The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory
The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory
The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory
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116<br />
Part 3: Tunes<br />
Chord Extensions<br />
Chords can include more than three notes. When you get above the basic triad,<br />
the other notes you add to a chord are called extensions.<br />
Chord extensions are typically added in thirds; so the first type of extended chord<br />
is called a seventh chord because the seventh is a third above the fifth. Next up<br />
would be the ninth chord, which adds a third above the seventh … and so on.<br />
Chord extensions are nice to know, but you can simplify most pieces of music<br />
to work with just the basic triads. <strong>The</strong> extended notes add more color or flavor<br />
to the sound, kind of like a musical seasoning. Like a good meal, what’s important<br />
is what’s underneath—and you can always do without the seasoning.<br />
So if you see a piece of music with lots of seventh and ninth chords, don’t panic—<br />
you can probably play the music without the extensions and still have things<br />
sound okay. Of course, for the full experience, you want to play the extended<br />
chords as written. But remember, the basic harmonic structure comes from the<br />
base triads; not from the extensions.<br />
That said, it helps to have a full understanding of extended chords, just as a<br />
good chef must have a full understanding of all the different seasonings at his or<br />
her disposal. That means you need to know how to build extended chords—so<br />
you can throw them into the mix when necessary.<br />
Sevenths<br />
<strong>The</strong> seventh chord is the most common chord extension—in fact, it’s so common<br />
that some music theorists categorize it as a basic chord type, not as an<br />
extension. In any case, you need to be as familiar with seventh chords as you are<br />
with triads. <strong>The</strong>y’re that important.<br />
Creating a seventh chord within a specific key or scale is normally as simple as<br />
adding another third on top of the fifth of the base triad. This gives you a 1-3-<br />
5-7 structure—the equivalent of playing every other note in the scale.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are actually three basic types of seventh chords: major, minor, and dominant.<br />
Major and minor seventh chords are kind of sweet sounding; the dominant<br />
seventh chord has its own internal tension.<br />
Dominant Sevenths<br />
<strong>The</strong> dominant seventh chord—sometimes just called the “seventh” chord, with<br />
no other designation—takes a major triad and adds a minor seventh on top. In<br />
other words, it’s a major chord with a lowered seventh; the chord itself consists<br />
of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. This is sometimes<br />
notated 1-3-5-♭7.<br />
For example, a C7 chord includes the notes C, E, G, and B♭.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dominant seventh chord is an especially important—and frequently used—<br />
extension, as this is what you get if you play a seventh chord based on the fifth<br />
(dominant) tone of a major scale. As you’ll learn in Chapter 10, the dominant