The Infinite Guitar

THE INFINITE GUITAR

The complete roadmap for exploring the boundless contemporary guitar

Copyright 2006, Chris Juergensen

All Rights Reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any way without prior permission from the author.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The Art of Practicing1 The Five Areas of Practice4 About This Book7 About The Author8

CHAPTER 2: THE SPIRIT OF THE GUITAR

Betty10 Inroads to Europe11 Birth of the Blues in America12 Before you do Anything13

CHAPTER 3: CHORDS AND THEIR SYMBOLS

The Chord Symbol15 Understanding Examples and Diagrams in This Book16 Triads19 Sus Chords22 7th Chords25 Min7(b5) Chords28 7#5 and b5 Chords29 Min(maj7) Chords30 Dim7th Chords32 What You Can Leave Out34 6th Chords35 9th Chords38 7b9 and #9 chords40 Altered Dominant Chords42 Add9 Chords44 69 Chords47 11th Chords49 The Lydian Chord50 Putting 9th and 11th Chords Into Practice52 13th Chords53 13th Chords With Altered 9ths55 Putting 13th Chords Into Practice57 Extensions and Diatonic Progressions58 Upper Extension Chord Forms59

CHAPTER 4: SLASH CHORDS Slash Chords66 7th Chord Inversions70 Creating Complex Harmony71 Major Family Slash Chords73 Dominant Family Slash Chords77 Slash Chords and the Half/Whole Diminished Scale80 Minor Family Slash Chords81 Slash Chord Overview85

CHAPTER 5: INCORPORATING OPEN STRINGS IN YOUR VOICINGS Open String Chord Voicings86

CHAPTER 6: INCREASING YOUR CHORD VOCABULARY

Increasing your chord vocabulary88 Harmonizing Chords From the Half/Whole Diminished Scale91 Put t ing th is concept to use92 Harmonizing Chords From the Lydian Scale95 Harmonizing Chords From the Lydian Augmented Scale96

CHAPTER 7: VOICE LEADING

Contrapuntal Motions97 Chords98 Contrapuntal Motions in Action101 Examples of Good Voice Leading102 Chords Construction Formula104

CHAPTER 8: THE MAJOR SCALE

What is the Major Scale?109 Playing the Scale111 About Picking112 Harmonizing the Major Scale113 Major Scale Patterns115 The Changing Diatonic Chords117

CHAPTER 9: SEQUENCES

Building Technique118 Diatonic 3rds120 Diatonic 4ths121 Diatonic 5ths123 Diatonic 6ths126 Diatonic 7ths127

CHAPTER 10: ARPEGGIOS

Scales vs. Arpeggios/Diatonic Triad Arpeggios128 7th Arpeggios129 Add9 Arpeggios131 Practicing Over Chord Progressions132 Arpeggio Substitutions133 Arpeggio Overview138

CHAPTER 11: INTRODUCING THE MODES OF THE MAJOR SCALE

The Modes142 The Dorian Mode143 The Phrygian Mode146 The Lydian Mode151 The Mixolydian Mode155 The Aolian Mode (The Natural Minor Scale)158

CHAPTER 12: THE PENTATONIC SCALES

The Major Pentatonic Scale161 The Minor Pentatonic Scale163 The Pentatonic Scale and the Blues165

CHAPTER 13: THE HARMONIC MINOR SCALE

The Harmonic Minor Scale166 Harmonic Minor Scale Patterns167

CHAPTER 14: THE MODES OF THE MELODIC MINOR SCALE

Melodic Minor Scale Patterns/History Lesson168 The Modes of the Melodic Minor Scale170 The A l t e red Mode171 The Lydian Dominant Mode174 The Locrian #2 Mode176 The Lydian Augmented Mode179 The Dorian b2 Mode181

CHAPTER 15: THE HALF/WHOLE DIMINISHED SCALE

The Half/Whole Diminished Scale183

CHAPTER 16: INTERVALIC APPROACH TO IMPROVISATION

Breaking the Tertian Paradigm187 Diatonic 4ths188 Diatonic 5ths189

CHAPTER 17: REDISCOVERING THE PENTATONIC SCALE

Rediscovering the Minor Pentatonic Scale191 Sequences192 Minor Pentatonic Scales Over Major Chords 194 Minor Pentatonic Scales Over Minor Chords198 Minor Pentatonic Scales Over Altered Dominant Chords201 Scale Overview205

CHAPTER 18: COMPOSITION AND HARMONIZATION

Working With Triads208 The Numbering System209 Composing and Harmonizing210 Mr. Roger s Diatonic Neighborhood212 Expanding Harmony by Using 7th Chords215 Secondary Dominant Chords 218 Borrowed Chords220 Complete Harmonic Freedom 222

CHAPTER 19: READING STANDARD NOTATION

Introduction to Reading Standard Notation225 The Notes in Open Position on the First and Second String229 Ties230 The Notes in Open Position on the Third and Fourth String232 The Notes in Open Position on the Fifth String233 Dotted Notes234 The Notes in Open Position on the Sixth String236 The Notes in Second Position in the key of C Major239 Triplets242 The Notes in Second Position in the key of G Major245 Sixteenth Notes247 The Notes in Second Position in the key of F Major250 The Notes in Fourth Position in the key of C Major253 The Notes in Second Position in the key of D Major255 CHAPTER 20: EARS

Perfect Pitch256 Developing Relative Pitch257

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Playing vs. Practicing

At a recent guitar seminar held at the school I run in Tokyo, Jennifer Batten said this when

asked about practicing and practice routines; "Practice as much as you possibly can stand without

it turning into something you hate to do."

Practice should be fun but challenging. Practice should be done with specific goals in mind.

I know tons of guitarists who think they are practicing but what they are really doing is just playing.

Playing is important too but practice is something different. What you practice should come out in

your playing. If it doesn't, you're not practicing efficiently. Before you sit down to practice, make

sure you know what goals you are trying to reach by practicing, short term and long. It may even

help to keep a log of your practice sessions. When, how long you practiced, what specifically you

practiced and why you practiced it. The goal must come before the process is determined.

Continuance

Just like going to the gym, the important thing is to practice just about every day. Four

hours today and nothing else for a week will amount to close to nothing. If you can only stand

practicing an hour or so, that's fine, just as long as it is almost every day. Let it become a habit.

Vision

Remember the dreaded F chord? You almost gave up didn't you? Me too. After you got it

under your fingers, it was smooth sailing for a while until the next hurdle came up. More so than any

other instrument, the guitar will challenge you this way. That is why it is important to set realistic

goals with specific time limits for yourself. Always remember, nothing can be learned in an hour or

so. The goals you set should be for weeks or months. Some of the things that I am currently

practicing will take me a year to get together. Don't get discouraged; anything worth learning will

take time.

Balance

The way you practice should change with time. I've been playing for twenty somewhat

years, so what I practice these days, is completely different than what I worked on my first few

years. I know all my scales and have enough technique that I don't need to work on those very

much. I usually work on improvising over really hard chord changes. Stuff like John Coltrane's

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"Giant Steps" or a Wayne Shorter song. I may sequence my own chord changes and try playing over

them. I also find that working on the tunes for the gigs I do often turn into a good learning

experience. For that reason I never turn down gigs that I know are going to be a real pain in the butt

to get the tunes together for.

In the Beginning

If you are just starting out, you should dedicate a lot more time to technique than I do

nowadays. But don't let that be the only thing you work on. If I could change anything about the

way I practiced when I first started out, I would cut down the time I worked on technique and would

have dedicated more time to rhythm playing and reading. When I think back, it kind of cracks me

up because I was working on scales and arpeggios for about five or six hours every day. I was sure

that I was destined to be the fastest guitarist in the universe.

When I went to MI in the eighties, I was shocked because every student around me was

really, really fast. You have to recall, this was about the same time Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe

Satriani were at their zenith and Paul Gilbert was just getting his start in Mr. Big. Everyone was

lightning fast and it dawned on me that I had been focusing on something that was soon to be in

little demand. I completely failed to shine amongst my fellow students. I have to admit, all the

scales and arpeggios I worked on in my younger days left me with chops that I still have today but

there was a time that I struggled because I didn't have my rhythm and reading chops together. I

realized that I was way more likely to get a gig because I could play great rhythm or could read

anything upside down than because I have fast fingers. It is now a whole different era of music and

chops don't count as much any more. That's because the eighties was one big guitar sporting event.

I actually notice a whole different trend going on with young guitarists these days. It

seems a lot of aspiring guitarists have no interest in getting their chops together at all, which is a

whole different problem. The point I'm trying to make here is that balance is the key to good

practice. Work on your technical expertise, your reading and comping skills, your ears and your

theory knowledge.

Wasting Time

Don't practice something you aren't going to use. We guitarists often make the mistake of

practicing exercises that have nothing to do with music at all. It makes no sense because there are

so many things that we could be working on to increase our technique that we can actually use in

a song or something. Instead we tend to work on these real mathematical chromatic exercises or

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something that will never find its way into a guitar solo. I often get students who ask me why, even

though they practice all the time, they don't have any chops. They haven't realized it but they

actually do have chops but the only thing they can play with real precision is the strange

mathematical chromatic lines that they practice all the time. Work on what you can use.

Ruts

If you fall into a rut, stop what you're doing. Sometimes you will feel frustrated about your

playing. Don't worry, it's completely natural. It seems like you practice and practice and nothing

seems to change. You sometimes seem to lose all your creativity. I often have this problem myself.

This is what I do: I stop whatever I'm doing and get out a CD of some musician I really admire. I

listen to the CD and find some phrase that I want to know and figure it our by ear. I may have to

slow it down to do so. I then analyze it to find out how I can use it (this is why music theory is so

important). Then I practice it over some chord changes and let it be come a part of my vocabulary.

It never fails to amaze me how something like this can start to get my creative mind working again.

When I was studying guitar at music school in the eighties, I fell into a horrible rut halfway

through the year. I asked Jazz legend Joe Diorio what he thought I should do. He asked me; "Have

you been out on a date lately?" I answered; "No." He asked; "How about to the movies?" I

answered: "No." He then asked me; "Read any good books lately?" I answered; "Well, I've kinda

been looking at a book on orchestration these days." Then he said; "No wonder you can't do

anything creative on the guitar, your life is a complete bore." He then instructed me to not touch a

guitar on Sundays and have some fun. Go on a date or read a book, see a movie, give your brain

some food. To write a love song it helps to be in love. To be a creative musician your life has to be

somewhat creative. Recently I went with all my guitar students to make pottery one weekend.

Some Practice Advise

Use rhythm whenever you can. The one thing that hasn't changed about the way I practice

is exactly that. When I started going to lessons my teacher would often give me scales and the

chord changes that would work with them. I would tape myself playing the changes on one of them

super gigantic tape players that we had back in the dark ages and jam along with it. These days I

use a sequencer that I program the changes into. It makes practice time way more interesting and

helps to develop my ears. A metronome is fine for practicing but it will only help your rhythmic ear.

It won't help your harmonic ear.

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The Five Areas of Practice

As I said before, what you practice will change as you advance as a player. No matter how

long you play, the basic five things you work on will most likely stay the same. The amount of time

spent on each of them will probably vary to accommodate your changing strengths and weaknesses.

I can't tell you exactly what and how much you should be working on any one of these five different

sections because I have never heard you play so I don't know your strengths and weaknesses. Nor

have I ever discussed your goals as a guitarist with you. You or you and your guitar teacher will

have to decide how much time to dedicate to each one of them. Use the following section as a

guide:

1. Single Note Studies (Scales, Arpeggios and General Technique)

Scales and arpeggios are important to work on for two reasons. One reason is because the

only way to develop strong technical skills is by practicing them and the other is because any solo

you play, regardless of genre, is going to be based on scales or arpeggios. If you don't have much

experience working on scales and arpeggios, at first the whole thing will be just plain mathematics

and that's okay for the time being. Don't worry if at first the whole thing seems a little mechanical

at first.

2. Harmony (Chords and Rhythm Playing)

Harmony is one of the most overlooked aspects of practice. It's strange because we

generally start off playing the chords to our favorite songs. As soon as we learn to solo a bit, we

never think about them again. When I started out, I made the mistake of buying one of those chord

dictionary books that just ended up frustrating me because there were so many chords and no

explanation about how or when to use them or string them together. It is important to see how the

chords fit together with one another. I use the "Real Book" to practice with a lot of the time. The

"Real Book" is a fake book of hundreds of Jazz standards. I look at the chords and try to find

voicings that work well with one another. I may even record them and improvise over the changes

after sight-reading the head. I can knock off my sight-reading, scales and chords all in one shot this

way. It's best to kill a bunch of birds with one stone when it comes to practicing. Each individual

musical genre has its own rhythmic styles and unique chord voicings so work a little on everything.

Some styles lend them self well to the fingers rather than the pick and some, like Funk, leave you

little choice but to use a pick.

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3. Reading

This is where most guitarists make their first mistake. They dont spend enough time

working on their reading skills. There is a lot demand for guitarists who can read music, especially

those who can sight read. It is important to be literate on your instrument so get started early.

Learning how to read music will help you to learn to notate music as well, and knowing how to

notate music if fundamental if you wish to communicate your ideas to other musicians.

4. Theory (Brain Power)

Music theory is important because without understanding theory you will never really be

able to analyze music. Without being able to analyze music you will never be really be able to

understand why you like certain songs or guitar solos that your hear. Without being able to analyze

music you will also never be able to conceptualize certain melodic or harmonic techniques and

make them your own. Especially if you want to get into Jazz, you will need to understand theory

because of the complicated nature of chord scale relationships in the genre.

While you are working on playing all the major scales, practice writing them out too.

Scales, intervals, chords and arpeggios are all important to study. The good thing about theory is

that you don't necessarily need a guitar to work on it. You can do it on your morning commute or

while you are waiting in some line somewhere. Music theory will help you to glue together all the

five areas of practice into one broad musical landscape.

5. Your Ears

Figuring out songs and solos are important for developing you ears. I was fortunate to not

have all the resources that we have today. I was forced to get out the records and work everything

out using my ears. I think it is great that we have everything transcribed these days but try to use

the transcriptions as a tool to help you figure stuff out. Try to learn things first by using your ears.

If your ears are not yet well developed enough to figure songs out, you can start out by trying to

identify intervals and chords.

The Perfect Student

Before you become the perfect player try to become the perfect student. I personally

believe the keys to me becoming a somewhat successful guitarist was one; all the great teachers I

had along the way, and two; all the great students I have had. They both have been the source of

endless inspiration. When you find yourself a great teacher, keep him on his feet. Ask questions and

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challenge him from time to time. I drove my first teacher, Wayne Reese, nuts. I asked him some

questions he probably never heard before; "Mr. Reese, why does a blues scale work over both

dominant chords and minor chords?" and; "Why are all the strings on the guitar tuned in fourths

except the second string? Instead of a B string, shouldn't it be a C string?" and; "Why does a

melodic minor scale get played ascending one way and descending the other?" I bet he was

researching things all over the place before the next lesson. When I shipped off to California, Mr.

Reese told me that the lessons with me were fun and he learned some new things too. The student

teacher relationship is exactly that, a relationship. It shouldn't be a one sided thing at all.

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About this Book

The whole thing started around 2002. I started posting a new lesson on my site,

chrisjuergensen.com every month for free. I suppose it was my way of passing around the

enormous amount of priceless information that I have picked up from all of the talented musicians

I have been fortunate enough to have played or studied with over the years. They were more than

happy to spend some time to share what they knew for absolutely free of charge and I wanted to

do the same. I simply used my humble site as the tool. Soon enough I began getting over a

thousand hits a day and e-mails thanking me from all over the world. The one comment I heard

over and over again was; You should write a book. Finally a Japanese publisher asked me to

organize and rewrite the lessons from the site and they would translate it into Japanese and publish

it, which they did. The byproduct was a 266 page unpublished English version that I decided to

publish myself. The reason I decided to publish it myself is simple; I want everybody to be able to

afford it (as a matter of fact, the English version is half the price of the Japanese one).

This book is a compilation of what I have taught over the last twenty years. It is far from

complete, which is on purpose. The last thing I wanted to write was a syllabus of chords, scales and

sequences. I prefer to teach you the concepts behind these things and give you the opportunity to

discover the rest yourself. Thus the subtitle; The complete roadmap for exploring the boundless

contemporary guitar. This book is not the terrain itself but simply the roadmap. Whether you run,

walk or fly using the map as your guide is for you to decide yourself. I have always believed that

discovery is half the learning process so I designed this book to point you in the proper directions

and allow you to take the steps yourself.

To use this book properly, you may need to jump around from section to section. While

you learn about triads on page 19 and 20, you may want to jump to pages 66 and 67 and learn

about their inversions. To understand where these chords get their origins, go to page 113 and

learn about the major scale. While you are at it, spend some time learning how read on page 225.

Take things very slowly because there is a lifetime of information in this book, you might want to

spend a week on a single page if you are not that experienced. Do not get overwhelmed, if

something does not make sense to you, ask someone with more experience for help (e-mail me if

you want). As most instructional books cater to either beginners or experienced players, you will

find that this book was written for every level player, starting at the very basics and moving on, step

by step, to the very complex. Hopefully this book will be one that you can not only learn from but

teach from also.

-Chris Juergensen, March 5th, 2006

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About the Author

Native New Yorker, long time studio musician

and session guitarist Chris Juergensen is in constant

demand as a sideman, front man and clinician. He has

played sold out venues as intimate as the world

famous Blue Note and as large as the Long Beach

Auditorium. After teaching guitar for six years at the

prestigious Musicians Institute in Los Angeles along

side with Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Scott Henderson and

Joe Diorio, Chris left the states to become the Director

of Education at Tokyo School of Music in Japan

where he still resides. His first solo CD, Prospects has

been critically acclaimed throughout the world and his

newest release, Big Bad Sun" paints a completely new

portrait of him.

In 1995, for his efforts in promoting international

music education, Chris was made an honorary citizen of New Orleans by Marc H. Morial, the Mayor

of the city and more recently asked to perform on behalf of Japan at the Japanese embassy in Seoul

Korea in 2004. He currently writes a monthly column for the British magazine Music Maker and is

a guest writer for iBreathemusic.com.

He has performed, recorded or done something in one manner or another with such artists as

Lincoln Goines (Mike Stern), Richard Hartley and Soul Resurrection, Toss Panos (Steve Vai,

Mike Landau), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big), Keith Wyatt (The Blasters), Ralph Humphrey

(Manhattan Transfer, Frank Zappa, Wayne Shorter), Kim Plainfield (Tania Maria, The Pointer

Sisters), Jay Dibbs (Vanessa Williams), Steve Bailey (The Rippingtons, Dizzy Gillespie), Jennifer

Batten (Jeff Beck, Michael Jackson), Mike Shapiro (Al Jarreau, Sergio Mendes), Jerry Watts

(Andy Summers, Billy Idol), Russel Ferante (Joni Mitchell, Yellowjackets), Kevyn Lettau,

Hussain Jiffry (Robben Ford, Michael MacDonald, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan) and The

Hideous Sun Demons.

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Contacting the Author

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://chrisjuergensen.com
mailto:[email protected]://chrisjuergensen.com/

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CHAPTER 2: THE SPIRIT OF THE GUITAR

To become a great guitarist, first you have to understand what the guitar is, where it came

from and what kind of person plays one. You first have to swim in its spirit and rejoice in its

romance.

Betty

My heart was beating as I waited outside the door of the little studio where I was about to

get my first lesson on the guitar at twelve years old. I prayed to God the night before; "I want to be

the greatest guitarist ever." My new teacher called me into the room and asked me to take out the

$50 guitar my parents bought me for Christmas. He asked me to take a good look at it. He then

asked me what I thought it looked like. I didn't know the answer. He said; "it's shaped kind of like

a girl don't you think?" "Kinda curvy," he said. He then told me to treat it like a girl. "Hold it gently,

treat it nice and don't let it get dirty." It's true when you think about it though. Nobody I know

names his or her guitar "Pete" or "Joe." They usually give it a girl's name, like "Lucille" or something.

My guitar's name is "Betty."

Keep on Moving

Why did the guitar get built in the first place? What makes the guitar different from all the

other instruments? I'll answer it for you. Unlike a piano, you can carry it around with you. That's

why the guitar got invented. Most historians would agree that it was born in or around the desert,

somewhere in the east, maybe around the Arabian Peninsula or the Persian Gulf. You see, people

had to move around a lot in those days; you went where the water or game was. They couldn't carry

a piano around on a camel (or whatever guys rode around on in those days) so they wired some gut

strings on a wooden thing with some holes in it to amplify the sound and carried it around with them.

Without a doubt they used it by itself or in a group to accompany themselves, probably singing

tunes about life and love and things like that. I must stress the word accompany. You can carry a

violin around with you, but you are going to look silly accompanying yourself singing a tune with it.

The polyphony of the guitar, which would develop over time, is what would eventually make the

guitar the most popular instrument on the planet. Those guitars weren't called guitars in those days

and didn't have six strings like guitars do today. And they probably looked different, although it was

basically the same thing that Jimmy Page played on "Whole Lotta Love" that made me want to play

the guitar in the first place. The romance of the guitar is found in its mobility. Even the first

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guitarists were rolling stones, travelers, playing under the stars.

Inroads to Europe

The guitar would eventually find its way into Spain and the Troubadours would carry it

around Europe singing the same songs celebrating life in different languages. The guitar would get

all its strings in Spain, become popular and eventually develop into the modern day guitar.

Appeal

One of the reasons the guitar is so accepted by the masses is that it is the true instrument

of the common man. The problem back in the old days was there was no electricity. These days, if

you wanted to throw a party and get all your friends over to dance, you would just plug in a radio

and go to it. A few hundred years ago, if you wanted to dance you had to hire an ensemble, since

there were no radios. If you didn't have any cash, you would have to make your own music. I

imagine all the neighborhood cats would bring their guitars down to the local watering hole and play

some tunes while the girls would dance and sing and generally have a good time. This tradition is

still alive in Flamenco music today. The guitar is a radio.

Spending Money

I'm going to have to go backwards here and give you a little history lesson. In the 1300s

all of a sudden, the European population got a middle class. It is for a reason you would probably

never imagine: The Plague. The plague killed off about a third of all Europeans back in those days.

Since all those people died, a labor shortage was born. Since there weren't enough workers, the

workers demanded better wages. Europes working class finally had some spending money and

they wanted to use it. Since they didn't have Gucci downtown they wanted silks from the Far East.

Also, since they didn't have electricity they didn't have refrigerators. Since they didn't have

refrigerators they also wanted spices from the Far East, China and India. Spices would help

preserve or, yes, cover up the taste of food that was getting a little too ripe. Spices were worth their

weight in gold. Ever wonder why food around the equator is real spicy? Anyway, this gave birth to

two things: the search for an all-water rout to Asia and to the African slave trade. I know, you're

asking what does this have to do with the guitar? I'm getting to it.

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Birth of a New Musical Era

To make a long story short, Columbus rather than going all the way around Africa, decided

to sail west. He knew the world was round rather than flat and figured he would sail into Asia using

a shortcut. He wanted to get there through the backdoor using an Atlantic route. He misjudged the

distance but in the process he discovered the South American continent. He never found out the

truth, and died thinking he found India. That's why Native Americans are known as Indians. Pretty

silly if you think about it.

Anyway, when the news got out, a bunch of people wanted to go. Who do you think raised

their hands? Remember that going in a boat to South America was most likely a real drag. It

probably took months to get there and once you got there all you had was a jungle. I can tell you

for sure that it wasn't rich people. Rich people weren't about to give up their big houses to go live

in the woods in a foreign land. It was the guys looking for a new life who went, and they brought

their guitars along with them.

Africans

That's right, it wasn't the rich, but the other guys who went. You need a lot of people to

build a New World, so at first the Europeans used the Native Americans as slaves. The only problem

with this idea was that besides being cruel and unethical, almost all of them died because they had

no resistance to the diseases that the Europeans brought over. That's why the scourge of mankind,

the slave trade, started. On the way over to the New World they stopped off in Africa and got

themselves cheap help.

To make a long story short (again), the Spanish and Portuguese workers brought over

their guitars (radios) with them, combined their musical ideas with the percussive skills of the

Africans and a new era of music was born. The Rumba would evolve in Cuba. Meringue starts up in

the Dominican Republic. Argentineans create the Tango. The Portuguese, trying to get around

Africa to East Asia, mistakenly ran into South America (pretty funny if you think about it) and since

nobody is around, they claim part of it and call it Brazil. The music they make is called the Bossa

Nova and the Samba. The Clave, the rhythm that can be found in all Latin music, is a present from

Africa. If you ever get a chance to hear some genuine African drum music, you will hear the same

Clave throughout. Even in Louisiana, blues players used the Clave to build rhythmic motifs. Check

out Bo Diddly's "Who do you Love" if you get the opportunity.

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Birth of the Blues in America

In the early nineteen hundreds, ex-slaves started carrying the guitar around the south

with them and playing blues music for mostly black audiences. The spirit of the guitar was still the

same. It was perfect to carry around and accompany oneself with. Robert Johnson would end up

making a name for himself before he dies at the tender age of twenty-seven in Mississippi. In 1948,

twenty-eight year old Muddy Waters moves up to Chicago from Mississippi, looking for a better life

away from the South. Once again, a man in search of a new life carrying a guitar with him. He finds

the clubs in Chicago overwhelmingly large. So he, like many of the guitarists started to do in those

days, jumps on the electric bandwagon and begins to pave the way for electric blues to become

musical force. Later on in the sixties Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix get into the old recordings of

Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson and make their own versions of their tunes, and I end up

listening to Jimmy and Jimi at twelve and get hooked. And that's why I find myself at twelve years

old at my first lesson. And keeping with the tradition, my teacher, on this sunny Saturday morning,

teaches me how to play a medium shuffle, twelve bar blues in G that I still play today with the same

feeling of adventure that I felt way back then.

Before You Do Anything

Before you start working on your scales and chords and all the other things you need to do

to become the greatest guitarist around, start by understanding the spirit of the guitar. Let's

review:

The Guitar is Like a Woman - Treat the guitar with respect. When I meet a new student for the

first time I always play his or her guitar before I do anything else. I check to see if the guitar is clean

and well cared for. It is a reflection of the student's attitude about guitar and music in general. If you

want to find out if the Sushi chef is good or not, check his knife.

The Guitar is a Radio - The guitar was built to move, not for you to play in your room. It was

designed for you to carry with you and tell your story with it. It was made so people could listen and

sing and dance and celebrate life. The guitar isn't about chops - it's about stories. Every time I

travel with my guitar, it makes me feel happy to know I'm carrying on in the tradition of the

Troubadours and blues musicians of the past. I don't care if the flight attendant is perturbed

because my guitar takes up all the room in my overhead compartment. I'm bringing it with me. And

when I get where I'm going, I'm going to tell someone a story with it.

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The Guitar is About Adventure - The guitar was carried around the world by people looking for

new lives and new chances. All these people were risk takers, and their guitars were their best

friends. Don't ever be afraid to be a musician. No matter what bad luck and trouble comes to you

in life, you will always have the guitar to play, it will never split on you in times of turmoil. And don't

forget, one of the greatest joys in life there is, is the joy of making music, and you can do it your

whole life and the journey never ends. I would rather live as a poor, happy guitarist than a rich,

unhappy banker. Always follow your heart and you have nothing to fear.

15

CHAPTER 3: CHORDS AND THEIR SYMBOLS

Chord symbols and music theory in general is a subject that can bring us mild mannered

guitarist to fits of rage. For that exact reason, before we start, I feel I must explain a few certain

points. The notation of chord symbols varies slightly from player to player depending on what

circles he runs in and where he studied. My opinions are the direct result of my experiences as a

studio and session player in LA and also based on my educational experience. Music theory is not

written in stone and your ear is the final judge of what is right and wrong, there is nothing musically

illegal. Music theory is simply a guideline for what the ear generally accepts in respect to certain

genres, and as these genres evolve so will chord symbols and music theory in general. I personally

believe that harmonic theory should be studied and understood so that the very same guidelines

can be questioned and manipulated to ones liking. I don't think any two musicians can 100% agree

on this subject so it is important to do some more research on your own and keep an open mind.

Chord Symbols

The goal of the chord symbol is to simply tell the guy playing the chords exactly what you

want him to play, what he is allowed to include in the chord and what he is not. When dealing with

certain genres such as Jazz, a lot of liberties can be taken with the voicings. Not so with other

genres such as Pop and Rock, a C chord written in a rock chart generally means play a C chord,

while the same C chord written in a Jazz tune can be enhanced with a 9th, #11th, 13th or various

other extensions or combinations of extensions without much second thought. A good working

knowledge of music theory plus some experience is essential in making these decisions. The

melody line will also give you clues on what to include or exclude in chord voicings.

Writing Chord Symbols

You don't want to confuse the guy comping either. You'll realize this the first time you have

to read a chart in a dark, smoky bar or on some stage where the lighting is less than adequate

(which is the majority of the time). Chord symbols should be direct and to the point. The last chord

symbol I want to read is one that I have to think about for more than a millisecond, they should be

easy to read. I'll give you one example of a chord symbol that comes up from time to time and

makes me crazy: CM7. The reason I dislike it is because I have to look twice at it to make sure

whether it is major or minor. Especially when written by hand, CM7 and Cm7 can look a lot alike.

The other chord symbols that get used a lot are the simple minus mark to denote a minor chord and

16

triangle meaning major. These are widely accepted and they don't bother me but I prefer the simple,

easy to read symbols: Cmaj7 and Cmin7. Sometimes the symbols maj7 and min7, get replaced

with the shorter versions: ma7 and mi7. These are okay too but maj7 and min7 seem the best

choices to me, it's hard to confuse them on a gig.

These are some common ways to notate the same Cmaj7 chord. All are correct but some easier to

read than others:

Playing Chords

It is more important for you to understand how to build your own chords than to memorize

hundreds of chord shapes. For that reason I have only included the most common voicings or

voicings of particular interest, but suggest you spend more time experimenting and finding voicings

that suit your style and the style of the music you may be playing. You are free to leave out certain

notes also. I have included the roots, but if you are playing with a bassist they are not necessary to

include in the voicing. Fifths, unless altered, are also not necessary. The notes that determine the

quality of the chords are 3rds, 7ths and the upper extension if one is given in the chord symbol. The

voicing you use for a particular chord should be determined by the voicing for the chord that came

before and comes after.

Understanding the Notated Examples in this Chapter

All of the notated chords are written in the key of C. The numbers on the bottom show you

the intervals contained inside of the chord. These are only the theoretic voicings, the notes can be

doubled and/or stacked in any order. More so than the common chord voicings that I will give you,

it is more important for you to understand the rules of how to construct the chord and experiment

building your own chord voicings.

Using the previous guideline you would know this about the following chord:

The chord is a C major 7th chord and the chord symbol is commonly notated

as: Cmaj7. The major 7th chord contains a root, major 3rd, perfect 5th and

a major 7th but does not necessarily have to be voiced in that order.

17

Understanding the Chord Diagrams in this Chapter

The name written at the top of each chord diagram is the common name of the chord.

Strings are vertical and frets are horizontal.

If not in open position, the fret number will be next to the appropriate fret.

Fingering rule is as follows:

X = not to be played

0 = the string is to be played open

1 = index finger

2 = middle finger

3 = ring finger

4 = pinky

Black notes are roots

Below the diagram, the voicing is written out for your convenience.

18

Using the previous guidelines you would play this chord as follows:

Voicing: 1,5,7,3,5

6th string No note should be played as an X is placed above the string.

5th string Third fret, index finger. The note is black, advising you that this note is the root. If you

were to move the chord to the fifth fret, it would become a Dmaj7 chord. The voicing written under

the chord also tells you that this note is the root (1).

4th string Fifth fret, ring finger. The written voicing tells you that this note is the 5th.

3rd string Fourth fret, middle finger. The written voicing tells you that this note is the 7th.

2nd string Fifth fret, pinky. The written voicing tells you that this note is the 3rd.

1st string Third fret, index finger. The written voicing tells you that this note is the 5th.

Roman Numeral System

I will often describe chords and certain chord progressions by using the Roman numeral

system invented by a late- baroque French composer Jean-Phillipe Rameau. We still use this system

today to analyze chord progressions. If you are not familiar with the system, you may want to jump

to page 113 and learn about it before moving on.

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Triads - Three Note Chords

Triads are three note chords, Tri as in tricycle or tripod. While Jazz favors bigger chords

such as 7th and 9th chords, rock is based mostly (but not exclusively) on triads. These chord

symbols are the easiest to read and write. Nothing too confusing here, to notate a C major triad, a

simple C will work fine. For a C minor chord: min as in Cmin. A diminished chord generally gets

written as dim while an augmented triad gets notated as aug. Check the triads and their intervals

below:

Common Triad Voicings

The following shapes can be moved up and down the neck. After learning the shapes, try

moving them to different positions on the fingerboard:

6th string root forms

Voicing: 1,5,1,3,5,1 Voicing: 1,5,1,b3,5,1 Voicing: 1,b3,b5,1 Voicing: 1,1,3,#5,1


Voicing: 1,5,1,3 Voicing: 1,5,1,b3,1 Voicing: 1,b5,1,b3 Voicing: 1,3,#5,1

20


Voicing: 1,5,1,3 Voicing: 1,5,1,b3 Voicing: 1,b5,1,b3 Voicing: 1,#5,1,3

Learning triad forms

Learning all the triad shapes is important no matter what style of music you play. They are

common in most genres and are the foundation for the big chords that we will get to later. Don't

settle only for the standard voicings Ive given above, learn every shape. When you get done

learning all the major shapes, see if you can figure out the minor, diminished and augmented ones

too:

21

Try the following chord progression using the major triads given. Notice how some notes stay the

same while others move up and down. This is called voice leading, a subject that I will cover at the

end of the section on harmony (page 97). Try playing the same chord progression somewhere else

on the fretboard. This use of triad voicings is what made Jimi Hendrix a genius at playing chords.

Dont worry if all the chords do not have the roots as the bass notes, the bassist takes care of that:

Points to remember about triads

1. Triads, especially the major triad, are used often in slash chords. A slash chord is simply a

chord over a specific bass note. For example, a C/E slash chord would mean a C triad played

over an E bass note. Some common slash chords: C/E, C/G, C/Bb, C/D (more on slash

chords on page 66).

2. Sometimes the diminished triad gets notated with a small circle as in Co and the augmented

triad with a plus mark as in C+.

22

Sus chords

When the 3rd is omitted and replaced by a 4th the triad gets called a sus or sus4 chord

as in Csus or Csus4. Sometimes rather than the 4th replacing the 3rd, the 2nd replaces it. This

chord gets called a sus2 chord. Sus refers to either a suspension of the 4th above the 3rd or of the

2nd below the 3rd of the chord.

Common Sus4 and Sus2 Chord Voicings




Voicing: 1,1,4,5,1


Voicing: 1,5,1,4 Voicing: 1,5,1,2,5

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Voicing: 1,5,1,4 Voicing: 1,5,1,2

Sus4 and sus2 chords are often used together in this way:

24

Points to remember about sus chords

1. Sus indicates that something has happened to the 3rd. It has either been replaced by the 4th

or the 2nd (although these days the 3rd sometimes gets included in the voicing).

2. The chord symbol sus without a 4 or 2 after it is referring to the 4th and not the 2nd. You don't

need to write sus4 at all, just plain sus will do. If you mean sus2, you have to write it that way.

Remember: sus by itself means sus4.

3. The sus2 chord is a great replacement for a plain old major chord. While the suspended 4th in

the sus4 chord tends to beg for resolution, the suspended 2nd in the sus2 chord, being a

whole step below the 3rd, does not. The lack of the 3rd kind of neuters the chord giving it an

interesting, ambiguous, slightly modern quality. Matter of fact, the sus2 chord could

technically even be substituted in the place of a minor chord. Why not? No 3rd to complicate

things.

4. Since the symbol sus is indicating that one of the 3rds neighbors has replaced it, there can be

no other suspensions other than the 4th and 2nd. There is no such chord as a sus5, sus6 or

sus7 chord.

25

7th chords - Four note chords

7th chords are also easy read and write, especially if they have no alterations (as in raised

or lowered 5ths and/or 9ths). Cmaj7, Cmin7, C7, Cdim7, Cmin(maj7) and C7sus are all

standard 7th chords. If the 5th is altered in the chord, you have to write it that way in the chord

symbol: Cmaj7#5, Cmin7b5, C7#5 or C7b5. Below are the theoretical voicings, you can place

the chord tones in any order or octave that you want:

Common 7th Chord Voicings




Voicing: 1,7,3,5 Voicing: 1,5,b7,3,5,1 Voicing: 1,5,b7,3,5,1 Voicing: 1,5,b7,4,5,1

26


Voicing: 1,5,7,3,5 Voicing: 1,3,5,7,3 Voicing: 1,5,b7,b3,5 Voicing: 1,5,b7,3,5

Voicing: 1,3,b7,1 Voicing: 1,5,b7,4,5


Voicing: 1,5,7,3 Voicing: 1,3,5,7 Voicing: 1,5,b7,b3 Voicing: 1,5,b7,3 Voicing: 1,5,7,3

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Don't be deceived

7th chords seem simple by nature, after all, there are only four notes, but if you use your

head a little and rearrange the four notes you'll be surprised with what you can come up with. Both

the chords below are simple Cmaj7 chords but the voicings are exquisite:

Voicing: 3,5,7,1 Voicing: 5,7,1,3

Coming up with your own voicings

As there are four notes in a 7th chord, you can technically make twenty-four different

voicings (at least according to my mathematical skills). Use the chart below to come up with your

own voicings. I tried every one myself and I'm pleased to inform you that they can technically all be

played although some sound better than others. You can skip strings, use open strings, play the

notes in any octave, and double notes if you want. When you get done with the maj7 voicings, go

on to all the other 7th chords. Try playing the following voicings left to right, Ex: 1357 - 3571 -

5713 - 7135. Now why do you think I would want you to do that?

Voicings

1 3 5 7 3 5 7 1 5 7 1 3 7 1 3 5

1 3 7 5 3 5 1 7 5 7 3 1 7 1 5 3

1 5 3 7 3 7 5 1 5 1 7 3 7 3 1 5

1 5 7 3 3 7 1 5 5 1 3 7 7 3 5 1

1 7 3 5 3 1 5 7 5 3 7 1 7 5 1 3

1 7 5 3 3 1 7 5 5 3 1 7 7 5 3 1

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Common min7(b5) Chord Voicings

As the name suggests, a minor 7th chord with a flatted 5th present:


Voicing: 1,b7,b3,b5


Voicing: 1,b7,b3,b5 Voicing: 1,b5,b7,b3


Voicing: 1,b5,b7,b3

The min7(b5) chord is commonly found in the minor iio V i chord progression:

29

Common 7#5, 7b5 chord Voicings

Dominant 7th chords with raised or lowered 5ths come from the whole tone scale or

altered mode from the melodic minor scale (page 171):


Voicing: 1,b7,3,#5,1 Voicing: 1,b7,3,b5


Voicing: 1,b7,3,#5 Voicing: 1,b7,3,b5

Dominant chords with altered fifths tend to resolve to the tonic chord as in the following iio V

I progression:

30

Common min(maj7) Chord Voicings

A minor triad with a major 7th added is called a min(maj7) chord. This chord is the tonic

or i chord from both the harmonized harmonic and melodic minor scale (pages 166 and 168):


Voicing: 1, 7,b3,5


Voicing: 1,5,7,b3


Voicing: 1,5,3,b3

31

As you have probably discovered, these chords sound a little strange by themselves. They generally

get played in progressions such as the following. Notice how the root of the Cmin chord on the

fourth string descends chromatically to the major 7th of the Cmin(maj7) chord and finally to the

minor 7th of the Cmin7 chord:

32

Common dim7th Chord Voicings

All the notes in a dim7th chord are minor 3rds apart. Because of the symmetry of the

chord, any note can be the root, Ex: Bdim7 = Ddim7, Fdim7 or Abdim7:


Voicing: 1,bb7,b3,b5


Voicing: 1,b5,bb7,b3


Voicing: 1,b5,bb7,b3

33

Diminished chords are generally used to connect one chord to another as in the following chord

progression:

34

What You Can Leave Out

Unlike the piano, the guitar is limited by the amount of notes you can include in a chord.

In every chord there are important notes as well as notes that can be left out without anyone

missing them. If you are playing solo guitar, or as a duet with a vocalist, the root is important to

leave in the chord but if you are playing with a bassist, especially in a jazz setting, it can be left out.

Sometimes bassists will actually get angry with you if you include the bass notes in the voicings. He

is likely to say; "leave the bass notes to me, buddy." I personally make a habit of not playing roots.

The next note of least importance is the natural 5th. Since the natural 5th is present in major, minor

and dominant chords, it does not determine the harmonic quality of the chord. If the chord symbol

says that the 5th is to be lowered or raised, its best to include it in the chord voicing but otherwise

it doesn't count for much. The two most important notes are the 3rd and 7th. These two notes

determine everything. That's right, roots are roots and 5ths are 5ths but 3rds and 7ths are what

make a chord what it is, minor, major or dominant. Examine the ii - V - I chord progression below,

I voiced the chords using only 3rds and 7ths. It is important to play these voicings with someone

playing the bass notes. If you can't find a bass player, just include the roots yourself:

My first experience in a Jazz ensemble

When I first started playing Jazz, I thought you had to include everything in the chord

voicing. The guys in the ensemble told me to quit playing such big, bulky, square chords and play

some light airy voicings. The bassist told me; "for starters, leave out the notes on your 6th and 5th

strings, I'll take care of those." He then added; "Play from the 3rds up." I learned from that

experience that a few strategically placed chord tones work better than six note voicings especially

in a large jazz ensemble like a big band. When it comes to voicing your chords, it may help if you

just think: 3rd, 7th and the upper extension that is designated in the chord symbol (such as the 9th,

11th or 13th).

35

6th chords

Back when Jazz first got its start, 6th chords used to be more popular than 7th chords.

Both the 6 and min6 chord contain the major 6th in the chord. You can just think of a 6th chord as

a triad (minor or major) with the major 6th added into the chord. Compared to the min6 chord the

major version is definitely easy on the ears. Since 6th chords don't contain 7ths, the major 6th

chord can replace either a major or dominant chord:

Common 6 Chord Voicings

Learn the following voicings and move them to different locations on the fretboard:


Voicing: 1,6,3,5 Voicing: 1,1,3,6 Voicing: 1,6,b3,5


Voicing: 1,6,3,5 Voicing: 1,1,3,6 Voicing: 1,6,b3,5

36


Voicing: 1,3,6,1 Voicing: 1,5,6,b3

Although the 6 and min6 chords can generally replace their maj7 and min7 chord counterparts,

the min6 chord sometimes gets used the following way. Notice the descending chromatic

movement that is taking place on second string:

37

Points to remember about 6th chords

1. Although the 6 chord can easily replace any major chord, it is important to remember that the

min6 chord, containing a major 6th interval can only replace a ii chord. You may want to think

of the min6 chord as a "dorian" family chord (page 142).

2. 6th chords can also be thought of as inverted 7th chords: C6 (C-E-G-A) = Amin7 (A-C-E-G),

Cmin6 (C-Eb-G-A) = Amin7b5 (A-C-Eb-G).

38

9th chords 5 note chords

9th chords are quite common for all major, minor and dominant chords. The major and

minor 9th chords are usually notated as maj9 and min9, while the dominant 9th chord, when the

9th is unaltered (not raised or lowered), is notated with just a 9 as in C9. The 9sus chord is also

quite common, it can also be thought of and played as a slash chord: Bb/C or Gmin7/C:




Voicing: 1,7,3,5,9 Voicing: 1,5,b7,b3,5,9 Voicing: 1,b7,9,5 Voicing: 1,b7,9,4,b7


Voicing: 1,3,7,9 Voicing: 1,b3,b7,9 Voicing: 1,3,b7,9,5 Voicing: 1,b7,9,4

39


Voicing: 1,3,7,9 Voicing: 1,b3,b7,9 Voicing: 1,3,b7,9 Voicing: 1,4,b7,9


1. To be called a 9th chord, the voicing must contain a 7th.

2. Some other 9th chords that you may want to think about are the min9(maj7) chord from the

melodic minor scale (page 168) and the min9(b5) chord from the locrian #2 mode of the

melodic minor scale (page 176). See if you can construct them yourself.

3. There have been some adventurous musicians from time to time who lower the 9ths in major

and minor chords. Although not standard practice, if you chose to do so, notate these chords

the same way you would when notating altered dominant chords: Cmaj7b9, Cmin7b9.

40

Common 7#9, 7b9 chord Voicings

Both the 7#9 and 7b9 chords can be found in the harmonized half/whole diminished

scale (page 183). The 7b9 chord may also be found in the diatonic chords constructed from the

harmonic minor scale (page 166). Unlike altered dominant chords, these chords can, and often do,

contain a natural 5th:


Voicing: 1,b7,3,5,b9 Voicing: 1,b7,3,5,#9


Voicing: 1,3,b7,#9 Voicing: 1,3,b7,b9


Voicing: 1,3,b7,#9 Voicing: 1,3,b7,b9

41

Dominant chords with raised or lowered 9ths tend to resolve to tonic chords. Notice how Ive

included the natural 5th in the second chord, the A7b9:

42

Altered Dominant Chords

Sometimes the natural 9th in the dominant 9 chord is replaced by an altered (raised or

lowered) 9th. When the 9th is altered in the chord, it is notated as a 7th chord plus the altered

extension: C7#9, C7b9. When both the 9ths and 5ths are altered, the alterations must be included

in the chord symbol, often in parentheses: C7(#5,#9), C7(b9,b5), C7(#9,b5), C7(b9,#5). It is

quite common to notate the altered dominant chord with just the word alt. This is done when you

want the guy playing the chords to simply make his own decisions on how to alter the 5ths and 9ths,

Ex: C alt. Here are a few of altered dominant chords:

Common Altered Chord Voicings

I have included the roots in the voicings but some of them are not playable unless you use

your left hand thumb. If you are playing with a bassist, the root will not be necessary to include but

it is important to remember where they are located as a reference point:


Voicing: 1,b7,3,#5,b9 Voicing: 1,b7,3,#5,#9 Voicing: 1,b7,3,b5,b9 Voicing: 1,b7,3,b5,#9


Voicing: 1,3,b7,#9,#5 Voicing: 1,3,b7,b9,b5 Voicing: 1,3,b7,#9,b5 Voicing: 1,3,b7,b9,#5

43

The tension created by the altered extension begs for resolution. That is why the altered dominant

chord generally resolves to the tonic chord. You can commonly find them in ii V I chord

progressions:

Points to remember about altered dominant chords

1. Altered dominant chords are derived from the altered mode of the melodic minor scale (page

171).

2. It is not unusual for (altered) dominant chords to contain both the #9 and b9 as in C7(b9,#9).

3. It is not uncommon for the raised 5th to be notated as a b13th as in C7(b13).

44

Add9 Chords

These chords are just like 9th chords, but the 7th is excluded from the voicing. Having no

7th, the major version of the add9 chord works for both major and dominant chords. The minor

add9 chord is characteristically dark sounding. They are notated: add9 and min add9:

Common add9 Chord Voicings



Voicing: 1,5,9,3,5,1 Voicing: 1,5,9,b3,1


Voicing: 1,5,9,3,5 Voicing: 1,5,9,b3

45


Voicing: 1,3,5,9 Voicing: 1,b3,5,9

The simple addition of the 9th to the minor and major triad creates a warm open sounding chord.

Try the following progression first using triads and then add9 chords. You will be surprised what the

addition of one note to a simple triad can do. It may take you a little time to get used to the stretch,

but it is well worth the effort:

46

Points to remember about add9 chords

1. To be called an add9 chord, the voicing cannot contain a 7th.

2. You are not likely to run across any other "add" chords besides the add9 chord. The reason is

because the "add" means that there is no 7th in the chord and without a 7th a 13th chord

would simply become a 6 or min6 chord. The min add11 chord is questionable I guess but I

personally have never run across it myself in a chart, probably because the absence of the

min7th doesn't make much harmonic difference and for that reason, not important enough to

notate it as such. It's safe to assume that the only "add" chord you are going to run into is the

add9.

3. Sometimes the add9 chord gets notated with just a 9 in parenthesis: (9). Don't get confused

between a dominant 9th chord as in C9 and an add9 chord as in C(9). I personally don't like

the (9) chord symbol; it causes a second of unneeded contemplation.

47

69 Chords

Like the add9 chords, these chords also contain no 7th. Along with the 9th, the major 6th

is also included in the voicing. When the intervals of the chord are voiced in a particular manner

(1-6-9-5-1), it creates a series of perfect 4th intervals that give the chord a modern, angular sound.

The chords are notated: 69 and min69:

Common 69 Chord Voicings



Voicing: 1,6,9,5,1 Voicing: 1,6,b3,5,9


Voicing: 1,3,6,9,5 Voicing: 1,b3,6,9,5

48

The 69 chord is a nice replacement for a maj7 or maj9 chord:

49

11th chords 6 note chords

Along with the 7th, the 11th is also added to the triad. There are a few basic guidelines to

remember here, as I mentioned before, regarding sus4 chords, major 3rds and 4ths are not

considered to get along so well. To fix this small problem, generally (and I stress the word

generally), the major 3rd either gets omitted or the 11th gets raised, a harmonic compromise in a

way. This does however create a few naming problems. By leaving the 3rd out of the voicing, we will

simply be making the chord into a sus4 chord. If we leave the 3rd in and raise the 11th, the chord

symbol needs to be written so. For these two reasons you don't run across major or dominant 11th

chords such as C11 very often. As far as the minor version goes, the minor 3rd and natural 11th get

along fine so there is no need to raise the 11th. Therefore, theoretically there are only three 11th

chords and they tend to be notated this way: Cmaj7#11, C7#11 and Cmin11:




Voicing: 1,7,3,#11,7 Voicing: 1,b7,b3,11,b7 Voicing: 1,b7,3,#11

50


Voicing: 1,7,3,#11 Voicing: 1,b3,b7,9,11 Voicing: 1,b7,3,#11

The Lydian Chord: The maj7#11 chord is sometimes referred to as the Lydian chord. It is a

beautiful, modern sounding chord. Sometimes you may come across the word Lydian in a chart

rather than a chord symbol (more on the lydian mode on page 151). The composer is just telling

you to play a major family chord with a #11 somewhere in it. Try the following progression as an

exercise:

51


1. For the major and dominant versions, when the 3rd is desired in the 11th chord voicing, the

11th tends to get raised.

2. The 9th does not need to be included in the voicing but the 7th and 3rd do. Without the 3rd

present, the chord becomes a sus4 chord

3. Is there a dominant 11th chord? Yes and no. Technically a 3rd and 4th don't get put in the same

major or dominant chord so a dominant 11th chord doesn't generally show up in a chart. With

the 3rd removed, the 11th gets considered a 4th and that would just make the chord into a sus

chord. In reality, the (modern) ear accepts the 3rd and 4th in the same chord if voiced correctly

so the dominant 11th chord does get played from time to time, it just gets notated as a 9sus

chord and the 3rd is considered an option. You may from time to time run across an 11 chord

in a chart, but the composer most likely is telling you to play a 9sus chord (1-4-5-b7-9). Add

3rds at will but be careful.

4. What is the difference between a 7#11 and a 7(b5) chord? Hmm.. Not too much on the

surface but there are a few differences that need to be discussed. One thing that needs to be

considered is what liberties can be taken with the chord. Derived from the lydian dominant

mode of the melodic minor scale, the 7#11 chord can contain the natural 5th. The 9th, and

13th are also in the scale so they too can be added to the chord. Since the 7(b5) chord is most

likely coming from the altered mode of the melodic minor scale, altered 9ths can probably be

added without any complications. The 7#11 chord generally resolves down a half step, while

the 7(b5) chord generally resolves up a 4th to the tonic chord.

52

Putting 9th and 11th Chords Into Practice

Keeping Things Simple

Notice how I've kept things simple in the following exercise by voicing all the chords with

only four notes each. Most of the chords simply include the root, 3rd, 7th and the extension

designated in the chord symbol. As I stated earlier, 5ths don't count for much so you are free to

leave them out if they are not altered.

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13th Chords 7 Note Chords

13th chords technically can contain every scale tone, but since there are seven scale tones

in the major scale and only six strings on the guitar, it is a physical impossibility. There are certain

choices that have to be made when playing 13th chords. 9ths and 11th can be left out and as I said

before, the 5th isn't really necessary. If a bassist is present, you definitely don't need a root in the

voicing. If you were to leave out the 7th, what you would get is a 6 chord. The most important notes

are the 3rd, 7th, and 13th. As with our other major and dominant family chords, when the major

3rd is present, the 4th generally gets raised to a #11th (if you choose to include it in the chord). If

you eliminate the 3rd and leave in the natural 4th, the chord will become a sus chord as in

C13sus4.




Voicing: 1,7,9,3,13 Voicing: 1,b7,b3,9,13,1 Voicing: 1,b7,3,13,1 Voicing: 1,b7,4,13,1

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Voicing: 1,5,7,9,13 Voicing: 1,5,b7,b3,13 Voicing: 1,3,b7,9,13 Voicing: 1,5,b7,4,13

Points to remember about 13th chords:

1. For the major and dominant versions, when the 3rd is desired in the voicing, the 11th tends to

be raised.

2. The 9th and #11th do not need to be included in the voicing but the 7th and 3rd do. Without

the 7th included in the voicing the chord is considered a 6 chord.

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Dominant 13th Chords With Altered 9ths

The 13#9 and 13b9 chords are the chords derived from the symmetrical scale known as

the half/whole diminished scale (page 183). Unlike the altered dominant chords created by the

altered mode of the melodic minor scale, the chords made from the half/whole diminished scale

contain a natural 13th and an unaltered 5th. They generally resolve the same way altered chords do,

to the I chord. Because of the symmetrical structure of the diminished scale, the upper chord

shapes can be moved up or down in minor 3rds to create other dominant chords:

Common 13#9, 13b9 Chord Voicings



Voicing: 1,b7,3,13,#9 Voicing: 1,b7,3,13,b9


Voicing: 1,3,b7,#9,13 Voicing: 1,3,b7,b9,13

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The next example demonstrates how the dominant chord from the half/whole diminished scale

works. Notice how the G triad on the top three strings of the Emin11 chord moves down a half step

to a F# triad in the A13b9 chord:

Points to remember about 13th chords derived from the half/whole diminished scale

1. The #11th can also be though of as a b5th so sometimes the 13#11 chord shows up as a

13b5 chord in a chart, as in C13b5. Some possible chord symbols from this chord family:

C13b9, C13#9, C13(b5,#9), C13(b5,b9), C13(b9,#11), C13(#9,#11), etc..

2. Just remember: we've traded our raised 5th from the altered mode for a 13th.

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Putting 13th Chords Into Practice

Jazz Blues

Although I have included the roots in the voicings, they are unnecessary to play when a

bassist is present. If you must play them, try to use your left hand thumb or sacrifice one of the

upper extensions to free up a finger:

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Extensions and Diatonic Progressions

Know the extensions for each diatonic chord

Since the upper extensions for each diatonic chord is different, you will want to be

cautious when playing diatonic progressions. Play all the diatonic chords as add9 chords and you'll

understand what I mean, while the natural 9th works fine in the I, ii, IV, V and vi chords, the

addition of the natural 9th in the iii chord will make you cringe (the 9th is a iii chord is lowered).

Keep in mind, this is important only when dealing with very diatonic chord progressions. More

liberties can be taken with Jazz but you may need to exercise caution when playing other genres.

Use the chart below as a reference guide.

Diatonic Chord Extensions Notes

I 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 Avoid #11ths as in maj#11.

ii 1, b3, 5, b7, 9, 11, 13 Anything goes, use min6 chords at will.

iii 1, b3, 5, b7, b9, 11, b13 Avoid 9ths and 6ths (13ths) as in min9, min6 or min13.

IV 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, #11, 13 Avoid sus chords.

V 1, 3, 5, b7, 9, 11, 13 All natural extensions work fine.

vi 1, b3, 5, b7, 9, 11, b13 Avoid 6ths (13ths) as in min6 or min13.

viio 1, b3, b5, b7, b9, 11, b13 Avoid 9ths and 6ths (13ths) as in min9(b5).

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Upper Extension Chord Forms

Useful Shapes

I tend to use certain shapes or forms over various bass notes to get desired chords. This

not only makes things simpler because one shape can be turned into a half dozen chords but is also

a great aid in voice leading. Let's start with some shapes you may already be familiar with, here is

our first one:

Our first chord is a C9 chord. The important thing to take note of is the upper form (the white dots).

While keeping the same (C) root and moving the shape to a different location, we can make a new

chord, in this case a C7(#5,b9) chord. I've included the roots in black but I usually don't play

them:

voicing: 1,3,b7,9,5 voicing: 1,b7,3,#5,b9

Compare a G7(#5,b9) and Db9 chord using the previous voicings and you'll see why the Db9

chord works as a bV substitution for the V chord, G7. You will hear it better by comparing these two

chord progressions: Dmin7 - G7(#5,b9) - Cmaj7 and Dmin7 - Db9 - Cmaj7.

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Our next shape can be thought of as a half/whole diminished scale chord shape:

Next we'll turn a C7#9 chord into a C13b9 chord. If you absolutely have to play the bass note on

the C7#9 chord, use your thumb:

voicing: 1,3,b7,#9,5 voicing: 1,b7,3,13,b9

Our next shape:

We can turn this shape into a C7(#5,#9) and a C13 chord:

voicing: 1,3,b7,#5,#9 voicing: 1,b7,3,13,9

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Some more dominant shapes that come in handy:

C13 and C7(#5,#9):

voicing: 1,3,b7,9,13 voicing: 1,b7,3,#5,#9

Our next shape can also be thought of as a half/whole diminished scale chord voicing:

This shape gets turned into a C13(b9) and a C7(b9):

voicing: 1,b7,b9,3,13 voicing: 1,b9,3,5,1

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Major Scale Modal Shapes

While the last examples dealt primarily with dominant chords the next shape works quite

well for both major and minor sounds. This shape is built from the major scale. First, let's memorize

the shape:

These are all major scale modal family chords that can be made with the shape:

voicing: 1,5,1,2,5 voicing: 1,b7,b3,11,b7 voicing: 1,7,3,#11,7

voicing: 1,6,9,3,6 voicing: 1,1,4,5,1 voicing: 1,3,13,7,3

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Melodic Minor and Major Scale Modal Shapes

The next shape is also a very useful one. Unlike the previous shapes, you can use this

shape to make major, minor, dominant and altered dominant chords. This shape can be found in

both the major and melodic minor scales (page 168). First memorize the shape without the root:

Ive included the roots in black but I don't usually include them when playing the chords. I do

however use the roots as a reference to locate the chord. If you chose to think modally, all these

chords can be thought of as both major and melodic minor family shapes with the exception of the

C7(#5#9) chord which is strictly melodic minor (from the altered mode). Our first chord, C13 can

come from either the mixolydian or lydian dominant mode. Our second chord, Csus(b9) comes

from either the phrygian or dorian b2 mode. As I mentioned before, our third chord, C7(#5,#9) is

strictly altered. The fourth chord, Cmin69 comes from either the dorian mode or the melodic minor

scale. Our fifth chord, Cmin11(b5) can come from the locrian mode or the locrian #2 mode from

the melodic minor scale. And last but not least, our sixth chord, Cmaj7#11 comes from either the

lydian mode or the lydian augmented mode:

voicing: 1,b7,9,3,13 voicing: 1,b9,4,5,1 voicing: 1,3,#5,b7,#9

voicing: 1,b3,5,6,9 voicing: 1,b5,b7,1,11 voicing: 1,1,3,#11,7

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Strictly Melodic Minor Modal Shapes

The next shape is strictly melodic minor modal harmony. Memorize the shape before we

move on to the individual chords:

Our first chord below, a C13(#11) chord comes from the lydian dominant mode. The second chord,

the C13sus(b9) chord comes from the dorian b2 mode. Our third chord, the C7(#5,#9) chord is

derived from the altered mode. You won't be able to play the root in this voicing. I included it as a

reference but you'll have to leave it to your bassist. I had to think about how exactly to name our

next chord, the Cmin9(maj7) chord. It is a beautiful voicing derived from the melodic minor scale

itself. Our fifth chord, the Cmin11(b5) chord comes from the locrian #2 scale. This voicing

contains the natural 9th. There is no minor 3rd in the voicing but the minor harmony is implied so

strongly that it really makes no difference. Our last chord, the Cmaj7#5 chord comes from the

third mode of the melodic minor scale, the lydian augmented mode, it may help to think of it as an

E/C chord:

voicing: 1,b7,9,#11,13 voicing: 1,b9,4,13,1 voicing: 1,3,#5,1,#9

voicing: 1,b3,5,7,9 voicing: 1,b5,b7,9,11 voicing: 1,1,3,#5,7

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Putting the Shapes to use

I'm taking a lot of liberties with the voicings in this example. In a Jazz setting, this is okay

as long as the voicings don't clash with the melody. With minor chords, usually the upper

extensions with the exception of the 6th (13th) can be added to the chord without any conflict but

be careful with dominant chords, check where they are going before adding your extensions. Notice

how I used a Csus2 chord as a replacement for the final Cmin7 chord, as there is no 3rd present

in the chord it can function as either major or minor. I like the ambiguous quality of the chord used

in this manner, Im letting the listener decide if it is major or minor:

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CHAPTER 4: SLASH CHORDS

A slash is this: /, so a slash chord should have one of them in its name. These are all slash

chords: G/B, C/Bb, F/G, Cmaj7/E. The symbol on the left of the slash is a chord and the symbol

on the right is the bass note. So the slash chord G/B means that you have to play a G triad over a

B bass note. If I wanted you to play this chord, I would probably say; "Play G on B" or "play G over

B." There are basically two types of slash chords: one is an inversion of the chord itself, this makes

the bass note (notated on the right of the slash) the 3rd, 5th or 7th of the chord. In the other type

of slash chord, the bass note functions as the actual root of the chord. There is a gray area where

these two types of slash chords overlap.

Triad Inversions

The first type of slash chords we will deal with are just simple triad inversions. Simply by

voicing any triad with the 3rd or 5th in the bass will yield a slash chord. Ex: a common C major triad

voiced with the third, E as the bass note will yield a C/E slash chord, voiced with the 5th, G as the

bass note will yield a C/G slash chord. When the triad has as the bass the root, it is said to be in root

position. With the 3rd in the bass, 1st inversion and with the 5th in the bass, 2nd inversion.

Bass Note Inversion

1 root position

3 1st inversion

5 2nd inversion

Play each inversion below. The roots are in black for reference:

root position 1st inversion 2nd inversion

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The previous chord examples are just a few of the many triad voicings that can be

constructed, see if you can come up with some more voicings of major triads. After you figure some

more of the major voicings out, try to come up with the minor shapes also.

Why would you want to use the inversion anyways?

These kinds of slash chords are often used to simply create chromatic bass movements in

your chord progressions. Take a look at the chord progression below; all the chords are in root

position:

Although the bass movement works fine, we can create a smoother bassline by playing the first G

chord in 1st inversion. This will make the bassline for the first two chords descend chromatically.

The bassline will also descend through the diatonic scale for both measures:

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Lets take this concept a step further. Play the "before" version...

And now the "after" version. Check out how the bassline is completely chromatic for the first four

chords:

The first inversion major chord (3rd in the bass) is probably the most commonly used of the

inversions. While triads in root position and in their inversions are the rule in pop and rock, you

aren't likely to find triads in root position very often in Jazz, the 1st inversion major triad however

can be found from time to time as in the example below:

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Creating Contrary Motion

Im going to show you how we can use slash chords to create contrary motion. In the

chord progression below, the chords all descend in whole steps...

And once again the "after" version. While the chords descend in whole steps, the bassline ascends

creating some musical interest.

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Seventh Chord Inversions

Just as triads can be inverted, so can seventh chords. The 3rd, 5th and 7th can all be used

as the bass note. As seventh chords are four note chords, we get the choice of four notes for our

bass notes:

Bass Note Inversion

1 root position

3 1st inversion

5 2nd inversion

7 3rd inversion

Some of the inversions work better than others. While the maj7 chord in first and second

inversion sound beautiful, the 3rd inversion (7th in bass) sounds horrible. I couldn't even come up

with a decent example for this book (give it a shot anyways, you never know). While the 3rd

inversion for the maj7 chord sounds pathetic, the 3rd inversion of the dominant 7 chord (b7th in

the bass) is somewhat common. Generally the inversions of the maj7 and dominant 7 chords are

used more commonly than the inversions of the min7 chords, the min7 chord in first inversion

simply turns into a maj6 chord. Ex: Amin7/C = C6. Try out the chord progression below and you'll

hear how beautiful and spacious the maj7 chords in 1st and 2nd inversion sound. Oh yeah, I'll

explain the Bb/C chord a little later, try not to think about it too much for now:

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Creating complex harmony using slash chords

While the first kind of slash chords we worked with were simply inverted triads or 7th

chords used to create a desired bass movement, the next type are something all together different.

With triads and 7th chords, the bass note (on the right of the slash) is either the 3rd, 5th or 7th of

the chord, in the next examples all the bass notes will be the actual roots. Before we start making

some harmonically complex chords, let's first make some 7th chords by using the slash chord

technique we studied in the previous examples. Examine the following Amin7 chord. If you look

carefully you will find that the top three notes form a C major triad. Therefore you can think of an

Amin7 chord as a C triad simply placed over an A bass note, that's right, Amin7 = C/A:

Voicing: 1,b3,5,b7

I moved the bass an octave lower than it is notated so we can hear the actual C triad over the A bass

note.

Diatonic 7th chords notated as slash chords

As you discovered in the last example, 7th chords can be thought of as slash chords. I took

the diatonic 7th chords of the C major scale and notated them as slash chords. Above the chord is

the standard notated 7th chord name, below is the slash chord name:

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I wrote the last example just to simply show you that you've been playing slash chords all along and

might have never realized it. Before we move on to more complex harmony I need you to make

sure that you know all of the triad shapes. The shapes are going to get put on top of various bass

notes and open up into some fairly harmonically complex chords. Generally major triads get used

way more than minor triads for this kind of thing so I'm only going to cover them. First review all

the major triad shapes on page 20 before moving on to the next section.

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Major Family Slash Chords

There are basically three different major family slash chords. I tend to use these as my

first choice whenever I play any major family chord.

1. Major triad up a 5th - By placing the major triad a 5th above the bass note we can make a slash

chord that functions as a maj9 chord. Ex: To make a Cmaj9 chord using a slash chord, simply place

a G triad on a C bass note and you'll render a maj9 chord (without a 3rd). G is a 5th above C: G/C

= Cmaj9. Check the example below:

Voicing: 1,5,7,9

Rule: a major triad superimposed a perfect 5th above the bass note will render a slash chord that

sounds and functions as a maj9 chord.

Try it yourself: Try putting together the following slash chords using the triad shapes we learned

earlier: E/A, B/E, F#/B, D/G, A/D, G/C, C/F.

This slash chord pretty much replaces any major chord. Anywhere you would play a maj7 or maj9

chord, use this one instead. The following example just illustrates how this slash chord could

replace the standard I chord in a ii - V - I:

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2. Major triad up a 2nd - By placing the major triad a 2nd above the bass note we can make a

maj13#11 chord. Ex: To make a Cmaj13#11 chord using a slash chord, simply place a D triad on

a C bass note and you'll render a major chord that sounds and functions like a maj13#11 chord

(without the 3rd, 5th and 7th). D is a 2nd above C: D/C = Cmaj13#11. I tend to think of this slash

chord as the "lydian" slash chord because of the #11th. Check the example below:

Voicing: 1,13,9,#11

Rule: a major triad superimposed a major 2nd above the bass note will render a slash chord that

sounds and functions like a maj13#11 chord.


earlier: E/D, C/Bb, G/F, D/C, A/G.

You could argue about what this slash chord actually is; if you analyze it assuming the

bass note is the root it looks like a maj13#11 chord but it could also be argued that it is a dominant

7th chord in 3rd inversion (the bass note being the b7th of the chord). Both are correct. That's right

this slash chord could replace either a Cmaj7 chord or a D7 chord. This is one of the gray areas

regarding slash chords:

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In the example below, the second and last slash chords are our "lydian" slash chords while the

fourth chord in the sequence is a 2nd inversion Eb chord:

Analysis: Bb Bbmaj13#11 Bbmin7 Eb (2nd inversion) Bmaj13#11

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3. Major triad up a 3rd - By placing the major triad a 3rd above the bass note we can make a

maj7#5 chord. Ex: To make a Cmaj7#5 chord using a slash chord, simply place an E triad on a C

bass note and you'll render a maj7#5 chord. E is a 3rd above C: E/C = Cmaj7#5. Check the

example below:

Voicing: 1,7,3,#5

Rule: a major triad superimposed a major 3rd above the bass note will render a maj7#5 chord.


earlier: F/Db, C/Ab, G#/E, B/G, E/C.

Play the following chord progression; the slash chord in the third measure is our maj7#5 chord.

The first and last chord is the slash chord from the first example (maj9 functioning slash chords).

This example is similar to what Wayne Shorter does in his some of his compositions:

Analysis: Gmaj9 Amaj7#5 Bbmaj9

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Dominant Family Slash Chords

Both altered and unaltered dominant sounding chords can be created using slash chords.

Let's start with the unaltered type.

4. Major t

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