[Dixielandjazz] 6th Chords

[Stephen G Barbone]

When you get right down to it, I'm with Bob Ringwald that if the  
arranger or song writer writes a 6th, and you are following a chart,  
then the chord instrument(s) should play a 6th. There are lots of  
songs written and/or played with 6ths, though  not particularly OKOM.  
Many by those dreaded Rock & Rollers who we say have lousy guitarists.  
<grin>

For a list of songs and bands using 6th chords regularly, see:

http://www.chordmine.com/guitar-chords/chord/chord_11.aspx

Note there that some of the top users of 6ths are: Beach Boys,  
Beatles, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney and The Who. Note also that  
Duke Ellington also used 6th Chords in his charts even on such simple  
tunes as "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". You can bet Fred Guy played  
that sixth where written.

Reminds me of a story where years ago, I was playing a jazz concert  
for the Pennsylvania Jazz Society as a sideman in an Ernie Carson led  
band. Ernie who was having issues with the bass player's notes asked  
him what the chord was at a certain point in a song. The guy replied  
"Why that's approximately an F7. Ernie exploded and said, no, it is  
EXACTLY an F7. He was a stickler for the chords as written.

In my band, where we do not follow charts, the guitarist may play an  
inversion, or a substitute chord, or whatever. Thought being if it  
sounds right, it is right. And, if the band is listening, they will  
make it sound right. Our guitarist frequently substitutes, depending  
upon tunes and soloist. He calls them arrangements while you wait, and  
sometimes calls out the chord to the bass player

But then, he and the bass player have worked together for 50 years and  
so they virtually read each other's harmonic thoughts. Like why a C6  
and not an Am7. The answer is harmonic. The bass plays a root - 5th  
line. If the Chord is C6, he uses C as the root. If the chord is Am7  
he uses A as the root. So while the chords may use the same notes,  
when the bass line is added, the harmonies are very different.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband