CHORD EXTENSIONS MUAR 201-Basic Materials of Western Music Instructor: Kevin O'Neil

Non-dominant major exteneded chords (the seventh is unaltered from the major scale, and is thus a major seventh above the tonic)

Guitar

&4 4 w w w

C maj7

Bass Guitar

?4 4 J

"C major seven(th)" "C major nine"

w w w w

C maj9

w w w w w

C maj11

w w w w w w

C maj13

( )

w w w w w w w

( ) ( ) J

Dominant exteneded chords (sound like the V of a chord a perfect fth down. Note that the inverval between the seventh and the root is a minor seventh) C
6

Gtr.

& w w w

Bass

? J

bw w w w

C7

bw w w w w

C9

b J

w bw w w w w

C 11

( ) b

w w bw w w w w

C 13

( ) ( ) b

11

Gtr.

w & bbw w w w

C 7b9

Bass

b ? b J
"C seven(th) at nine"

b#w w w w w

C 7#9

# b J

"C seven(th) sharp nine" (the Hendrix chord)

"C seven(th) sharp thirteen"

w b#w w w w w

C 7#11

# ( ) b

Minor seventh chords and their extensions are built from notes in the minor scale...
14

Gtr.

&

Bass

? b

bw bw w w

C m7

"C minor seven(th)"

bw w bw w w

C m9

"C minor nine"

Add chords: When we add an extension to a triad without a seventh, we often use the word "add", in that we've simply "added" the given chord factor to an existing triad. Syntax: Triad (root+quality) + add + extension (e.g. Cm add #11)
C add9
16

Gtr.

&

Bass

w w w w

C madd9

w bw w w

Sus chords: When a chord has no third because it's been suspended, we label this a "sus chord". The extension after the abbreviation "sus" is the chord factor that is replacing the third. Note that because there's no third, you can't name the quality, only the root.
C sus4
18

Cm

Gtr.

& w ww

Bass

? J

often (though not always) resolves to triadic chord

bw w w

C 7sus (seventh chords can be sus)

b J

4 is the most common suspension, so sus4 often abbreviated "sus"

bw w ww

C sus9

w w w

C6
22

C5

Gtr.

&

Bass

w w w w

w w

the "power chord"

A tale of two diminished chords: a diminished triad + a minor seventh is called a "half-diminished seventh", and usually goes by the name of "minor seventh flat five" (because it's basically a m7 chord with the fifth flatted). A fully diminished seventh chord not only has a diminished fifth, but a diminished seventh as well (not the Bb double-flat).
24

Gtr.

& bbbw w w w ?

C m7b5

Bass

b b b

bb!w w w w

C dim7

! b b