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I won’t get crazy in depth in this post. I’ll just show you the main difference
between them. And I attached a MIDI I just made for you so you can HEAR
the difference.
The biggest differences between these chords are: Do you add a note? Or do you
replace the 3rd when you add it? And . . . WHERE do you add it!
So I’ve had questions about these chords. You’re making a backing track, and
just can’t get it to sound like the original recording.
You’re doing a Byrds song, or Dave Matthews song, or something by Steely Dan,
Pink Floyd, Zep. Or Clapton. Or a Jazz tune. Something is missing.
Check out this video of Clapton playing Badge.
EmMu - Clapton on YouTube
The chords are . . .
Am’’’..................D’’’..............................E Mu minor’’’ E Mu minor’’’ (NOT Em!)
Think about the time you drove in my car
The picture is at 13 seconds (and 45 seconds) in the video. Note the added F#
in the same octave as the root! If he just added an F# on the 1st string, he
added a 9th. Em(add9). The F# did not replace the G, the 3rd of the chord
making it a minor. Here, he still has the G, b3rd on the open G string.
Basically, you’re adding a note to a chord. And in one case, also changing one
note in the chord. And in one case, you drop off a note. Where you add the extra
note makes a big difference! And changing one note, as well as dropping off one
note also makes a substantial difference.
It’s not really hard. And you’ll start hearing your MIDIs become The Birds, or
Steely Dan, Clapton, Pink Floyd . . . These bands all use these chords. And if
we include Sus4 chords and Mu and mM7 chords, you have all bases covered!
What you’re going to do is add the 2nd (or 9th) note of the scale to your chord.
So I need to cover this theory part, but simplified. Most of you know it. But if
you don’t, this whole tutorial will make no sense. So . . .
Usually when we make chord extensions, we add notes at the end. Sometimes
we also need to add another note to be able to add the note we want to add. And
sometimes we need to drop a note to add the note we want to add.
To make a Csus2, we’re going to “replace” the 3rd with a 2nd. So in Cmaj we drop
the E, and add the D. Bingo, Csus2. C D G To make it a sus4 chord, we also
replace the 3rd, but with the 4th note of the scale, F. So instead of the chord
having a 3rd (to determine if it’s major or minor) we replace the 3rd with the
2nd or the 4th. Sus2 or Sus4. (suspended 2nd or 4th) The chord is neither Major
nor minor!
Before I continue, let’s cover Dom and Major. G is a “G major chord”. If we add a
7 to the chord, it becomes a Dominant 7th. G7. Like you use in Blues, Country, Folk,
Etc.. And that requires lowering the 7th note of the scale ½ step. In C, that means
the B becomes Bb. So you add a FLATTED 7th to a chord to make it a Dom7th.
C7 would be C E G Bb. To make a Major 7th, like we use in Jazz, or pretty
ballads, etc., we use the actual 7th note of the scale. So Cmaj7 is C E G B.
Remember this! When we start adding 9ths, 11ths and 13ths to chords, we need
to know if we want a Dom9th, Dom11th or Dom13th. If so, we’re going to add that
note to a Dom chord. Each added note requires the preceding note! So a G9 requires
the 7th in the chord. An 11th requires the 7th and 9th. The 13th requires the 7th, 9th
and 11th!
So a Dom9th would be C E G Bb D. A Dom11th, C E G Bb D F. Etc.
Or . . . do we want that pretty Maj7 sound? In that case we do not want the flatted
7th, right? In that case we indicate that we want that natural, or major 7th in the
chord by “stating” that we want it by indicating a Maj chord. Cmaj9. Now we have
C E G B D
This is going to make sense shortly! I promise!
To make a Cadd9 chord we simply add the 9th note to the chord. C E G D.
To make a C9th chord . . . we must also have the b7th in the chord. So
C E G Bb, then add the D. Bingo, C9th. Same with 11ths and 13ths. C11?
You need a 7th and 9th plus the 11th. If you don’t include the 7 & 9, and only add
the 11th.. (Depending on where you add the 11th, you could be adding a 4th, and
you have a Csus4, IF . . . if you replace the 3rd with that 4th!. In this case, you
also drop the 3rd. A sus chord is neither Major nor minor. Why is it a 4th?
The 11th comes AFTER the 9th, which comes after the 7th. The D we added here
is obviously before the 7th. So it’s gotta be a 4th. So, replace the 3rd with
the 4th: Sus4! F is both the 4th and 11th note in C. Right?
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
You guitar players should know this one. Play an open D major chord on the
2nd fret. Now add your pinky to the 3rd fret, 1st string. Now the 2nd fret note is
dead. Right? The 3rd fret G note is the 4th. Sus4. Remove the fingers off the 1st
string so it’s open. Pressing only the 2nd and 3rd string. The open string is an
E note. That’s the 2nd note in the D scale. Bingo, Dsus2.
If you play a D7 using a different chord shape, and add an E on top, it’s an E9th
chord. If you play a D chord and add the E on top, it’s a Dadd9. Because there’s
no 7th in the chord. C.
That leave 2 more . . . first the Mu chord. The main difference between an
add9 (or sus2) and an Mu chord is, you aren’t “extending” the chord. You’re
going to add that 2nd note within the chord. And you don’t replace the 3rd!
So a Cadd9 would be C E G D. But a C Mu Major would be C D E G. A C Mu
Minor would be C D Eb G. Very dissonant, and ambient! Look at the picture
of Clapton again. It should make sense now. Go back and listen to it, too!
OK, let’s get to the attached example tracks. It’s gonna help make this clear.
It’s an Em chord. Can’t say what key it’s in because there isn’t any other infor-
mation. Just an Em chord. So we could be in E Phrygian, (C Dm Em F G Am Bdim).
We could be in E Dorian, (D Em F#m G A Bm C#dim) Or we could be in E Aeolian,
(G Am Bm C D Em F#dim) You cannot assume an Em is in the key of G. It can
also be in C or D!
The progressions all use the same format: They alternate between Em and the
example chord. And the second MIDI (in MAJOR) does the same. Each example
is 6 measures.
One thing to note. Even though each chord is an Em of one form or another, the
bass pattern is slightly different for each chord. In the Em chord, E G B, we add
the F# for the add9. That gives us a slight ambient sound. The bass emphasizes
that. Same with the Em9th. The bass uses both the F# AND the D, because D is
what makes the chord a “th”.
So listen to the bass, too.
MINOR MIDI
[Em’’’][Em’’’][Em’’’][Em’’’] etc.
[Em’’’][Em(add9)’’’][Em’’’][Em(add9)’’’] etc.
[Em’’’][Em9’’’][Em’’’][Em9’’’] etc.
[Em’’’][EMuMinor . . . etc.
Then
[Em’’’][Em(add9)’’’][Em9’’’][EMuMinor’’’][EmMaj7’’’]
MAJOR MIDI – Same thing as with the Minor progressions.
[E’’’][E’’’][E’’’][E’’’]
[E’’’][Eadd9’’’][E’’’][Eadd9’’’]
[E’’’][E9’’’][E’’’][E9’’’]
[E’’’][EMuMajor . . . etc.
[E’’’][Eadd9’’’][E9’’’][EMuMajor’’’][EmMaj7’’’]
I end the progressions with an EmMaj7 chord for dynamics.
And yes, it’s an E minor chord with a Major 7th added. An Eb. Pronounced
E minor Major 7
The SPY Chord! Pretty cool chord! Learn it! You’ll thank me later! LOL
When you listen . . . .
There are 6 measures in each example, then I break it down so you hear the
difference between each chord type. ALL 5 chords one measure each righ after
each other.
You can open the MIDIs and study the chord construction.
BINGO!
Back to the Tutorials Index Page
Hope you found this interesting. If you did, please feel welcome
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Email me any time! ~/~
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