirteenth is added.
A variety of ninth chords
Bass notes
The bass line of a piece of music is very important, and the composer/arranger often will want to specify what note should be the lowest-sounding in the chord. At the end of the chord name will be a slash followed by a note name, for example C/E. The note following the slash should be the bass note.
Naming the bass note
The note named as the bass note can be a note normally found in the chord - for example, C/E or C/G - or it can be an added note - for example C/B or C/A. If the bass note is not named, it is best to use the tonic as the primary bass note.
Name the chords. (Hint: Look for suspensions, added notes, extensions, and basses that are not the root. Try to identify the main triad or root first.)
For guitarists, pianists, and other chord players: Get some practical practice. Name some chords you don't have memorized (maybe F6, Am/G, Fsus4, BM7, etc.). Chords with fingerings that you don't know but with a sound that you would recognize work best for this exercise. Decide what notes must be in those chords, find a practical fingering for them, play the notes and see what they sound like.
- listening to the chords to see if they sound correct
- playing your chords for your teacher or other trained musician
- checking your answers using a chord manual or chord diagrams
You can check your work by
Altering notes and chords
If a note in the chord is not in the major or minor scale of the root of the chord, it is an altered note and makes the chord an altered chord . The alteration - for example "flat five" or "sharp nine" - is listed in the chord symbol. Any number of alterations can be listed, making some chord symbols quite long. Alterations are not the same as accidentals . Remember, a chord symbol always names notes in the scale of the chord root , ignoring the key signature of the piece that the chord is in, so the alterations are from the scale of the chord, not from the key of the piece.
Altered chords
On a treble clef staff, write the chords named. You can print this PDF file if you need staff paper for this exercise.
- D (dominant) seventh with a flat nine
- A minor seventh with a flat five
- G minor with a sharp seven
- B flat (dominant) seventh with a sharp nine
- F nine sharp eleven
Notice that a half-diminished seventh can be (and sometimes is) written as it is here, as a minor seventh with flat five.