Extending piano chords in a simple progression

http://bit.ly/billsbook

This tutorial deals with a question I've been sent - is there a formula for adding extensions like sixths, sevenths and ninths to basic piano chords? As we'll see, there isn't, but there are a couple of guidelines you can follow when you're choosing chords.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Piano chords
• Chord (music)
• piano tutorial
• piano

[chopper84a]

flat nine is a really nice addition to a dom seventh. Also drop the root to get a dim seventh built on the leading note, which has a strong dominant function and is useful for making enharmonic modulations

[billhiltonbiz]

@chopper84a Excellent points, Chopper - thanks!

[totmirmis]

please delete my comment below, i don't think i was all awake when i wrote that. I've been thinking about tritones all day, and realized that the reason the M7 on the 5th chord had nothing to do with tritones.....sorry

[billhiltonbiz]

@totmirmis Actually, you're right - I was going to say the reason it sounds so iffy is because introducing an F# in the key of C major gives a strong tritone. So the old D in M is exactly what it is :)

[MalZmoo]

Could you please do a video explaining syncopation? For example with musical stress I know that the 1 beat is the strongest, the 3rd beat is second strongest and the 2nd and 4th beats are weak. However, when you have something like the & of 4& tied to the downbeat of the next measure are you supposed to play it with more emphasis/accent because it is replacing the downbeat?

Thanks so much,

Mallory =)

[billhiltonbiz]

@budsticky Thanks for the comments, Rob - that's a really excellent idea. I'll add it to my "videos to make" list and underline it in red. Watch this space :)

[budsticky]

To follow up as I ran out of space...I think about a song like Rolling In the Deep which is just a 1, b7, and b6 chord..just juxtaposed in different order over the different sections. How does one apporach improving comping patterns over progressions like these in regards to tools commonly used with diatonic major sequences such as suspended 9s, 11s, etc...as well as stuff like country 3rds. Thanks.

-Rob

[budsticky]

I just found these videos and have been going through a lot of them. Very excellent stuff...thanks much for these. One thing I notice is that most of the progressions you use when talking about improvising are straight diatonic progressions based on the major scale. What I'd like to see is some stuff with progressions which are non-diatonic and sort of hybrid. What I mean by this is in many pop/rock songs where you can have progression loops like this for instance: I-bVII-bIII-IV.

[chopper84a]

the maj seventh used on the dominant is a good pivot chord for modulating to the sub-medient

[chopper84a]

its worth noting the sixth is the same as the thirteenth. Also that a major sixth chord is the same as the minor seventh chord built upon the root of the sixth note, i.e C6 = Am7, just in a different inversion. The sub-dominent added sixth therefore is the same as the supertonic with a minor seventh.