Into the great beyond! This lesson is all about chords that use 5, 6, or even 7 notes. Things like Gmaj9 or Em11. This is definitely an advanced lesson, so make sure you know all about 7th chords first.
Alex Sharp I know dude. I've been searching for an explanation for extended chords on guitar about what notes you can leave out and when he mentioned leaving the 5th out I was like ohh duhhh!!!!
i am 15 and From germany. i love Music i listen To any genre all day long and i get mad when i dont have music. sadly we don't have a lot of money. so i teached myself how To play soprano flute At 6 Years and later learned the flute, violin and Saxophon. i can't afford any of these instruments because i saved 8 Years to by myself a piano. i have never played it i just know alot about music and how basic songwriting works. the day it came i already composed my very first Own song that i than recorded. all my knowledge is bades on your wonderful Videos that break down music theory and Maded it look so easy that i just started. i want To thank you so much for these Videos they are so great! i feel so intelligent when i listen to music and recognize (did i write it wrong? i have no idea) things you thaught me. its so cool seriously keep it up you are wonderful.
Even though I'm only a beginning jazz guitarist, not a keyboard player at all, your explanations are a ton of help in trying to take those complex harmonies apart and put new ones together. Much thanks!
Awesome teaching of these chord extensions on the Piano which also can be applied to Guitars. I know that there's only seven notes in the musical scale but adding these extensions and voicings of chords make it sound really wonderful to the ears. You really unlocked the mystery of these chord extensions and how to apply them in a meaningful way. I started playing guitar when I was about 13 years old and memorized most of the chords from the major to the 9s, 11s, and 13s. But it's different finger positioning on the Piano keys which I struggled to learn throughout the years due to the massive 88 keys on the Piano. I play pretty much all the instruments except the horn section but all have and are playing the same musical scales with different tonalities. Thanks for sharing and for teaching the most intriguing chord extensions of the God given musical gifts to all of us.
3 yrs later, this is still helpful. 5 stars on the teaching board, I am a visual person and need those types of break downs, two months into learning the piano and these types of tutorials help significantly.
you don't need big hands, just invert the chords to the 2nd or 3rd inversion. I usually play the 4th inversion on those big extended chords. I don't have big hands either.
I don't know Jacob's work that well but I'd guess it's because he uses perfect intonation or really weird scale that repeats every three octave or something like this.
I always had trouble learning and mastering music theory. I used to find this boring and tedious. It's starting to feel easier and I did see a lot of improvement in my playing as well. Thanks for everything!
Awesome as always Michael - thanks. It would be good if you could show us a simple way of choosing transition chords in chord progressions for jazz. The chords which are most commonly used in jazz to transition from one chord in a progression, to another. I can hear that jazz almost always has transition chords between base-chord changes. Also a formula for jazz running-basslines, explained in intervals would be great.
+human practitioner You know I haven't spent all that much time playing jazz so I'm hesitant to get too far into the weeds, but I will think about that. I may try to cover more jazz-specific things in the future when I can dedicate more time to thinking about it.
Summing it up : Try to get rid of unimportant notes without changing the tone of the chord so that you can actually play these big chords with your hands. The Maj/min/Aug/dim naming always applies to all the stack of 3rds other than the extension(ofc the the 5th remains the same in every case) which is generally denoted with sharp/natural/flatten. If you're music at that point of time is harmonized with a bass try getting rid of the fundamentals like root & 5th so that they don't stack up in harmony. These aren't formulas but general rules,feel free to break em. PS:Please correct me if I am wrong....this is just a conclusion to paste it in your own theory book. Michael you're great
+Pranav Raykar I think that's a pretty fair summary. The one point I'd clarify is that an augmented or diminished chord will alter your fifth, although they aren't nearly as common as major and minor. And jazz likes to be extra confusing sometimes by calling a chord a minor chord, but then putting "b5". Which effectively makes it a diminished chord, like in the case of a min7b5 chord. I'll probably bring that up in the next lesson.
+scotstandard Not sure if I'll try to tackle that in the next lesson since that's quite a big topic on it's own. But a lot of people have been asking for that, so I may start planning a lesson on that soon.
If anyone is interested in practicing extended chords - altering, missing out the notes, syncopation (the bass note thing Michael was talking about), there is a great book over there - Jazz piano: the Linear Approach with examples and audio. (I learned about it from this channel, too)
Great vid Michael! I'd love to see what is your "practical" way of playing extended chords. Every piano player has this magic trick - some play 13 always in particular inversions, some describe them as C in left, Dm in right and so on. Share some magic ;)
Love your vids man. They're really neat and helpful! I really love music theory and I hope to major in that in college. (Junior in highschool currently)
Really amazing content, thanks so much! One thing though: in what cases do you employ a flat 11? If you have a Cm11, the 11 is an F. If you flatten that F, you end up with an E, which is already in the chord. However, there is a chord that is called C9b11, and this one does flatten the 11. But in this case you also end up with an E, which is already in the chord. What’s the logic behind this?
Hi Michael, just had a thought for a new video. Transposing......in your head...i suck at doing this on the fly, but am ok at labourisly doing it on paper...and would like to get better at doing it on the move...
can u please make a tutorial video on subsidiary chord ??? if you haven't covered it any of you video ..because as far as I have gone through I wasn't able to find it !!! Thank you
hey can you make a video of how to make those avicii chords? like the one in waiting for love. dont show how he made it show how to come up with those type of chords if you know what i mean, cheers!
With extended chords, whether you play a C9 or a Cmaj9, how would you know if the seventh is a major or minor? And if you play a C11, we neither know about the seventh nor the ninth, do we? Or does everything just follow - like if we play a C9 the seventh is always minor and if we play a Cmaj9 the seventh is always major?
hey, first off, your videos were very helpful... I've watched all of them. but I have a question. how would you analyze the song "creep" by radiohead? it seems to break the "rules" of music theory by changing tonic value and still sounds good, but it doesn't fit in any mode or chord progression scale. the chords are ( G , B , C , Cm ) how were they able to jump around like that and still sound good? I would like to hear your analysis... I also created a similar chord progression that sounds beautiful but still doesn't seem to fit to a specific mode or scale progression. ( C M7/C , C m7/A , F M7/F , F M7/F ). please reply with an explanation I beg you lol it's driving me mad!
You can make a minor chord in a major scale major (so either ii, iii or vi). It's called II(7)C or '2 seven chromatic'. These are used a lot to make it seem like you're changing key when you're actually staying in the key. (See: False Modulation). If you wanted to go from C to Am, you could tonicise the Am by using the strongest cadence possible, a V7-I cadence. But there's no E7 in C, only an Em. So we make the G sharp and play the seventh with it so you would play C E7 Am. But sometimes composers want to play with that idea so they make you think you're switching key and then stay in the key. So In Creep the chords go I III(7)C IV iv. Instead of going G B7 Em, the III(7)C goes to the IV, not the vi. Another popular thing to do is to play a iv minor chord, ie Cm in the key of G. This is essentially borrowing a chord from the parallel minor key. (IE the parallel minor of G major is G minor). So all in all, G B7 C Cm is just I III(7)C IV iv. I hope this helps!
Great video! Although I have a question: I didn't previously know that when playing a 9 chord it is typical to play the 7, and so when I compose and write a 9 chord I leave out the 7 as I don't see a need for it. This works for me, but what am I doing by leaving out the 7? And does that worsen the chord??
If you play a 9th chord without a dominant 7th, it becomes a maj9 chord (sometimes known as 'add9'). You do not have to include the maj7 in a maj9 chord, it's a matter of preference. 9th chord: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 e.g. C9: C, E, G, Bb, D maj9 chord: 1, 3, 5, maj7, 9 / 1, 3, 5, 9 e.g. Cmaj9: C, E, G, B, D / C, E, G, D Hope this helps! :)
+BigBadass Bob It's most common, but you don't necessarily have to. As long as the music still centers around G and makes it sound like a key center you could start on a different chord.
Funny, 4/1. Plagal. Michael, I love your lessons. I play guitar. I listen to keyboard players in terms of theory because the average keyboard player knows way more than an advanced guitar player. What if we narrow it down to two keys, major and minor, and leave 24 tonal centers, 12 major and 12 minor, each key with three modes, with Locrian leading the tone.
+TangeOrheen I'm not totally sure what you mean by "Locrain leading the tone", but generally speaking I think you could look at it that way. To me it's simpler to think of it as 12 tonal centers, and each mode/scale/whatever is just the notes surrounding that tonal center. So in terms of modes you have 12*7 different possibilities.
***** Because the Locrian itself cannot establish a tonal center. Self evident tritone. It must resolve. In each mode we must establish perfect cadence. Are you familiar with the augmented sixth interval? The augmented sixth provides perfect cadence. It happens via tonal centers. It is a constant. It happens in A same as E. Minor or major. G or Bb. Same cadences. Minor adjusts the leading tone. So if one plays one minor mode, or if one plays one major mode, one is seeking the perfect cadence. The leading tone provides. Peace~
Interesting you're not the only teacher I've heard say they really don't care to teach 9 11 or 13 chords , or anything much beyond diminished chords.. literally my father's piano teacher doesn't know what a 9 11 or 13 chord is just off the top of her head.. I had to explain it to her. I can understand not liking teaching it but being a teacher and not knowing, and being paid by a private school as the main piano player for plays, and the like seems kind of wrong :P Obv nothing against you just commenting a bit on what you said in the start.
btw just thought I'd share what I do for a standard 9 chord.. I think of it as the root's 5th's minor 6 over the root.. so C9 becomes Gm6/C (c note not a polychord) F9 becomes Cm6 over F :) etc.. Then the fact that obviously the 9 11 and 13 (2 4 6) form the minor triad of the whole step above the root of the chord... C's 9 11 and 13 form a D minor in it's root position.. D F A :) so a 13#11 is a D major chord over a C7 chord.. one issue i guess maybe with the way I think of these as polychords, is you can get kinda locked into using one inversion alot of the time.
Wait a second last guy told me u cant call it a minor 7th chord ( C E G Bb).. its called just 7th or dominant 7th. He said u use minor word only with 3rd so Cm7 means it means it C minor chord plus a dominant 7th or Bb note. Since C7 by default means a major C chord ..I mean when u dont write any m symbol... So to denote major 7 u write major 7. So for C major 7th is C E G B Cm major 7th or Cm M7 is C Eb G B.. I mean thats kinda thing he told I guess. All in all he said u cant call Bb a minor 7th but either just 7 or dominant 7th.. Now this was confusing for me especially how come it be called dominant. I had some different idea of dominant word but anyway I seen lots of guys addressing Bb like that. Maybe flat 7 could go as well ..dunno. So can u clear it please? As of my current understanding... I guess maj, m symbol just for making chord major minor ..and u use flat(b) or # symbol for other notes if u wanna lower or raise them. But then how to write C major major 7... And why Bb is dominant 7th then just flat 7.
I really try to find any of channel has explain maj11 chord . And nobody talks about that. Lol. Some guy says 'it's basically 4th' haha. Why dont talk about 'yes it's 4th but sharp 4th' . It's like dangerous zone why ?
I remember my AP Music Theory teacher last year was terrible and spent the class stroking his ego instead of teaching the material so I marathoned a bunch of these before the test, got the only 5 out of my whole year with over 40 students. Thanks Michael, your videos saved me
Shane Arnold ur so right . He has talent at teaching . I had to drop the music theory class at college before cause the professor 👩🏫 didn’t even know what she was talking about . Not many good music theory teachers out there ....😏
Wonderful lesson, as usual. Time just flew by. At first I though "ugh, 20 min advanced lesson on chords, wonder if I can watch this in one go", but when it ended, I wanted more and can't wait for the next one. Thank you, you are an inspiration.
Actually, the "problem" you're referring to towards the end with losing the root note is pretty much fundamental to my arrangements :D Add 9s, 11s and shift them around, then drop a bassline which keeps the root more or less intact, instant jazz arrangement!
There IS such a thing as b15 chord. For instance, a C7b15 is the notes ( theoretically ) C, E, G, Bb, B ( in next octave ). It sounds rather discordant is resolved very quickly. On piano it would normally be played Bb, E, G, B--over a C bass note. It appears in the song Sexy Sadie by the Beatles ( Ab7b15 ) in the bridge in a sequence of A7, Ab7-15, G. ( Although this chord is never indicated in any song book! ) Sounds great! Cheers!
I have a question. Some people have explained to me that an extended chord, like an 11th chord would be played with 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. But others have said that the extended chords (9th, 11th, and 13th) is just a 7th chord with an added note so they would play an 11th as 1, 3, 5, 7, 11 and not play the 9th. Which is correct?
That’s where you can get creative. You can play whatever notes you want to get your desired sound. The most common note to drop is the 5th, as it’s not as much a defining tone as the 3rd or 7th.
Usually I leave off the root and play it in the bass if I can, this way I reach the extended chords, or I'll just mush them together like suspendeds with the third
You're the best music teacher on RU-vid. At first I thought you were too slow and you repeat things but that's how I teach physics and engineering so I realise how annoying it can be, so I realised it's because of how much you care about getting the idea through with all the nuance and clarity. Thank you.
+Rachel Krueger It's actually annoying that his hands were so big. No one can play a lot of his music without altering it somehow because the reaches are comically huge.
My brother can reach the 10th note almost with ease, and he doesn't even play the piano!! I can reach an octave fairly well but there's always that small strain that gets me, it's just an unnatural finger position.
Hi Michael,,,,I've been doing some thinking.......Is it possible to play these extension chords WITHIN THE SEVEN CHORDS.........By that I mean that a C major 9 becomes e.g. C,D,E,G,B chord.....Likewise a C minor 9 becomes a C, D, E flat, G, B flat chord...I mean ..Why do you have to play the 9 to 14 AFTER THE SEVENTH and not IN BETWEEN?????
Michael, thank you so much for your theory lessons. I've learned so much from you. I really love the accessible language, and the calm and thoughtful manner which you explain things. Your videos zero in on the core of concepts very quickly, it's very satisfying as a student. Every video has taught me something or given me a new perspective on something I thought I understood. Thank you.
This is an old video, but maybe you or someone else could answer this. As far as composition goes, in which cases would one use an extended chord. I saw the video where you explain suspended chords and where and why one would use them, so I'm asking a similar question for these chords.
Pips Media Entertainmnet hmm it's tricky to use these in composition (to me anyway), but I usually use it at the end of a composition, I find it gives a nice sense of conclusion. extended chords can be very climatic if you wish to end a composition with energy, or they can sound very warm when used at the end to calm a composition
use them anywhere you like. these chords are jazzy as fuck and add so much color. just find another chord that resolves with it just like you would with basic major and minor chords.
In classical common practice, 11th isnt really treated as a chord but you could analyze it as such. The ninth and 13th are typically used on the dominant chord resolving down to the tonic so like G13 - C Rock and pop use 9 chords quite a bit for flavour and jazz uses 9, 11 and 13s with reckless abandon, wont pretend to understand, the theory with jazz is very different to my background and gets very tricky
Great lesson. Never realised that, say an 11 chord, should include all the lower 3rds as well (guitar player here. As you said, with only 6 strings, it's just not practical). Now I understand why a Csus2 and a C9 aren't the same chord. Thanks a lot!
One question I have and wasn't addressed in the video: If you have to play for example a Cm13 on piano, do you play that 13th A natural (white note) or play Ab instead? Or let's put it another way: Because in the scale of C minor, the 6th (the A) is flattened, do I have to flatten it was well when playing Cm13, since it's asking for the 13th (which is basically the 6th) of a C MINOR?
WOW!!!! THANK YOU, VERY MUCH!, FOR THIS VERY INTERESTING, AND CONCISE, WELL EXPLAINED LESSON!!! ARE THERE SOME RECOMMENDED "DRILLS", OR "EXERCISES" TO WORK ON, THAT YOU HIGHLY RECOMMEND?....(FOR GUITAR, AND OR KEYBOARD),.... PERHAPS SIMPLE, USEFUL CHORD PROGRESSIONS, USING SOME OF THESE CHORD TYPES,... (?)... PERHAPS YOU COULD DEMONSTRATE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE, (MOST USED/BEST), MOVEABLE GUITAR CHORD SHAPES....
Extended chords. Funny I always told my musician friends that they're "extension chords" ... and I wondered why they reached into their gig bags to try to hand me a 15 footer, thinking I couldn't reach the power strip!
I was searching for a video-lesson about 'Extended Dominants' and how to use them. Found 1 or 2 but didn't get any wiser ... :-) If you have time, could you do a video about this concept, why it is there in the first place, how they do the 'math' :-) and how you use it in the real world? . Thanx in advance. Thumbs up + subscribed.
Where did you come from?! I've watched Masterclasses that are not this simple to understand. I can't tell you how long I've been trying to understand these concepts. You're a really good teacher. Dare I call you Master Splinter of composition comprehension.
Hey Michael great tutorials really enjoymg them - can ask a simple question - with the 9,11,13 can I just think if them as the 2,4,6 of the chord to find it easily? Is there a simple rule - i.e. always play the 3rd and the extension? Thanks - good job :)
My problem is not conceptual. It's figuring out on the fly: "ok, what note is the 11th, or the flat 13th". So I just try to "stack" the II chord of the scale on top which is by definition composed of the 9, 11, and 13 of the scale. Is there anything wrong with this thought process?? Or alternatively, if there another easier way to concepualize this?? thx!
Question: Couldn't you also refer to Lydian and myxolydian scales as "major" scales (just as harmonic and melodic minor scales are referred to as "minor" scales)? In fact, what is "natural" about the "natural" (i.e., Aeloian) minor scale?
You leave out the origin story: how did so many players suddenly start using extensions? I believe composers, dealing with singers began to add bass notes underneath the harmony. Put A under C triad you have Am7, which shows how one bass note can change everything. The "piling" idea was not behind the dramatic rise, I don't think.
