KEY POINT: Chord extensions are always built from the major scale - regardless of what type of chord it is (even if it’s a minor 7 chord). For example 'C min 11', or 'F7#11'.īut as a jazz pianist, you can add your own chord extensions to any chord - even when the lead sheet doesn't tell you to. Some chord symbols will tell you to add a chord extension - by using the number ‘9’, ‘11’, or ‘13’. The 9th, 11th, and 13th are called ‘chord extensions’. Jazz chords are built in 3rds, and we can continue building this stack of 3rds beyond the 7th:ġ - 3 - 5 - 7 - 9 - 11 - 13 (or C - E - G - B - D - F - A). Do not try to remember these by their note names - always count the intervals.įor a complete list of all jazz chords, download my Chord Symbol Reference Guide (free): Get it here. Make sure you count the interval pattern carefully for each note. PRACTICE TIP: Play all six 7th chords from each of the 12 notes on the piano. That leaves us with three remaining 7th chords (less commonly used):Ĭ half-diminished (aka ‘C minor 7 flat 5’) = C Eb Gb Bb (written as 'Cø', 'C min 7 b5', or 'C-7b5') - diminished triad with a minor 7th.Ĭ diminished 7 = C Eb Gb Bbb (written as 'C✧') - a complete stack of minor 3rds.Ĭ minor-major 7 = C Eb G B (written as 'C minΔ' or 'C-Δ') - minor chord with a major 7th on top. Let's look at the three main types of 7th chord (which make up about 80% of jazz):Ĭ major 7 = C E G B (written as 'C maj 7' or 'CΔ') - 7th chord built from the major scale.Ĭ minor 7 = C Eb G Bb (written as 'C min 7' or 'C-7') - 7th chord built from the minor scale.Ĭ dominant 7 = C E G Bb (written as 'C7') - major chord with a minor 7th on top. Play C - skip D - play E - skip F - play G - skip A - play B. So the chord is a stack of 3rds - it plays every other note from the scale:Į.g. Most chords you see in your real book will be 7th chords - they have a ‘7’ on the end of them.Ī '7th chord' is a normal major or minor triad (C E G) with a 7th added on top (B). Now you’re ready to learn the different types of jazz chord. However, if you’re new to intervals, click hereto watch my 'Interval Arithmetic' video first. If you already know the 12 intervals and you can count these from all 12 notes, then continue reading. shows you the top 4 real books I use and recommend.īefore learning jazz, you'll first need to know how to count intervals - because everything we're about to learn is going to be some sort of interval pattern:Įvery jazz chord, every chord voicing, every jazz scale, and every melodic pattern (or 'lick') is going to be an interval pattern.Īre you familiar with the following intervals? ‘Tritone’, ‘major 3rd’, ‘minor 3rd’, ‘minor 7th’, major 7th’, ‘minor 6th’, ‘major 6th’. You’ll need to understand what all jazz piano chord symbols mean in order to play songs from a real book, and I’ll explain these in a moment.įREE RESOURCE: Download my Complete Guide to Real Books. The jazz pianist can ‘voice’ these chords in many different ways, so instead of telling you which chord voicings to play, chord symbols gives you the freedom to choose. Then chord symbols will be written above the melody line (most chords will end with a '7'): In jazz, songs are notated using a single melody line in the treble clef (there’s no bass clef usually). However the notation will look slightly different to that of most western music (like classical music). To play jazz piano you'll need two things:Ī real book is a collection of lead sheets to different jazz songs. In this article I'll show you everything you need to know to play jazz piano! Real Books However if you want to play jazz, then you have to understand some theory, chord symbols, and notation markings in order to play. To play most styles of music you only have to read music.
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