Contents
4. Note Omission
On adding notes, you may omit some of the original chord tones to make some space for sounds, to make it sound more vague, or to make it playable with your 5 fingers.
Which note will you omit? The basic guideline is followings:
- Rt may be omitted if duplicated between parts.
- 5th may well be omitted because it’s just a “transparent” reinforcement for a chord.
- 3rd should not be omitted unless you want hollow sound without the scent of either major or minor.
- But in some rock related genres, guitarists regularly omit 3rd for it’s much easier to play.
- E.Piano omitting Rt since the bassist plays it
- Guitar omitting 5th
- Hollow sound by omitting 3rd
- rock guitar omitting 3rd
Imagine it like cooking—You add or remove ingredients to fine-tune tastes. Omitting notes broadens the possibility even more.
5. Chord Names?
Chords containing 7th notes are seventh chords, and chords with other notes are called tension chords or added tone chords, depending on their formations. But the chord name system is complex and hard to memorize.
Various signs and numbers make you demotivated. On second thought, however, you are well able to use them even without their names.
Nothing bad. It’s cool. Even once you started learning theory, there’s no reason to hesitate to try what you haven’t learned yet. And if you understand how to use them in practice, you’re already the master of seventh chords or tension chords.
Chord names are required only when you read or write chord sheets so it’s not a “compulsory subjects” for everyone, but a “elective subjects” for those who need it.
Review
Setting a simple triad as a basis, adding or subtracting notes results in a new chord. Tones within a key are relatively easy to add.
Even if you don’t memorize individual chord names, you can comprehend the sounds of extended chords with the essential logic such as semitone dissonance, the distinct roles that Rt3rd5th play, chord functions and so forth.
On Playing Chords
You might have been overwhelmed by such chord symbols when you try to cover a song with chord sheets. But in practice all numbers like 6,7,9,11 are (in a sense) just extra enrichments. So a chord still sounds essentially similar even without them.
| Original | Without Extra |
|---|---|
| CΔ7 | C |
| Dm9 | Dm |
| A♭6 | A♭ |
| F♯maj7 | F♯ |
| C♯7(-9) | C♯ |
Simple major/minor chords will act as decent alternatives to such extended chords. Sometimes it may fail, but it’s worth trying.
This is an example song which is based only on prime chords, with extension notes only within the major scale(→MIDI). With just white keys you can create this much complex sounds. I hope you try many patterns and stock your favorite ones.
Exploring patterns on your own is very important for both practical study and theoretical study. In later chapter all patterns are going to be introduced. Such experience on extended chords will surely smoothen the learning process.
Summary
- Adding notes to a chord produces dissonance more or less, but they add beautiful flavors to it.
- A chord with 4 notes stacked by 3rd is called a seventh chord, which is regularly used in some genres such as Jazz or R&B.
- Adding notes semitone above chord tones will transform its original chord function.
