Altering Chords

English: Dominant seventh flat five chord on C (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 I have learned a great deal of information from Jermaine Grigg's, especially the section on altered chords from his course, The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear 

Introduction to Altering Chords

"Any chord, whether major, minor, augmented or seventh, can be modified or 'altered' thereby changing its character or color. In particular, with the dominant seventh which is mainly characterized by three notes: the root, major third and minor seventh; the fifth, ninth eleventh and thirteenth may be altered.

Raising or lowering the notes of a chord and its extensions by a half step may change its dissonance. This increases the 'tension' of the chord and increases the sense of release as one moves to a less dissonant chord (the tonic). Care must be taken that these altered chords are correctly numbered."

Example: C9 (+11) represents a C ninth chord with the root, a major 3rd, a perfect 5th, a flattened 7th, a major ninth and a sharpened 11th.

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

Example: C#9 (#11) represents a C# ninth chord with the root, a major 3rd, a perfect 5th, a flattened 7th, a major ninth and a sharpened 11th.

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

 Example: C7 (b9b5) represents a C seventh chord with the root, major 3rd, diminished 5th, minor 7th and minor 9th.

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

The main purpose of altering chords is to increase the effectiveness in a progression. In previous lessons, we've already learned how a dominant seventh is more effective than a dominant triad in "2-5-1" and other chord progressions.

I recommend to my friends, The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear
The book goes on to explain using altered chords in the 2-5-1 progression, in the 3-6-2-5-1 progression and the 7-3-6-2-5-1. 

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"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Related articles

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Free App Tools for Learning and Practice

apps (Photo credit: FabioHofnik)

For iPhones and iPads, I have been using more of their wonderful apps, informative learning tools for my students and personal enjoyment. Have a look:

1. SoundCloud

Record your music! Capture your practice, songs you’re writing, or anything else, and upload them to the Web using this app. Then, easily share them via Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, or Foursquare for feedback. (Free)

2. Newzik HD

You can search any song and get the lyrics and chords for it. This application is a mobile songbook and notation book. It allows you to read the lyrics, chords and the music score. (Free)

3. Music Theory Calculator

This application isn’t really a calculator, but like a calculator, it does help to make figuring things out a little bit faster. Packed with the names of scales, chords, and intervals, this app is a must-have reference tool for any learner. Music Theory Calculator plays and displays note names for scales, chords, and intervals. Much like an ordinary calculator speeds up math, Music Theory Calculator speeds up the process of making music. Use it to find and demonstrate over 1,500 scales, chords, and intervals. From “C major” to “G9” to “F whole-tone” to “C# Altered Dominant”, Music Theory Calculator will give you the note names and an audio example in an instant. ($.99)

4. Scales & Modes for iPad

Scales & Modes is an interactive visual and audio reference for the diatonic scales and modes that are fundamental in music theory. View major and minor modes on the musical staff, see fingerings for both keyboard and guitar, and listen to the scales note by note, in any key. Violin and bass guitar fingerings are also available as an in app. Both major and the minor scales are explained in detail for a thorough understanding of using them in a modal context. This interactive visual and audio reference tool is perfect for learning music theory, offering access to diatonic scales and modes as the touch of a button. ($1.99)

5. iNoteTrainer

Improve your piano note reading skills with this educational music game. This simple game challenges you to correctly identify notes in the treble and bass clefs as quickly as you can. A great game for anyone learning to read music. This musical training game helps aspiring pianists improve their note-reading skills by challenging them to correctly identify notes as quickly as possible. ($3.99)

6. iLovePiano

For playing the piano you need to know what keys you should press and how they are named. This application can be a great introduction to learning piano. It features lessons on note names, piano key names and locations, note representations on sheet music, and ear training. ($2.99)

7. Tenuto

Tenuto is a collection of thirteen customizable exercises designed to enhance your musicality. From recognizing chords on a keyboard to identifying intervals by ear, it has an exercise for you. Tenuto also includes five musical calculators for accidentals, intervals, chords, analysis symbols, and twelve-tone matrices. Use the 12 customizable exercises in this app to practice and enhance your musical abilities, from learning the keys on a piano to recognizing chords. ($3.99)

8. Play By Ear - Ear Training

Play By Ear is a call-and-response ear training application that helps you develop the ability to hear pitches and play them back on your instrument by ear. Unlike other applications which force you to press buttons to indicate the notes you've heard, Play By Ear uses pitch recognition so you can play the notes back on your instrument. Help give yourself the ears of a musician by trying out this ear training app. It offers call-and-response training that will help you develop your ability to understand and play any music you hear. (Free)

9. Do Re Mi Ear Training

A portable Solfège practice partner! Develop pitch recognition, memory, and transcription ability by repeating musical phrases. Take advantage of spare moments to brush up on your music theory and transcription skills! Here you’ll find another ear training app, which can help musical novices with the recognition, memory, and transcription of different pitches. ($4.99)

10. What Note Is This

"If you have always wanted to be able to read music or you are studying an instrument, this is a very helpful and worthwhile app. It makes learning to read notes a lot more interesting!" - PadGadget.com Reading music can be a valuable skill for a young musician, and this app can help to build that ability, testing and motivating note-learning on a piano. ($.99)

11. Rainbow Music Notes

A must-have for young children to learn piano notes. Young music learners will love this application that makes learning notes fun through games, colors, and feedback. ($1.99)

12. Piano Lesson PianoMan

The online mode BATTLE ARENA!
Connecting via a network, you can play against 4 people on a piano battle! This application is similar to Rock Band or Guitar Hero in that it challenges users to play a selected song as notes come up on the screen. Users can even play against each other to really test their skills. (Free)

More apps for iPads can be found on a former post, Free Music Apps for iPads

Also, if you are a singer and want to improve on your vocals, my friends over at Hear and Play are offering a great sale on Vocal Mastery System. You might want to check this out.

Music resource from Yoke Wong:

Learn To Play Your Favorite Christmas Carols Now
Covering Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, and many more
www.ChristmasPianoDVD.com


Best Wishes for Friday Freebie!







"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

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Altered Chords

Altered chord on C with flat 5th, 7th, and 9th. About this sound Play ( help · info ) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here are some long over due altered chords to share with you. Thanks for requesting
them. You've got to know your basic chords because when you string them together,
you're playing chord progressions which make up a song!

Wikipedia says:

In music, an altered chord, an example of alteration, is a chord with one or more diatonic notes replaced by, or altered to, a neighboring pitch in the chromatic scale.

Altered chords are thus constructed using the following notes, some of which may be omitted:

• root
• 3
• ♭5 and/or ♯5
• ♭7
• ♭9 and/or ♯9

For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_chord

Altered Chords

Cmaj7 = C/GBE

C6 = C/GACE

C9 = C/EGBbD

Csus2 = C/GDE

Gmaj7 = G/GBDF#

G6 = G/GBDE

G7+5 = G/GBD#F

Fmaj7 = F/FACE

F6 = F/FACD

Fm6 = F/FAbCD

Fsus2 = F/ACF

Dmaj7 = D/F#AC#

D9 = D/F#ACE

D7-5 = D/AbCDF#

Amaj7 = A/G#C#E

A6 = A/F#C#E

A7+5 = A/GAC#F

Amsus2 = A/BCE

Bm7-5 = B/FABD

Gbmaj7 = Gb/GbBbDbG

Gb7-5 = Gb/GbBbCE

From Jermaine Griggs:

Here is a chord progression which utilizes a series of “altered” chords:
In the key of “Db major”:
“Fmin7 (b5) — Bb7 (b9) — Ebmin7 (b5)”
1)
Bass = F
Right hand = Ab + B + Eb
2)
Bass = Bb
Right hand = Ab + B + D
3)
Bass = Eb
Right hand = A + Db + Eb + Gb

 Altered chords are mentioned in a chapter or so in the 300pg Home Course Book

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"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

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