Showing posts with label Semitone. Show all posts

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.

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.

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

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

Neighboring Tones Series

A neighbor tone (NT) or auxiliary note (AUX) is a nonchord tone that passes stepwise from a chord tone directly above or below it (which frequently causes the NT to create dissonance with the chord) and resolves to the same chord tone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonchord_tone

In practice and analysis, neighboring tones are sometimes differentiated depending upon whether or not they are lower or higher than the chord tones surrounding them. A neighboring tone that is a step higher than the surrounding chord tones is called an upper neighboring tone or an upper auxiliary note while a neighboring tone that is a step lower than the surrounding chord tones is a lower neighboring tone or lower auxiliary note.

Learn 12 Secret gospel passing chords from http://www.gospel-chords.com

Here are some Passing and Neighboring Tones in the Melody:

1. CEG/ C, Passing Tone D, E Chord Tones in melody- C-E-G
(play these single notes in r.h. melody)

2. FAC/ A, Passing Tone G, F Chord Tones in melody-F-A-C

3. DFA/ D, Upper Neighbor E, Chord Tone D

4. GBD/ G, Lower Neighbor F, Chord Tone G

The G, B, and D notes of the G chord can be played in succession, one after the other, as another way to harmonize the melody.

What are neighboring tones?

NEIGHBORING TONES

A non harmonic embellishing tone (note) can usually be found in the melody between two chord tones (notes) of the same pitch. It's an "upper neighbor", if the non harmonic tone is a scale step (either a whole or half step) ABOVE the previous chord tone and a "lower neighbor", if it's a scale step BELOW.

One of my favorite Dvd resources is shown on this short clip by Jonathan Powell from http://www.hearandplay.com:

Gospel Keys Urban Pro Clip - Learn Phat Passing Chords

Gospel Keys Urban Pro

All the best,
LadyD

Charlie Parker once said "Learn the changes and then forget them."

Series on Passing Tones

I received so many wonderful letters from beautiful musicians requesting more information on jazz chords, passing tones and inversions. In the weeks ahead I will try to post a series on popular requests from my readers. Let's begin with a series on...

PASSING TONES:

A "Chord Tone" is a note in the melody with the same letter-name as a note in the harmonizing chord. A "non-harmonic" tone (non-chord tone) is a note in the melody between two chord tones that doesn't appear in the harmonizing chord. "Passing tones" are the non-harmonic tones (notes) that are in between two chord tones and are in the scale of the two chord tones. The chord tones and passing tones are either all ascending or descending in the same direction. A passing tone provides a smooth melodic transition from one chord tone to the next. Usually, if there is an interval of a third between two chord tones, there is one passing tone. Below is an example of Non-Chord Tones.

Former posts on passing tones:

LadyDpiano: What's A Tritone?

The tritone can be used as a passing tone in gospel and jazz movements. It's usually that dynamic sounding chord you usually hear especially in spacious ...
ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2008/09/whats-tritone.html

LadyDpiano: Learn How To Play Gospel Music

Walking basslines use a mixture of scale tones, arpeggios,chromatic runs, and passing tones to outline the chord progression of a song or tune, ...
ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2009/09/learn-how-to-play-gospel-music.html

LadyDpiano: 12 Secret Gospel Passing Chords

"Passing chords are formed by the stepwise movement of one or more of the voices from a ... Diatonic Chords, gospel chords, Passing Chords, Passing Tones ...
ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2008/12/12-secret-gospel-passing-chords.html

LadyDpiano: October 2008

Oct 1, 2008 ... Apply this knowledge and begin combining the scale tones to form chords ... Letting your fingers walk to the next chord, passing the note of ...
ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html

Three Steps To Passing Chords

Learn how to use cool Passing Tones, Turnaround Chords and Endings that Black Gospel And Jazz Music are so famous for. Any chord can be changed or altered, ...
ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2008/08/three-steps-to-passing-chords.html

Passing Chords
One last detail: instead of jumping down three half steps from the I to the VI chord in bars 7 and 8, we “walk down” by half step, filling in the gap between G and E chords (G13–G¯13–F13–E7˜9). You can always play chords on the half steps between two chords. The essential chord progression doesn’t really change. It’s still a I–VI movement, but embellished by the passing chords (G¯13 and F13), which simply fill in the space between the essential chords of the progression (G13 and E7˜9). Passing chords don’t really change the basic chord movement. You can ignore them when improvising. By using the same chord voicings on the first three chords, the walkdown sounds smoother.

The comping rhythm alternates between the 13th (G13 and C13 chords) and 7th (G7 and C7 chords). Both are built on the 1–7–3–5 structure.

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Mar/Chord_Extensions_Jazzin_Up_the_Blues_with_Ninth_Thirteenth_and_Passing_Chords.aspx

Piano Resources:

Improve Piano Playing Now

If You Can Read Simple Treble-Clef Melody Notes, You Can Quickly and Easily Learn To Play 9 Popular Songs!

Play Piano With Easy Fake Book

Charlie Parker once said "Learn the changes and then forget them."
Until next time... Have a wonderful Mother's day weekend!
~ LadyD

The Mixolydian Mode and the Sus Chord

Dominant seventh with added 4th, also written ...

Image via Wikipedia

Over the past few days I received emails from readers asking me to talk about suspended chords. I personally have learned so much from The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine. Are you familiar with this great music theory book? Another resource that I have purchased from Hear and Play is their theory book 300 Page Course Book

G Mixolydian is the scale, or mode, that is usually played over a Gsus chord. So you're playing all white notes: G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G. the difference between G7 and Gsus, the two chords that share the same g Mixolydian mode, is as follows: Pianists and guitarists voice sus chords so that the 4th doesn't sound like an 'avoid' note. A good definition of a sus chord is "a V chord in which the 4th doesn't sound like an 'avoid' note.

The "sus" in the chord symbol refers to the suspended 4th of the chord, in this case the note C. In traditional harmony, the 4th of a sus chord usually resolves down a half step to become the 3rd of a dominant 7th chord.

G/CFA = G sus
G/BFA = G7
In contemporary music, the 4th often doesn't resolve, which gives sus chords a floating quality.

On the piano, play the G Mixolydian mode first over the Gsus chord voicing in the left hand and then over a G7 chord and you'll hear the difference. Play the C by itself over each chord and the difference is more pronounced.

GCF/G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G ... then play GBDF/G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G

Gsus = GCF/C
G7 = GBDF/C

Sus chords have been an everyday sound in jazz only since the 1960's, although Duke Ellington and Art Tatum were playing them in the 1930's and 1940's.

Students are constantly asking me "how do you voice a sus chord?" Here's a common G sus voicing:
G/CFA Play the root (G) with your left hand while playing the major triad a whole step below the root (in this case F major) with your right hand. Note that the triad is in second inversion, meaning that the 5th of the triad (C) is on the bottom, instead of the root (F). Triads often sound strongest in second inversion. This voicing resolves so smoothly...
G sus = G/CFA then play C/BEG

Listen to another common Gsus voicing:

G/CEFA then play C/BDEG

Here's a different inversion:

G/FACE then play C/GABD

Sus chords create tension and want to be resolved. (released)

Comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Thanks for stopping by.
I hope you enjoy your stay at LadyD Piano.

The Diminished Seventh Chord: We Will Worship the Lamb of Glory

The DIMINISHED SEVENTH chord may be formed by lowering each note of the DOMINANT SEVENTH (V7) chord one half step, except the root, which remains the same.

IMPORTANT! The interval between each note of a diminished seventh chord is a minor 3rd (3 half steps)!

Now you'll want to spell each chord correctly! The Gdim7 chord should not be spelled G Bb Db E, even though the notes E and Fb are ENHARMONIC (that is, they represent the same key on the piano). The interval from G to E is a 6th. The interval from G to Fb is a 7th (in this case a diminished 7th).

In forming a Cdim7 chord, it is necessary to flat the note Bb. When a flatted note is flatted again, it becomes a DOUBLE FLAT, indicated by the sign bb. In this case, the note must be called Bbb, not A.

REMEMBER: When diminished 7th chords are properly spelled, one letter of the musical alphabet is skipped between each note.

Play a dim7 chord on each note of the chromatic scale below. Build each chord by adding 3 notes above the root, each 3 half steps apart. Play with RH using 1 2 3 5 fingering on each chord. Repeat one octave lower with LH, using 5 3 2 1.

Cdim7 = C Eb Gb Bbb

C#dim7 = C# E G Bb

Ddim7 = D F Ab Cb

D#dim7 = D# F# A C

Edim7 = E G Bb Db

Fdim7 = F Ab Cb Ebb

There's a worship song that I've done that has a dim7 chord in it in the Key of D. Do you know We Will Worship The Lamb of Glory by Dennis Jernigan?
D A/D

We will worship the Lamb of Glory,
D                   A/D          Bbdim7
We will worship the King of kings,
Bm7                  Esus     E
We will worship the Lamb of Glory,
G        A7sus   A7   D  A  D  A
We will worship the King.

                         A
And with our hands lifted high,
         G         D
We will worship and sing.
                           A
And with our hands lifted high,
           G            D
We come before You rejoicing,
                       G           D/F#
With our hands lifted high to the sky,
         Bbdim7            Bm7
And the world wonders why

            G               A7sus  A7   D

We'll just tell them we're loving our King.

We Will Worship in Key of E

Thanks for stopping by.
I hope you enjoy your stay at LadyD Piano.

Another Seventh Chord!

Upright piano from ca. 1900 (A. Jaschinsky) , ...

Image via Wikipedia

I found a few piano tutorials on seventh chords online. Here's a few good ones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLoxE6je7kc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut6r4JRumHs

We've discussed Major Seventh chords before and how they're built. The second type of seventh chord is called Dominant seventh because it's naturally formed as an extension of the V chord. (The I chord is known as the Tonic, and the V chord is known as the Dominant. So the type of Seventh Chord that occurs on the V is called a Dominant Seventh.) The V often moves to the I. The Dominant Seventh makes that movement even stronger.

G7 to C or G/BDF to CG/CE

The strength of the movement is a result of the strong voice leading that takes place: the seventh of the G7 (F) moves down to thw third of the C chord (E), while the third of the G7 (B) moves up to the root of the C chord (C).

GBDF to E, GBDF to C and BF/CE

You've probably noticed that the Dominant Seventh interval is one half step shorter than the Major Seventh.

C to B = Maj.7 and C to Bb = Dom.7

To build a Dominant seventh chord, simply construct a major triad (2 steps + 1 1/2 steps) and add a minor third (1 1/2 steps) on top:

C to E =2, E to G =1 1/2, G to Bb =1 1/2 ... so, CEGBb

For practice, form and play Dominant Seventh chords (indicated by the symbol 7, as in C7) on the following roots:

F, D, Bb, G, Eb, C, Ab, E, Db, A, B, F#