[Dixielandjazz] 6th Chords

[Jim O'Briant]

Allan Brown wrote:

> The 6th chord appears on quite a few jazz lead sheets that I'm 
> attempting to play.

> I'm intrigued as to the 'when' and a 'why' of this chord. C6 has 
> all the same notes as Am7, so is it viewed as an inversion of 
> a m7 chord or as a major chord with distinct flavour? 

As others have replied, it's a C Major chord with one added note. It
functions as a C chord, not as an Am chord or variant thereon.

> Also, is it distinct from a 13th chord? 

Definitely. If you're reading Trad Jazz lead sheets with 13th chords on them
someone doesn't know how to write a trad lead sheet without trying to
document every passing tone as a new chord.

> ... is it usually okay to just play a straight major chord whenever 
> a 6th chord is given?

Definitely. When there's a C6 chord in Trad jazz, most often it's a C Major
chord underneath an A in the melody. If you take care of the chord, the lead
instrument will take care of the 6th, and if they don't, the harmonic
functionality isn't changed anyway.

Tom Loeb also replied, and I concur with his analysis 100%.

Rick (Jolley) Zahniser added:

> I'm a guitar/banjo/bass player and my experience with charts is that 
> they appear to be written by a piano player/arranger who puts in all 
> the notes that are being played by the ensemble. My son Tim Zahn 
> (a wonderful piano player) says the same thing about piano charts.
> "Too much"

Rick, I think you've hit the nail on the head. I've seen trad tune lead
sheets that show FAR too many changes -- the result of over-detailed
analysis of every note in the piano part or every note played on a recording
that someone has transcribed to get the lead sheet. Most trad tunes simply
don't change chords on every beat. Most change only once every two or four
measures (though of course there are exceptions). When I prepare lead sheets
for the Zinfandel Stompers, I use multiple sources, and with some popular
trad books I know that I have it right if I leave our all of the irrelevant
"passing chords" that the publisher has included when, in fact, they're
nothing but passing tones in the melody.

Jim O'Briant
Gilroy, CA
Tuba & Leader, The Zinfandel Stompers
Tuba, Ted Shafer's Jelly Roll Jazz Band
Tuba, The Delta Flyers
Principal Tuba, South Valley Symphony Orchestra
Eb Bass & Staff Arranger, The Pacific Brass Band