Jazz Chords

Im taking a jazz course and im having troubles playing the chords, you know all the 4 part chord and all that. I was hoping someone could direct me to a website or something that could show me some closed posititon chords that i can move around the neck. The only ones i know are major minor major 7 and minor 7 chords and I really want to learn them.

Thanks,

Originally Posted by: Poontang_clanIm taking a jazz course and im having troubles playing the chords, you know all the 4 part chord and all that. I was hoping someone could direct me to a website or something that could show me some closed posititon chords that i can move around the neck. The only ones i know are major minor major 7 and minor 7 chords and I really want to learn them.

Thanks,

Absolutely. You need to learn the b/# 9s, the 13s, the 11ths, the diminished and augmented 7ths, and the 7 sus4.

Usually, you want to play with the root on either the first or second string. The chord shapes for a root on the first string are different than those on the second string. I'm going to just post the fret numbers for these chords with root C --second string, and root G--on the first string. Understand that you can slide these shapes all over the neck and they will correspond to the same intervallic relationship to the root.

But here's a simple run-down:

roots on the 2nd string

C7add9:X32333

C7b9:X3232X or X32323

C7#9: X3234X or X32343

C13: X32335 or XXX335

C11: X3236(!!)X or X32311

C7sus4: X333XX or X35363

roots on the first string

G7add9: 3532XX or XX5435

G7b9: 3564XX or XXX5434

G7#9: 3533XX or XX5436

G13: 3X345X

G11: 3535XX


If you haven't already figured it out, the elevenths and the 7sus4's should look and sound similar. The only difference is that one still has the third, while the other one does not.

Also, I'm not sure if you know this, but in a jazz setting you usually want to steer clear of crunching up the bass's sonic terrain. So, in all reality, with most of the chords, I wouldn't even play the root. I'd just play the 'important' notes---the seventh, the third, and whatever else has been added. If you have a piano player, really listen to them and make sure your chosen voicing compliments theirs. If you decide to place your ninth in a lower register, while the piano places the ninth higher, it won't sound good.

The point of that last paragraph is more that you shouldn't just rely on moveable chord shapes. These are there to get you through in a pinch ((or in a daredevil sight-reading---had plenty of those hair-raising moments!!))


Here ] is a good site for voices.

Originally Posted by: Poontang_clanIm taking a jazz course and im having troubles playing the chords, you know all the 4 part chord and all that. I was hoping someone could direct me to a website or something that could show me some closed posititon chords that i can move around the neck. The only ones i know are major minor major 7 and minor 7 chords and I really want to learn them.
Thanks,

You might benefit from studying Inverted Intervals, that way you can incorporate open position chord voicings along with your closed positioned chords just by moving a finger for some progressions. It can help a lot when trying to hit those important notes that define the chord voicing being emphasized. All of the chord shapes that you know from your quote above are based upon intervals, so you can position them in many ways and they're still the same notes. Inversions are characterised by the chord member that occupies the Bass position. Example: a C Major chord is formed from the Root, M3 and the P5 Intervals of the C Major scale. The notes are C-E-G stacked up. If you wanted to play C Major in the 1st inversion, the notes would start with the M3 = E-G-C. Same notes, different flavor. To play it in the 2nd inversion, start with the P5 of C Major= G-C-E, another flavor. The most important note of the Triad is the M3 (E note) because that's what makes the C Major. Move that E note up just 1 interval to F and it changes everything. Now you have a Csus4 chord. It's important to note the interval qualities from the Root position (C-G = P5) and the inversions (1st inversion E-G = b3 / G-C = 4) etc......... Every interval from the Root to the Octive are considered "Simple Intervals" (Major, minor, Perfect, Diminished and Augmented) those Larger than the Octive are "Compound Intervals"
(9th, 11th, etc......).

man this jazz is hard, 6 guitarists took the course so i seem overlooked because what needs to be played is being played. But I'll work on it, thanks for the information

Originally Posted by: Poontang_clanman this jazz is hard, 6 guitarists took the course so i seem overlooked because what needs to be played is being played. But I'll work on it, thanks for the information

You'll do fine. The great thing about jazz is that it forces you to listen. If you just hear what everyone else is doing, I'm more than sure you can add something very distinct to the mix.