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Advanced Chords: Extended, Altered, etc. by foogered 18 Jul 2008 Views: 14233

In this lesson I'll explain to you how you can embellish on the basic 1 - 3 - 5 and 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 shapes, using Altered and Extended chords. This lesson is geared primarily towards jazz guitarists and other styles of guitarists who utilize complex chords, but this lesson can just as easily be suited to simply enhance your playing and understanding, or surprise your audience with a new sound they weren't expecting.

Extended Chords

Simply put, these are chords that contain tones beyond the 7th. Examples of extended chords would be the 9ths (9ths are equivalent to the second), 11ths (11ths are equivalent to the 4th), and 13ths (13ths are equivalent to the 6th). You may ask why there aren't 15ths and so forth. Well, since chords are structured in 3rds, the 15th is really just an octave (In the key of C Major - 1st: C, 3rd: E, 5th: G, 7th: B, 9th: D, 11th: F, 13th: A, 15th: C and we've come full circle). These chords have a more complex harmony, so naturally they are very well suited for jazz, but they can also be substituted fairly easily for simpler chords. Here's a brief guideline for supplanting or substituting extended chords for basic 7th chords:

BASIC CHORD - SUBSTITUTIONS

Major 7th - Major 9th, Major 11th, Major 13th

Minor 7th - Minor 9th, Minor 11th, Minor 13th

Dominant 7th - Dominant 9th, Dominant 11th, Dominant 13th

See the pattern? This can also be used to reduce extended chords to basic ones.

Altered Chords

Altered chords include both basic and extended chords that have had one degree raised or lowered chromatically. A few examples would be the 7#9, 7b5, and 9#5. Often times these chords are used to facilitate voice leading, usually chromatically. Here's one such example:

Chord progression: D13 - D9#5 - D9 - E Minor



E|--7--6--5--3--|

b|--5--5--5--5--|

g|--5--5--5--4--|

d|--4--4--4--5--|

a|--5--5--5-----|

e|--------------|

See how the D9(#5) smoothens the resolution to E minor chromatically?

Here's another example, of how extended chords can add tension and interest to a chord progression:

Chord progression: D7#9 - D7b9 - D7(no 5th)



E|-----------|

b|--6--4--3--|

g|--5--5--5--|

d|--4--4--4--|

a|--5--5--5--|

e|-----------|

Also take note of how altered chords can be used to make a chord progression more economic. Many of my examples require the movement of only a few notes.

Even More Chords!

Beyond altered and extended chords lie even more chords to experiment. Just a few examples are add chords, 6ths, and slash chords.

6ths follow the 1 - 3 - 5 - 6 structure, instead of 1 - 3 - 5 or 1 - 3 - 5 - 7. These can be both minor and major (minor being 1 - b3 - 5 - b6)

Add chords are basic triads with a note other than a 7th stacked on top. These can be combined with 6th chords to create 6/9 chords.

You can also place a slash after the chord to denote a bass note other than 1. For example, an Am7/D could be played like this:

E|--5--|

b|--5--|

g|--5--|

d|--5--|

a|--5--|

e|-----|

Instead of a regular Am7 with an A in the base like this:

E|-----|

b|--5--|

g|--5--|

d|--5--|

a|-----|

e|--5--|

Just make sure the chord still has the 1, otherwise it's not the same chord anymore.

Hope this was helpful! Good luck!