[Dixielandjazz] Message 1 Chords

[Patrick Cooke]

>>>To take it all one step further, as you add extensions, or dissonance to
any "basic" triad, sixth or seventh chord, you very likely will drop some of
the intervals inside the chord because they aren't heard or, sometimes
conflict with, the extension. The fifth, for example, is often dropped, and
so is the third. What then happens is you wind up with fewer notes than you
might think. A great example is the so-called thirteenth, which is really
just a displaced sixth, or you could say, vice-versa. You can call it a
sixth or a thirteenth and not be totally wrong, <<<

      Not so!.....True, the fifth and the root are often dropped, but NEVER
the third.  The third identifies the chord as major or minor.  If it's a
dominant chord, the seventh is always included.

      A major chord may have a major 7th, or a 6th.  It may also have a 9th,
in which case the root is dropped to keep a 4-note line, and because it's
less complicated to finger.

      BTW, you say the Gm6 is OK, but the C9 is not.  Both chords are
fingered exactly the same on a guitar (root omitted on the 9th).

       Frequently the melody note is a ninth, even though the chart says
it's a seventh chord.  Well, if the ninth is the melody note on a 7th chord,
the chord is a ninth.....and it should have been labeled as such.  If the
melody note is a 6th on that 7th chord, the chord is a 13th.  The melody
note is always part of the chord.  Guys who print fake books print one chord
to every one or two bars.  That doesn't mean you HAVE to play a major triad
for the first 8 bars of Small Hotel, as the fake book says.  There are many
ways of doing it and keeping the audience awake.

       In a line with 4 voices, it's a better sound if the whole harmonic
line has 4 voices.  It doesn't hurt to drop a root or a fifth.  Your ear
will 'hear' them even though they are not articulated.

        The notes of the chord never interfere with the extension, unless
you try to jam them all into the same octave.

        The 13th is not 'just a displaced 6th'.  The b7 is included for the
dominant sound, and the '6th' (13th) is added, but in the next octave so as
not to dissonate with the b7.  You can't call a chord a 6th if the seventh
is included.  This all may sound complicated at first, but if you work with
it a while, it gets a lot simpler.  This sounds baffling to a lot of horn
players, but a guitar or piano player understands it well.

         I recommend anybody who plays any kind of jazz to study guitar or
keyboard to get a feel for chords.  You don't have to become a virtuoso,
just get used to playing some chords along with your CDs.  I guarantee your
horn playing will very noticeably improve.
        Pat Cooke

----- Original Message -----
From: <DWSI@aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 11:16 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Message 1 Chords


> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 07 Oct 2002 15:07:28 -0400
> From: Stephen Barbone <barbonestreet@earthlink.net>
> Reply-To: barbonestreet@earthlink.net
> Organization: Barbone Street Jazz Band
> To: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Chord Question - Charleston, Bar 12
>
> Pat Cooke wrote:
>
> "Well, a Gm6 is the same chord as C9, or an Em7b5; and you could use a
> Gm9;
> but the best chord is really a C13.  (Ask any guitar player!)."
>
> Listmates & Pat:
>
> Yeah, right on. However, careful Pat, you are treading on an "old"
> shibboleth that Dixieland does not include those "extensions". So a Gm6
> with a root like John Farrell suggested is more in keeping with
> "tradition" than the C9 or C13.
>
> C13? Heresy.  ;-) VBG
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
> I hope this clearly identifies the subject this time.
>
> I'm all the way with Steve on this one. The guys who play those big
"modern"
> chords on guitar have a lot more strings to work with and, I suspect, hate
> simple chords like triads and sevenths in the first place.
>
> To take it all one step further, as you add extensions, or dissonance to
any
> "basic" triad, sixth or seventh chord, you very likely will drop some of
the
> intervals inside the chord because they aren't heard or, sometimes
conflict
> with, the extension. The fifth, for example, is often dropped, and so is
the
> third. What then happens is you wind up with fewer notes than you might
> think. A great example is the so-called thirteenth, which is really just a
> displaced sixth, or you could say, vice-versa. You can call it a sixth or
a
> thirteenth and not be totally wrong, although a few purists will want to
put
> it in the context of the larger harmonic framework for analysis. Do we
really
> need that kind of analysis? I think Dixieland and early Jazz was loved
> because it was pure, heartfelt, fun and open music. No hiding behind funny
> dissonances.
>
> All the best to all,
> Dan (piano fingers) Spink
>