A Chord I Want To Identify

Hey.. here's the chord on the fretboard:

||-----|-----|-----|-----|
||--1--|-----|-----|-----|
||-----|--2--|-----|-----|
||-----|-----|-----|--4--|
||-----|-----|-----|-----|
XX-----|-----|-----|-----|

I think it's " Amin6/F# " but i'm just not sure..

I don't read tab, but I think the tab says A C E F#...if so, it is Am6 - if A is your root, or F#m7b5 if F# is the root....likely one of those two.

If you are playing the open A string, you could say it is F#m7b5/A, but not Amin6/F#, since the lowest note would be the A. (The part after the slash designates the lowest note.)

Cheers, :)

SarinaJ

F#m7b5/A

That's what it is then.. my piano-playing friend almost worked it out for me and got as far as saying it was some variant on a F#m7.. it's something that I would never have thought to play.. I came across it accidentally when trying to find a chord to go between my Am7 and GMaj7.. It's my first really jazzy chord progression that I have written from scratch. I know enough about chord construction and music theory to piece together many basic and extended chords but some, like that one, confuse me.

Another chord I am interested to know is:


6 7 8
|-----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|--3--|-----|
|-----|--2--|-----|
|-----|-----|-----|
X-----|-----|-----|

The fret numbers are at the top, the finger positions are the 1-thru-4.. the reason I show the 1 behind the 3rd finger is because I pull-off the note to the 6th fret there.. similar to the way you would pull-off on a Dsus4 back to a D... Again.. another bluesy/jazzy chord that confuses me.

I'm thinking it's like an AMaj6sus4 or something.. maybe..

Light487, I looked at your original post and was curious about whether or not the A and high E strings were to be played open. Since you have Xs on the low E string (but not on the others), I assume they are meant to be played open.

Sarina did a fine job identifying the chord. I just want to add a couple of thoughts.

If you regard this chord as an F#min7b5/A that would mean in is first inversion:

F# - 1 (root)
A - min 3
C - flat 5
E - min 7

Typically, you would call it this in order to specify some kind of function. For example if the bass note is important enough in the series of chords you are playing to single it out as the bass voice.

Otherwise it might be conceptually more clear to simply name it by it's actual lowest note. In other words, since A in the lowest note in the chord, call it an Amin6.

A - 1 (root)
C - min 3
E - 5
F# - maj 6

However ... :)

Originally Posted by: light487I came across it accidentally when trying to find a chord to go between my Am7 and GMaj7..
[/quote]
Ah ha! Now we have a context in which to place the chord. We can discover it's function in a series of chords.

So the F# as root can make sense because it is a type of diminished chord that could function as a major key vii chord moving to a G maj as a tonic chord. Even though it is a half-diminished chord and that more often functions as a sub dominant instead of dominant.

Also, since you mention you regard this as "jazz", some jazz guys would say, you have a D9 without the root:

D - 1 (root) - NOT present
F# - maj 3
A - 5
C - min 7
E - 9

I would probably view it that way because it makes perfectly clear a functional harmony progression:

Amin7 (ii) - D9 (V) - Gmaj7 (I)

And ii-V-I is quintessential jazz.
[QUOTE=light487]Another chord I am interested to know is:


6 7 8
|-----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|--3--|-----|
|-----|--2--|-----|
|-----|-----|-----|
X-----|-----|-----|


A - 1 (root)
C# - maj 3
D - 4
E - 5
G - min 7

This is an A7 chord. When you have the D held down it is an A7sus4, when you release the D it is an A7.

The D9 makes sense actually because while I was fiddling around I noticed that I could easily substitute the Am7 for a CMaj, followed by a DMaj then a GMaj. It has a very similar harmonic structure to the progression.

An Am7.. is that all it is? :) lol.. I think the inversion/voicing must have thrown me off. Thanks :)

Originally Posted by: light487The D9 makes sense actually because while I was fiddling around I noticed that I could easily substitute the Am7 for a CMaj, followed by a DMaj then a GMaj. It has a very similar harmonic structure to the progression.[/quote]
Very good observation!
[QUOTE=light487]An Am7.. is that all it is?

No, no! An A7, as in A Dominant 7 - a major 3rd and a minor 7th.

A7 (dominant 7)
A - 1 (root)
C# - maj 3
E - 5
G - min 7

A minor 7
A - 1 (root)
C - min 3
E - 5
G - min 7

The D in either chord is just a sus 4th.