David i’m a guitarist but you’ve helped me a TON with branching out with my chord choices and understanding music theory as a whole concept, from building chords to different modes to slash chords and so on. Love your videos and can’t thank you enough.
Yeah, but if you learn too much theory, you start to suck. Sometimes you just have to play the same scale over everything, just up and down the scale playing each note . Some people say they don't like it, but I think they are just jealous.
a good way to start experimenting with the "slash chord trick": If you want a 9 chord, play a seventh chord built on the 3rd of the original chord. If you want an 11, play a seventh chord on the fifth, and if you want a 13, play a seventh chord on the seventh.
I wish RUclips (and David) was around when I was young. Where I grew up there wasn’t a lot of musical knowledge. You had to go to big cities to learn everything we have easy access to now. I barely learned any music theory other than the basics until RUclips came around. I was a music major at a state university for three semesters and they only taught the basics. I gave up on it because I got bored.
When I play the same things on my keyboard, it just never sounds as good as you. We often say in the guitar world that it’s all in the hands. I think it must be true in the keys world as well. I love that dreamy jazz piece you played at the end! I could’ve listened to that for hours
I doubt it's your technique. Piano has very little variation in sound as a result of technique. It could either be the sound you are using for the piano, or literally just the way you use the chords in context. The jazz piece at the end used a lot of harmonic patterns not explained in this video.
I dont think its that common to omit the 3rd in a 13 chord, atleast in my experience. I would omit the 11 first, then the 9th. If you really want to have the 11 in there i would write it as 13(omit 3) or 13(11) or 13sus4. Since the 13 chord acts as a dominant, omiting the 3rd i.e., the leading tone seems counter intuitive, unless you are going for a suspended sound.
Fully Agreed! The 3rd should always be included in a chord to determine major or minor, unless it is a suspended chord (sus2 or sus4) or a "power 5th" chord. I agree that the 11th should be first omitted in the 13th along with the 5th. A 13th chord can be played with just four notes, 1, 3, 7, 13(6) to get the intended "color"
Mate, we are so lucky to have resources like this. Really instructive, as ever - particularly in providing examples of suggested usage! Something that is missing from a lot of music theory content is the way one can apply the understanding, but this was really inspirational and helpful.
@@DavidBennettPianoI have gone to using the 2nd minor chord as my guide to 9, 11, n 13. I've never had a "walking bass" left hand. Great instruction. Love your work with Beatles n Radiohead examples.
2:49 I'm sure everyone's different, but if I saw C13, I'd assume the 9 and 11 but not the 5 (and David said often not the 3, but I'd say sometimes not the 3). If I didn't want the 11 in the chord, then I'd call it a C69 chord... or a C6 if I also didn't want the 9. On a C11, if I only wanted the 11 and not the 9, then I'd call it a Csus4 or Cadd4, depending on whether I wanted the 3 in there. I hope that helped to clear it up rather than to add more confusion. If David answers and contradicts that in some way, then go with what he says.
Yes. The chord technically has all of the lower third notes that came before it, it just stacks a new one on top. For example, start with a c major chord. Then a C7 adds the (dominant) 7th on top of the triad. Next is a C9 which keeps all the notes in a C7 then adds the 9. The 11 keeps all those notes from the C9 and adds the 11 note. Then the 13 chord is basically including every note in the scale, because it has the notes 1 3 5 (flat)7 9 11 13. It’s just stacking another note on the C11 (which itself was stacking on the C9). That’s why it’s conventional to drop some notes out like the third and fifth in a 13 chord, or else it just sounds like a mess.
(Second edit - aw man I’m a victim of a title change lol. Was originally titled “how to play jazz chords” and my comment made more sense then) Wow! I don’t even care about jazz lol (sorry, it’s just never appealed to my ear, not my taste), but this was still fascinating! I can use jazz chords in my rock music if I want 😁 and now I’m pretty prepared to do so - thanks David!! EDIT - please don’t waste your breath recommending jazz for me 😂 I’m 40 years old, been obsessed with music for 30 years, I’ve given jazz plenty of chances and I don’t like jazz. It’s okay. It’s okay that some people’s ears just don’t like certain genres. I promise you it’s fine and no one needs to try to “fix” something. There’s nothing broken :)
As someone who used to not care about jazz and is now trying to catch up, I say don't hesitate to dive in! In my humble opinion, jazz is the lineage and vocabulary that opens up virtually all other styles of music. If you're normally into rock, maybe check out some bluesy players. If you play piano, Oscar Peterson is a must! That dude SHREDS
I’ll always love rock because that’s where I started, but I can’t understand how somebody says they don’t care about jazz, or they can’t find anything appealing about it. It would really be worth spending some time getting acquainted with it. It’s a gorgeous and hugely diverse genre
@@bobthegreat297 i feel like this kind of harmonic vocabulary and perspective is one of the biggest impacts that jazz has had on the musical world as a whole. That's why learning it opens you up to many related styles like funk, blues, rock. Even genres like metal or bluegrass have had some influence here and there
I‘m sorry but F maj 7 / G is not G13 but it is a Gsus 13 or Dm9 / G. A G13 does not contain a 11, but a 3, or a #11. It is a dominant chord that has a 3 and a 7 plus some extensions.
JUST BRILLIANT! This is the best way to teach harmony without having to mess with sheet music. Straight to the point, David...!!! Many thanks also for speacking so nicely for the non natives... 5⭐ !!
My favorite place to use a #11 chord is as the bVI chord in a minor key - the #11 is the second degree of the key so resolving to it in the melody over the VI chord is absolutely brutal (in a good way haha)
Using slash chords is essential on guitar since we're physically limited by which notes we can play, or how many. Also, on the rare occasions I use major 11 chords, I always swap the 4th and the 3rd. Just in general, I always swap the notes in a minor 9th to make it a major 7th, unless I'm specifically playing a dominant b9 chord.
This was a nice intro to the concept, but I would LOVE a more detailed sequel where you sketch out the actual scale-degree rules and why they work. Like how putting a major chord on the 2nd degree makes a 13(#11) chord etc etc
Can you do a video on the music of Vsauce please? Jake Chudnow and Vsauce released all of their music on vinyl earlier this year, but there is a real lack of videos covering Jake Chudnow's music, despite being extremely influential on RUclips.
When you play a G11 -> C you are omitting the note B on the first chord. Doesnt' this affect the dominant quality (because of the tritone you're not playing anymore)?
6:08 This is the first chord I use in my song Keen On You. It's such a great chord when played before G6. Also 12:00 the chord FMaj9, I've used that in Next Holidays as the first chord of the chorus, such a beautiful sound.
the F# could resolve up to the G to give a fully resolved sound, but much like ending a song on a Cmaj7 chord, I think a little bit of "unresolvedness" is nice and adds flavour 😊
er.... I can see why omitting the D is okay - but, why isn't there a B note in the dominant G 13 chord? I just sort of thought you have to play the root, 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 13th when you see something like G13
I agree that feels wrong. I have heard though that usually when you’re playing with a full band, you try to have as little notes in common with everyone else, like have the bassline walk up the main triad and the piano does the upper extensions. But that should’ve been said in the video
You're right to ask this question. The chord he's calling G13 here is correctly called a G7sus. The 11th is omitted from major and dominant chords in most cases because it clashes with the 3rd and you can play the Fmaj7 triad over the G to get this effect. To play the G13 correctly, one way you could do it is like this: G - root B - 3rd D - 5th F - 7th A - 9th E - 13th
Thank you, thank you, thank you! In one short video video you have unlocked what was, for me, the utter mystery of jazz piano chords. I have played blues guitar nearly all my life, but this has always eluded me when I started playing a keyboard; and when I hit on one of these chords accidentally when "mucking about" I can never work out how I did it or how to replicate it. Now I know!
An easy way to turn a 7th chord into a 9th chord is to just move your thumb on the root note in the right hand up a whole step to the next note and keep playing the root in the left hand. May not be an "upper" chord extension but it still has the same function.
As a guitarist, i really dont like slashed chord notation. G13? easy, i got a bunch of moveable patterns to play it. Fmaj7/G? i will knot my fingers XD
How do these voicings differenciate between minor and major versions of upper chord extentions if you skip the 3rd of the chord? You say that G11 is F/G, and Gm11 is Dm7/G, but these two slash chords have all the notes the same except of D in the second one, but D exists in both G11 and Gm11. In order to be a minor chord, Gm11 shoud have Bb, but Dm7/G doesn't have it. How does it work?
Holy shit. This genuinely helped me put it into practice. Especially as I was watching the video and guessing what would make up the chords over time. Thank you!!!!
Hi David, I enjoyed your video and I understand the Technique that you're explaining. However, I think there is a slight miss here... I think the problem is most guys/gals will not look at a G13 chord on a sheet of music and say... Oh, No problem, that's an FMaj7/G. They most likely will still have to figure out the chord first from stacking 3rds to get to the G13 and then removing the 3rd & 5th as you say. Then if you look at what's left, just maybe you might realize that it's an FMaj7/G, but some still may not see or realize what's left is a Slash Chord = FMaj7/G. I don't think most people will be able to say, Oh a G13 chord, No Problem, that's an FMaj7/G right off the bat. So it may be a bit misleading for someone when they are watching you say to just use a Slash Chord to get a G9, G11, or G13 chord. They could be looking at it and say, how did he get FMaj7/G from a G13 Chord, especially if they are not familiar with chord extensions? Also, some of the other chords may be even more intimidating like a G9 from a Bm7(b5)/G... LOL... Just a point of reference that it may not be quite as easy as it looks. Otherwise Great video.. Thx ElectricEddie
Didn't Carole King use a lot of chord extensions? When listen to her I get a heavy (no, not that sort of heavy, silly!), rich sound that can surely only come from upper chord extensions. Especially on "It's Too Late".
Gg face to you too. On guitar these upper extensions are confusing. Not because they're difficult. Vice versa, just recently I was learning a song by ear and wondered about two really simple chords and found out they were I recall Bb11, Eb9/F and Eb7/F or so. They were almost like just barre with index and add 1-2 fingers and move them half step to change the chord. Maybe the slash chords could've been pronounced in a more straightforward way somehow, but the way they were fingered made me think they were like that, the shape was so similar to a full barre chord that had the shape broken. Anyway, the point was I've noticed many times chords whose names are rather complicated, on guitar are extremely simple. Sometimes just holding index finger barre on one fret for four strings, and due to the tuning they get their odd names. They require more thinking and altering from your default chord template on guitar, but playing them can be very simple. And you almost certainly miss a lot of notes like 3 and 5 when you start forming those upper extensions on guitar. And it doesn't necessarily help that default chords on guitar already are inversions. These make so much sense seeing them on piano. Just move to the next "position" of stacking the notes of the scale.
13 chord is a dominant chord, whereas the one you started with is some variation of a sus(4) chord. It would better be called G13sus4. 11 and 13 chords has a problem with the major third. No one in their right mind will voice all the 3rds from the bottom up. Either you use the 11the / 4th or the 3rd. In some mushy guitar voicings involving open strings it is not uncommon with a combination of 3rds and 4ths. Minor chords can easily be stackd up to the 11. The 13 does not go well together with the 7th. Stable maj chords (non dominants) can be stacked up to 13, but the 11 is either left out or made lydion #11 or as a natural diationic b5 on the IV chord in a key. I am a little tired of demonatration of harmonic theory where much of "best practices" are trashed in order to make a teoretical point.
Great video as always. Dropping the 5th and 3rd is what I teach my students when I show them how to "fake" chords by drpoping the 5th for 9th and 11th chords, and maybe drop the 3rd as well for 13th chords... but Tertiary Harmony, I think keeping the 3rd is important because it does define the quality of the "intended" chord - maj/min/dim/aug/sus/dom and such.
Mmm… it seems easier to me to just figure out whats the 9,11 and 13 degree than to just use the slash chords. Because if I want to use the slash chords technique now I have to memorize a ton of chords since Idk what freaking chord I have to play in order to get a 9,11,13 chord.
yeah, I've understood upper chord extensions for the longest time, however, the biggest problem for me was learning to play it in all 12 keys with altered and normal extensions just seemed like way too much learning, but if I think about it as IV major/minor over the V root note, it makes it so much easier, but that only works for dominant chords - then we have to do major 9 and 13s and minor 9 (ive never heard minor 11th or 13th). If anybody has any song suggestions that use minor 11ths or 13ths please let me know.
So I've probably been playing extended chords without even knowing it. Because I picked up the idea of playing an entirely different bass note from the chord my right hand was playing early on.
So now that we know how these chords are played, it would be great to have guidelines for when to use them in compositions?! Let's say I have a basic chord structure, but I want to spice it up. Of course, I can just try. Or some things come from intuition. But are there "mechanisms" that help you find the "right" extensions better?
I don't know what happened, but when you did the in-video ad you said "these are the most realistic piano vsts that I've ever worked with" and your right hand looks like it starts to glitch lol
“Dominant 7” used in the way the term has come to be used - ie to describe the inherent character of a chord, considered in isolation, rather than its function in the context of classical functional harmony - is one of the silliest bits of contemporary musical theory terminology. In the classical functional harmony for which it was originally coined, that kind of chord would ONLY occur on the dominant, so the term made some kind of sense. But musicians have been routinely using that particular kind of chord in every conceivable position for multiple centuries now, so the term becomes nonsensical and confusing. We really should be calling it what it actually IS: a major minor 7 chord. It succinctly describes exactly what is going on in the chord, and matches the pattern established for its (sort of) opposite, the minor major seven chord.
Just came back here to say thank you so much for this video, it has had a lasting impression on me! This has improved my chords at least 200 percent and has also taught me chords sound better all spaced out 😊 my Dreamcast/Sonic/ECCO style music now sounds like something you would find in a real game especially with those slash chords ❤️👍🌱
3:01 I don’t like dropping the 3rd. I prefer to keep the 1, 3 and 7 and drop any or all of the 5, 9 and 11 extensions... For me, the 3rd is too important in its role of indicating the quality of the chord; although I guess that if the intention is to keep the chord sound ambiguous, then this is the way to go...
I don't like the explanation of how to resolve extension chords. They don't work like simple functional harmony where the leading note (7th) resolves to root note of the scale. You put extensions on chords to fit a top melody line, and the chord could resolve according to how that upper melody wants to go. I actually don't like the concept of naming extension chords, they are just plain chords with a note grabbed from the melody line. And most jazz players skip or change the extension notes on the chord chart to their taste, just because they have their own melodies to play on that piece.
🤣Well, G9add13 (which is the same chord without the C note) is one of the four piano chords in the verses of Willow's Symptom Of Life. But yeah... you don't find it TOO often in pop songs...
For blues I tend to drop the 5th but leave the 3rd. So a C9 I would play E, Bb, D in the right hand and a C in the left hand. Or leave the root out (leave it to the bass player) and play melody with the right hand. The root can be implied in blues/jazz on piano and guitar. The 5th isn’t as important as the 3rd in my opinion.
I wonder if there is a pattern like many things about piano. Does the relation between Fmaj7/G and G13 translate to other 13th chords or even patterns of other extensions? I haven't looked into it yet.
If you want to start jazz accordion, this system of substitute upper extensions with different "basic" chords is extremely helpful with the base side of the instrument.
Oh boy do I feel dumb after watching this. In one of the bands I play I'm used to playing extension chords. A few months ago I started playing in another band and their MD transcribes everything with slash cords and it felt really weird playing with them and I was so confused trying to understand the harmony... 😅😅😅
When you stack thirds. Which scale of reference do you use. It is not the same g13 using C major as reference or using G major with f sharp as reference?
I mentioned this in the comment section of the video on the 2-5-1 chord progression, but didn’t really go into detail on it. But the Super Mario World Game over theme is a 2-5-1, and it uses upper chord extensions. For context this theme is in the key of F. The chords are Gm9, C13(b9)(b11), Fmaj9. But with the slash chord trick in mind, you could think of it as going Bbmaj7/G followed by Bbdim(maj7)/C, then ending on Am7/F, which is a simpler approach than what you actually hear in the actual soundtrack.
Funny you mention the SMW ending theme. I was just thinking that some of the chords David was playing sound just like parts from that theme (although transposed)
C13b9bb11? Isn't the bb11 just the 10 or rather the 3rd? So C7b9add13? OK, maybe not neater but at least you avoid the bb, I suppose. :) But yeah, cool chord progression either way.
@@panosmosproductions3230 Ah, OK. That makes sense now. But no, wait, hang on... that's still enharmonious with 3? I don't know where my head was earlier but bb11 would be b3? 11 = 4, so in C that is F, so b11 is Fb or E and bb11 would be Fbb or Eb? Yeah, I know I'm "mincing notes" a bit here.
I mentioned the slash chord approach In the main comment. The upper chord extension here gives you a Bbdim(maj7)/C, which is the slash chord approach to C13(b9)(b11). The fully stacked chord contains C E G Bb Db Fb-(E) A. The Bb Db and E make a Bbdim chord. That’s why both the 9 and 11 are flat. Since the diminished chord in the right hand is on the b7 in this C chord, the b9 is a minor 3rd above it, with the b11 a minor 3rd above that, as opposed to the regular 9 and 11, which themselves are a minor 3rd appart, while the 9 is a major 3rd above the b7.
Ita not too tough to understand. But I still feel hopeless at recognizing the sound and character of these chords. I would have no idea which is which if I heard them in a piece of music.
Nice explanation but at times you overcomplicated it. For example C9 is easier to grasp as Cmaj + Gm .. i mean Em7b5 also works but you get what I'm saying..
David i’m a guitarist but you’ve helped me a TON with branching out with my chord choices and understanding music theory as a whole concept, from building chords to different modes to slash chords and so on. Love your videos and can’t thank you enough.
Same. Music theory is so helpful on any instrument. I just got my first digital piano yesterday too so I’m excited to keep learning!
Same here. Opened a whole new world to learn of different chord progressions and how modals change the chords of the key.
Yeah, but if you learn too much theory, you start to suck. Sometimes you just have to play the same scale over everything, just up and down the scale playing each note . Some people say they don't like it, but I think they are just jealous.
@@russell2910so very wrong
@@ChristianSmith-zf9tv suck it
a good way to start experimenting with the "slash chord trick": If you want a 9 chord, play a seventh chord built on the 3rd of the original chord. If you want an 11, play a seventh chord on the fifth, and if you want a 13, play a seventh chord on the seventh.
Even if this is not bulletproof for all kinds of chords, it's closer to what I expected to be in this video, thanks!
When you say a ‘seventh’ do you mean a minor seventh? Otherwise a C9 would be a E7/C, which includes a G#, which doesn’t belong.
This is the kind of information that would make this video actually useful.
@@keithklassen5320 I don't get it, that is the whole point of the video, isnt it?
This is actually very useful. Love these 'hacks'. Thanks - will b trying this out.
David is the best music teacher! I wish he was around when I was young. I learn something from his videos all the time!
I wish RUclips (and David) was around when I was young. Where I grew up there wasn’t a lot of musical knowledge. You had to go to big cities to learn everything we have easy access to now. I barely learned any music theory other than the basics until RUclips came around. I was a music major at a state university for three semesters and they only taught the basics. I gave up on it because I got bored.
Fmaj7/G is a G13sus4.
I was looking for this comment
When I play the same things on my keyboard, it just never sounds as good as you. We often say in the guitar world that it’s all in the hands. I think it must be true in the keys world as well. I love that dreamy jazz piece you played at the end! I could’ve listened to that for hours
I doubt it's your technique. Piano has very little variation in sound as a result of technique. It could either be the sound you are using for the piano, or literally just the way you use the chords in context. The jazz piece at the end used a lot of harmonic patterns not explained in this video.
I dont think its that common to omit the 3rd in a 13 chord, atleast in my experience. I would omit the 11 first, then the 9th. If you really want to have the 11 in there i would write it as 13(omit 3) or 13(11) or 13sus4. Since the 13 chord acts as a dominant, omiting the 3rd i.e., the leading tone seems counter intuitive, unless you are going for a suspended sound.
Fully Agreed! The 3rd should always be included in a chord to determine major or minor, unless it is a suspended chord (sus2 or sus4) or a "power 5th" chord. I agree that the 11th should be first omitted in the 13th along with the 5th. A 13th chord can be played with just four notes, 1, 3, 7, 13(6) to get the intended "color"
I was puzzled by this. I’ve always understood that a chord without a 3rd can’t function as a dominant.
Mate, we are so lucky to have resources like this. Really instructive, as ever - particularly in providing examples of suggested usage! Something that is missing from a lot of music theory content is the way one can apply the understanding, but this was really inspirational and helpful.
😊😊😊
@@DavidBennettPianoI have gone to using the 2nd minor chord as my guide to 9, 11, n 13. I've never had a "walking bass" left hand.
Great instruction.
Love your work with Beatles n Radiohead examples.
I thought this was going to be about how Slash uses chords lmaaaaaooo
Great stuff as always regardless.
You might be onto another video idea there lol. The sweet child o’ mine riff immediately comes to mind, where it’s based on a D chord shape
Nice! Question on notation: does X 13 always mean you have the 9 and the 11 too?
2:49
I'm sure everyone's different, but if I saw C13, I'd assume the 9 and 11 but not the 5 (and David said often not the 3, but I'd say sometimes not the 3). If I didn't want the 11 in the chord, then I'd call it a C69 chord... or a C6 if I also didn't want the 9. On a C11, if I only wanted the 11 and not the 9, then I'd call it a Csus4 or Cadd4, depending on whether I wanted the 3 in there.
I hope that helped to clear it up rather than to add more confusion. If David answers and contradicts that in some way, then go with what he says.
Yes. The chord technically has all of the lower third notes that came before it, it just stacks a new one on top.
For example, start with a c major chord. Then a C7 adds the (dominant) 7th on top of the triad. Next is a C9 which keeps all the notes in a C7 then adds the 9. The 11 keeps all those notes from the C9 and adds the 11 note.
Then the 13 chord is basically including every note in the scale, because it has the notes 1 3 5 (flat)7 9 11 13. It’s just stacking another note on the C11 (which itself was stacking on the C9). That’s why it’s conventional to drop some notes out like the third and fifth in a 13 chord, or else it just sounds like a mess.
(Second edit - aw man I’m a victim of a title change lol. Was originally titled “how to play jazz chords” and my comment made more sense then)
Wow! I don’t even care about jazz lol (sorry, it’s just never appealed to my ear, not my taste), but this was still fascinating! I can use jazz chords in my rock music if I want 😁 and now I’m pretty prepared to do so - thanks David!!
EDIT - please don’t waste your breath recommending jazz for me 😂 I’m 40 years old, been obsessed with music for 30 years, I’ve given jazz plenty of chances and I don’t like jazz. It’s okay. It’s okay that some people’s ears just don’t like certain genres. I promise you it’s fine and no one needs to try to “fix” something. There’s nothing broken :)
As someone who used to not care about jazz and is now trying to catch up, I say don't hesitate to dive in! In my humble opinion, jazz is the lineage and vocabulary that opens up virtually all other styles of music. If you're normally into rock, maybe check out some bluesy players. If you play piano, Oscar Peterson is a must! That dude SHREDS
I’ll always love rock because that’s where I started, but I can’t understand how somebody says they don’t care about jazz, or they can’t find anything appealing about it. It would really be worth spending some time getting acquainted with it. It’s a gorgeous and hugely diverse genre
Listen to Genevieve by Andrew Gold. Kind of a soft rock mixed with jazz
you see these chords in ALOT of other genres not just jazz
@@bobthegreat297 i feel like this kind of harmonic vocabulary and perspective is one of the biggest impacts that jazz has had on the musical world as a whole. That's why learning it opens you up to many related styles like funk, blues, rock. Even genres like metal or bluegrass have had some influence here and there
I‘m sorry but F maj 7 / G is not G13 but it is a Gsus 13 or Dm9 / G. A G13 does not contain a 11, but a 3, or a #11. It is a dominant chord that has a 3 and a 7 plus some extensions.
Which school did you learn that from? 😊
Be careful. You are almost making it sound like jazz isn't that difficult.
Wow this was enlightening. I really like the examples of when to slot these chords in as that's what I struggle with the most.
This is a very useful lesson for guitar players as well. Especially when one discovers prog rock.
JUST BRILLIANT! This is the best way to teach harmony without having to mess with sheet music. Straight to the point, David...!!! Many thanks also for speacking so nicely for the non natives... 5⭐ !!
My favorite place to use a #11 chord is as the bVI chord in a minor key - the #11 is the second degree of the key so resolving to it in the melody over the VI chord is absolutely brutal (in a good way haha)
charles cornell actually talked about this a few weeks ago! much useful tho for people who watch you, but not him
Using slash chords is essential on guitar since we're physically limited by which notes we can play, or how many. Also, on the rare occasions I use major 11 chords, I always swap the 4th and the 3rd. Just in general, I always swap the notes in a minor 9th to make it a major 7th, unless I'm specifically playing a dominant b9 chord.
Dropping the 5th: 🥱💤
Dropping the 3rd, a guide tone: 😱💦 "A-am I allowed? Please don't report me to the music police"
This was a nice intro to the concept, but I would LOVE a more detailed sequel where you sketch out the actual scale-degree rules and why they work. Like how putting a major chord on the 2nd degree makes a 13(#11) chord etc etc
Can you do a video on the music of Vsauce please? Jake Chudnow and Vsauce released all of their music on vinyl earlier this year, but there is a real lack of videos covering Jake Chudnow's music, despite being extremely influential on RUclips.
This is so helpful!! Thank you David!
When you play a G11 -> C you are omitting the note B on the first chord. Doesnt' this affect the dominant quality (because of the tritone you're not playing anymore)?
Love your videos David! you make learning music theory really fun and are an inspiration to us all
I came for Guns N’ Roses and stayed for some solid music theory
A seven-note chord on a six-string guitar with five usable digits and strings tuned in fourths (and one third) is kinda tricky.
David mentions major ninths. Emo kids be like
Thanks for the slash chord chart. Very useful! Time stamp appox. 12:50
Thank you for the info, david!
6:08 This is the first chord I use in my song Keen On You. It's such a great chord when played before G6.
Also 12:00 the chord FMaj9, I've used that in Next Holidays as the first chord of the chorus, such a beautiful sound.
An amazing video, but is it just me? Doesn't the Cmajor9(#11) feel unresolved? like it feels like there is a resolution needed
the F# could resolve up to the G to give a fully resolved sound, but much like ending a song on a Cmaj7 chord, I think a little bit of "unresolvedness" is nice and adds flavour 😊
12:24 ah yes, the famous "dafuq" chord DFAC
so G7 is only G7 in the key of C?
er.... I can see why omitting the D is okay - but, why isn't there a B note in the dominant G 13 chord? I just sort of thought you have to play the root, 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 13th when you see something like G13
I agree that feels wrong. I have heard though that usually when you’re playing with a full band, you try to have as little notes in common with everyone else, like have the bassline walk up the main triad and the piano does the upper extensions. But that should’ve been said in the video
You're right to ask this question. The chord he's calling G13 here is correctly called a G7sus. The 11th is omitted from major and dominant chords in most cases because it clashes with the 3rd and you can play the Fmaj7 triad over the G to get this effect.
To play the G13 correctly, one way you could do it is like this:
G - root
B - 3rd
D - 5th
F - 7th
A - 9th
E - 13th
This is amazing, I understand so much more about slash chords and when to use them. or how to use them! thank you!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! In one short video video you have unlocked what was, for me, the utter mystery of jazz piano chords. I have played blues guitar nearly all my life, but this has always eluded me when I started playing a keyboard; and when I hit on one of these chords accidentally when "mucking about" I can never work out how I did it or how to replicate it. Now I know!
Invaluable content on this channel. Thanks for all the hard work.
An easy way to turn a 7th chord into a 9th chord is to just move your thumb on the root note in the right hand up a whole step to the next note and keep playing the root in the left hand. May not be an "upper" chord extension but it still has the same function.
Excellent videos, thanks. I'm not a jazzer but you've really helped my understanding. Thanks.
This Video is awesome! It gave me a wealth of information to understand better Upper chord Extensions! Well done David!
There’s an Ebmaj9(#11) chord at the end of the song Christmas is Coming; from Charley Brown.
You sounded like the chord progression of Neil Young’s harvest moon in Cmaj9 to an Fmaj9
List of topics to cover (ignore if covered some):
1)Chords
Chord Tones
Guide Tones
Available Tensions
Avoid Notes
Chord Ambiguity
Chord Substitution
Polychords
Slash Chords
Suspended Chords
Voice Leading
ii)Chord Voicings
Block [Close]
Spread [Open]
Shell
Three Note
Drop 2
Rootless
Quartal/So What
Tone Clusters
Powell
Monk
Upper Structures
iii)Left Hand Techniques
Strumming
‘Comping
Walking Bassline
Tenths & Tenth Triads
Stride
Vamping
Side-slipping
Passing Chords
Three Handed Technique
Locked Hands
iv)Progressions
Diatonicism
Circle of Fifths
ii-V7-I
Modulation
Functionality
Chromaticism
Disguised Chords
Passing Chords
Borrowed Chords
Secondary Chords
Harmonic Rhythm
V)Improvisation
Tension & Resolution
Inside vs Outside
Horizontal vs Vertical
Target vs Passing Notes
Guide Tone Lines
Phrasing
Chord Mapping
Common Base Scale
Mistake Recovery
Licks
Excellent video. I’m primarily a guitarist but I’ve been practicing piano for a while and this is extremely helpful.
I'm 55, fairly dense, not very talented and lazy.. So I'm sticking to the basic stuff, I will never ever learn/get this.. 😒😒
David, you made my Dreams come true whith this vidéo, thanks !!!🎉
Ps: what about Gmin13, if someone could answer please ? 🙏
Why don't we hear the F# clash with G in the Cmaj9(#11)? Is the tritone in Cmaj11 a bigger dissonance to our ears compared to the min2 interval?
As a guitarist, i really dont like slashed chord notation. G13? easy, i got a bunch of moveable patterns to play it. Fmaj7/G? i will knot my fingers XD
The Lord provided THIS man for us to understand what sound IS.
The LORD made this gift possible. This is what an educated musician looks like.
How do these voicings differenciate between minor and major versions of upper chord extentions if you skip the 3rd of the chord? You say that G11 is F/G, and Gm11 is Dm7/G, but these two slash chords have all the notes the same except of D in the second one, but D exists in both G11 and Gm11. In order to be a minor chord, Gm11 shoud have Bb, but Dm7/G doesn't have it. How does it work?
Holy shit. This genuinely helped me put it into practice. Especially as I was watching the video and guessing what would make up the chords over time.
Thank you!!!!
Leaving another comment for the algorithm!!!!!!!!
Hi David,
I enjoyed your video and I understand the Technique that you're explaining. However, I think there is a slight miss here... I think the problem is most guys/gals will not look at a G13 chord on a sheet of music and say... Oh, No problem, that's an FMaj7/G. They most likely will still have to figure out the chord first from stacking 3rds to get to the G13 and then removing the 3rd & 5th as you say. Then if you look at what's left, just maybe you might realize that it's an FMaj7/G, but some still may not see or realize what's left is a Slash Chord = FMaj7/G. I don't think most people will be able to say, Oh a G13 chord, No Problem, that's an FMaj7/G right off the bat. So it may be a bit misleading for someone when they are watching you say to just use a Slash Chord to get a G9, G11, or G13 chord. They could be looking at it and say, how did he get FMaj7/G from a G13 Chord, especially if they are not familiar with chord extensions? Also, some of the other chords may be even more intimidating like a G9 from a Bm7(b5)/G... LOL... Just a point of reference that it may not be quite as easy as it looks. Otherwise Great video..
Thx
ElectricEddie
I’ve been using that G13 type of chord (tonic in C) for a long time, but never knew what the chord was called. Thanks for this video!
Didn't Carole King use a lot of chord extensions? When listen to her I get a heavy (no, not that sort of heavy, silly!), rich sound that can surely only come from upper chord extensions. Especially on "It's Too Late".
Gg face to you too. On guitar these upper extensions are confusing. Not because they're difficult. Vice versa, just recently I was learning a song by ear and wondered about two really simple chords and found out they were I recall Bb11, Eb9/F and Eb7/F or so. They were almost like just barre with index and add 1-2 fingers and move them half step to change the chord. Maybe the slash chords could've been pronounced in a more straightforward way somehow, but the way they were fingered made me think they were like that, the shape was so similar to a full barre chord that had the shape broken. Anyway, the point was I've noticed many times chords whose names are rather complicated, on guitar are extremely simple. Sometimes just holding index finger barre on one fret for four strings, and due to the tuning they get their odd names. They require more thinking and altering from your default chord template on guitar, but playing them can be very simple. And you almost certainly miss a lot of notes like 3 and 5 when you start forming those upper extensions on guitar. And it doesn't necessarily help that default chords on guitar already are inversions.
These make so much sense seeing them on piano. Just move to the next "position" of stacking the notes of the scale.
I'm over thinking again 😂 Fmaj7 works as a G13, what about a rootless Fmaj7, that could be Am7 ! Am7 as a dominant that solves to C! 😮
Very informative. Can the G13 or Fmaj7/G also function as an inverted Fmaj9 with the 9 at the bottom? Same notes, but different functions?
13 chord is a dominant chord, whereas the one you started with is some variation of a sus(4) chord. It would better be called G13sus4. 11 and 13 chords has a problem with the major third. No one in their right mind will voice all the 3rds from the bottom up. Either you use the 11the / 4th or the 3rd. In some mushy guitar voicings involving open strings it is not uncommon with a combination of 3rds and 4ths. Minor chords can easily be stackd up to the 11. The 13 does not go well together with the 7th. Stable maj chords (non dominants) can be stacked up to 13, but the 11 is either left out or made lydion #11 or as a natural diationic b5 on the IV chord in a key. I am a little tired of demonatration of harmonic theory where much of "best practices" are trashed in order to make a teoretical point.
Great video as always. Dropping the 5th and 3rd is what I teach my students when I show them how to "fake" chords by drpoping the 5th for 9th and 11th chords, and maybe drop the 3rd as well for 13th chords... but Tertiary Harmony, I think keeping the 3rd is important because it does define the quality of the "intended" chord - maj/min/dim/aug/sus/dom and such.
Brilliantly explained and beautifully played. Thanks very much.
Mmm… it seems easier to me to just figure out whats the 9,11 and 13 degree than to just use the slash chords.
Because if I want to use the slash chords technique now I have to memorize a ton of chords since Idk what freaking chord I have to play in order to get a 9,11,13 chord.
yeah, I've understood upper chord extensions for the longest time, however, the biggest problem for me was learning to play it in all 12 keys with altered and normal extensions just seemed like way too much learning, but if I think about it as IV major/minor over the V root note, it makes it so much easier, but that only works for dominant chords - then we have to do major 9 and 13s and minor 9 (ive never heard minor 11th or 13th). If anybody has any song suggestions that use minor 11ths or 13ths please let me know.
So I've probably been playing extended chords without even knowing it. Because I picked up the idea of playing an entirely different bass note from the chord my right hand was playing early on.
So now that we know how these chords are played, it would be great to have guidelines for when to use them in compositions?! Let's say I have a basic chord structure, but I want to spice it up. Of course, I can just try. Or some things come from intuition. But are there "mechanisms" that help you find the "right" extensions better?
I don't know what happened, but when you did the in-video ad you said "these are the most realistic piano vsts that I've ever worked with" and your right hand looks like it starts to glitch lol
I'm not convinced many jazz musicians drop the 3rd on a 13 chord, just sayin'. More likely to drop the 11.
“Dominant 7” used in the way the term has come to be used - ie to describe the inherent character of a chord, considered in isolation, rather than its function in the context of classical functional harmony - is one of the silliest bits of contemporary musical theory terminology.
In the classical functional harmony for which it was originally coined, that kind of chord would ONLY occur on the dominant, so the term made some kind of sense. But musicians have been routinely using that particular kind of chord in every conceivable position for multiple centuries now, so the term becomes nonsensical and confusing. We really should be calling it what it actually IS: a major minor 7 chord. It succinctly describes exactly what is going on in the chord, and matches the pattern established for its (sort of) opposite, the minor major seven chord.
I thought Slash Chords would teach me awesome Slash guitar riffs, but this isnt even Guns n Roses... Enjoyed it none the less!
Great tutorial video David !! I'm experimenting writing songs with a couple of these upper chord extensions.
Thanks, ive always wanted to play jazz piano
Just came back here to say thank you so much for this video, it has had a lasting impression on me! This has improved my chords at least 200 percent and has also taught me chords sound better all spaced out 😊 my Dreamcast/Sonic/ECCO style music now sounds like something you would find in a real game especially with those slash chords ❤️👍🌱
3:01 I don’t like dropping the 3rd. I prefer to keep the 1, 3 and 7 and drop any or all of the 5, 9 and 11 extensions... For me, the 3rd is too important in its role of indicating the quality of the chord; although I guess that if the intention is to keep the chord sound ambiguous, then this is the way to go...
I don't like the explanation of how to resolve extension chords. They don't work like simple functional harmony where the leading note (7th) resolves to root note of the scale. You put extensions on chords to fit a top melody line, and the chord could resolve according to how that upper melody wants to go. I actually don't like the concept of naming extension chords, they are just plain chords with a note grabbed from the melody line. And most jazz players skip or change the extension notes on the chord chart to their taste, just because they have their own melodies to play on that piece.
WTF is a "G13" for? 🤣
🤣Well, G9add13 (which is the same chord without the C note) is one of the four piano chords in the verses of Willow's Symptom Of Life. But yeah... you don't find it TOO often in pop songs...
For blues I tend to drop the 5th but leave the 3rd. So a C9 I would play E, Bb, D in the right hand and a C in the left hand. Or leave the root out (leave it to the bass player) and play melody with the right hand. The root can be implied in blues/jazz on piano and guitar. The 5th isn’t as important as the 3rd in my opinion.
David, couldn't the C9 chord also be expressed as "E diminished 7/C?"
I wonder if there is a pattern like many things about piano. Does the relation between Fmaj7/G and G13 translate to other 13th chords or even patterns of other extensions? I haven't looked into it yet.
If you want to start jazz accordion, this system of substitute upper extensions with different "basic" chords is extremely helpful with the base side of the instrument.
Oh boy do I feel dumb after watching this. In one of the bands I play I'm used to playing extension chords. A few months ago I started playing in another band and their MD transcribes everything with slash cords and it felt really weird playing with them and I was so confused trying to understand the harmony... 😅😅😅
Except that Fmaj7/G is really Gsus, not G13. G13 includes B.
When you stack thirds. Which scale of reference do you use. It is not the same g13 using C major as reference or using G major with f sharp as reference?
For me it's better to understand slash cords than to read "13". If someone wants me to play a Cmaj7 over F I know what he or she wants from me.
Obviously no time for examples but i believe Todd Rundgren uses slash chords a lot
This is what I needed to help my smooth jazz improvisation and soloing with the upper keys plus these chords could be used to play as scales also
I mentioned this in the comment section of the video on the 2-5-1 chord progression, but didn’t really go into detail on it. But the Super Mario World Game over theme is a 2-5-1, and it uses upper chord extensions. For context this theme is in the key of F. The chords are Gm9, C13(b9)(b11), Fmaj9.
But with the slash chord trick in mind, you could think of it as going Bbmaj7/G followed by Bbdim(maj7)/C, then ending on Am7/F, which is a simpler approach than what you actually hear in the actual soundtrack.
Funny you mention the SMW ending theme. I was just thinking that some of the chords David was playing sound just like parts from that theme (although transposed)
C13b9bb11? Isn't the bb11 just the 10 or rather the 3rd? So C7b9add13? OK, maybe not neater but at least you avoid the bb, I suppose. :) But yeah, cool chord progression either way.
Correction: the 11 isn’t a bb11. It’s just a b11.
@@panosmosproductions3230 Ah, OK. That makes sense now. But no, wait, hang on... that's still enharmonious with 3? I don't know where my head was earlier but bb11 would be b3? 11 = 4, so in C that is F, so b11 is Fb or E and bb11 would be Fbb or Eb? Yeah, I know I'm "mincing notes" a bit here.
I mentioned the slash chord approach In the main comment. The upper chord extension here gives you a Bbdim(maj7)/C, which is the slash chord approach to C13(b9)(b11). The fully stacked chord contains C E G Bb Db Fb-(E) A. The Bb Db and E make a Bbdim chord. That’s why both the 9 and 11 are flat. Since the diminished chord in the right hand is on the b7 in this C chord, the b9 is a minor 3rd above it, with the b11 a minor 3rd above that, as opposed to the regular 9 and 11, which themselves are a minor 3rd appart, while the 9 is a major 3rd above the b7.
Ita not too tough to understand. But I still feel hopeless at recognizing the sound and character of these chords. I would have no idea which is which if I heard them in a piece of music.
These sort of chords on piano always remind me of Vince Guaraldi
The main reason why I try to avoid upper chord extensions is that my hands are just too small!
Nice explanation but at times you overcomplicated it. For example C9 is easier to grasp as Cmaj + Gm .. i mean Em7b5 also works but you get what I'm saying..
I guess the way you incorporated it into the slash concept works better in this sitch.. thanks for sharing your knowledge 😊
Thank you
The chord you initially call g13 is in fact a g9 sus as theres no third...
G13 or Fmaj7/G 🎹olha que coisa mais linda 🎶
outro br aqui?
H spiele nach der Salzbrezel Methode🥨🥨🥨Brezel herausnehmen und immer den richtigen Akkord spielen😂😂😂❤
So you use G13 whenever you want the ending of the Cheers theme?
David can you make another video on songs that are inspired by the Beatles?
Actually I could play the C 11 chord with one hand 😮
4:32 this frame will be my poster. Thanks
Why did I think he meant Slash from guns n roses😭😭😭
Thanks! That was very helpful.
Okay, but 9/11 was a national tragedy