Originally Posted by: Julian VickersI guess I should have phrased that better. In a jazz situation (the kind that I get into all the time) if the bass player is playing an Eminor7 bassline, if you play Eminor7 minus the E (G B D), it will still have the same tonal qualities. Of course while you can take out the E, it is more common to leave out the B (the 5th)
For example, many people play Eminor7 like this, missing the 5th out.

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--8-----------
--7-----------
--5-----------
--7-----------
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or Eminor9 like this

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--7-----------
--7-----------
--5-----------
--7-----------
--------------

In both cases you are missing out the B (which is the 5th)