Ever hear a really good jazz guitarist playing a chord solo based on a familiar tune? You know the tune and you recognize it, yet there is something different about it. It sounds somehow more interesting, a little bit off center, kind of edgy. Did you ever wonder why?
The answer lies in altered chords. I love jazz chords for the same reason I love alternate tunings: In both cases, the standard chord formations are altered to form new, fresh, and interesting alternatives.
Jazz chords are based on the traditional chords we all learn when we start to play:
Major: 1-3-5
Minor: 1-3b-5
Dominant 7th: 1-3-5-7b
The difference is, that these chords are transformed into jazz chords by altering the tones (making selected tones sharp or flat) and by adding additional tones (for example, the 9th, the 11th, and/or the 13th). These added tones can, in turn, be made sharp or flat, further altering the sound of the original chord.
Perhaps what makes jazz chords so interesting is that they challenge our expectations, particularly when they are used to accompany a piece based on traditional harmonies that we know very well. (You'll see what I mean later when you try my jazz arrangement of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.") It's kind of like biting into an apple and discovering that, while it looks and feels like an apple, it tastes like a pear. The textures might be the same, but there is something different about the taste!
The harmonic theory upon which jazz chords and jazz chord substitutions are based is difficult and complex, and can easily fill a lifetime of study. We're not going to get that "technical" here. (You were worried, weren't you!) What I would like to do is to present a few of these chords so that you can get a sense of how they differ from standard harmonies, and then present you with a piece of traditional and well known music that I have
re-harmonized into a jazz arrangement.
I think you'll like it, and, at the same time, add to your arsenal of music tools and knowledge! So, let's get going!
TUNING YOUR GUITAR
All of these chords are in standard tuning--EADGBE--for two reasons: 1) They demonstrate the interesting effects that, with a little creativity, standard tuning is capable of producing; and 2)since most players are most familiar with standard tuning, the differences between traditional and jazz chords will be most readily apparent.
A FINGERPICKING APPROACH TO THESE CHORDS
There are several ways in which the harmonizations and fingerings of jazz chords can be approached. Many guitarists, particularly those who prefer using a pick, opt for thicker sounding chords containing 4-6 notes. These of course, are easily strummed with a pick. In fact, chords containing only three tones, particularly when those chords have muted strings intervening between them, are problematic for all but the most advanced pick users.
Yet, I prefer the sparser, three-toned chords because of the spacious quality of the resulting harmonies, and because they provide an opportunity to more easily use passing tones on the inner voicings (not the melody or the bass) achieving a really wonderful and jazzy effect.
So, I think, fingerpickers have a distinct advantage in this particular technique, not only because of the movable inner
voicings, but also because all the notes can be picked with the fingers without worrying about muting certain strings that a pick must go over in order to embrace the full chord.
Finally, I have chosen chords that are fully moveable over the entire neck of the guitar. So this should really add to your store of available guitar chords.
Oh, and by the way, don't limit these chords to strictly jazz arrangements. Including a few in your rock, folk, and pop arrangements adds a nice dash of spice to the mixture.
CHORDS
OK, so let's get to the chords. One of the most common and useful "jazz" chords is the major seventh. It consists of the 1-3-5-7 tones of the major scale. In fact, it's such a popular "jazz" chord that it's often
substituted for the major (1-3-5) chord in jazz arrangements and is often the basis of many jazz compositions as well as
improvised solos.
Let's try one. Play just the three strings that you are fingering, using the thumb, index finger, and middle finger of your right hand:
1||---|---|---|---|---|--
2||---|---|-P-|---|---|--
3||---|-M-|---|---|---|--
4||---|---|---|---|---|--
5||-I-|---|---|---|---|--
6||---|---|---|---|---|--
Sounds nice, doesn't it? In this chord, the root (or scale tone upon which the chord is based) is found on the fifth string. The seventh is found on the third string, and the third is found on the second string. Since the note being played on the fifth string is a Bb, this would be a BbMaj7 chord. You'll notice that, despite containing only three tones, the chord is quite "fat" and rich sounding. The absence of the fifth, which is the missing tone, does not do any damage at all to the chord.
This chord is movable, which means you can play it at any position on the neck. In each case, the note being played on the fifth string determines the name of the chord. Try it in a few positions!
What's also neat about using chords utilizing fewer tones is that playing any given chord in several positions becomes easier. And, because the top note changes when you change positions, chord solos become easier.
(Positions are the various configurations available to play the same chord. For example, a major chord consists of 1-3-5, but can also be played as 3-5-1, or 5-3-1. Varying positions not only enables you to play the same chord with different melody notes on top, but also lets you add variety to your accompaniments.)
The following is another Major 7th position. This time, however, the chord does not contain the root tone. Instead, the fifth, third, and seventh are used. You might have to stretch a bit to get this one in the first position. Try it higher up on the neck. It's a lot easier:
1||---|---|---|---|---|--
2||---|---|---|-P-|---|--
3||-I-|---|---|---|---|--
4||---|---|---|---|---|--
5||---|-M-|---|---|---|--
6||---|---|---|---|---|--
Now, try the BbMaj7 chord you learned above, and follow it with the new position you just learned executed as if the first fret in the diagram above were actually the seventh fret. You're now playing another BbMaj7 chord, but in another position. Go back and forth between the two a few times. Can you hear the similarity?
Now let's try another popular jazz chord--the minor 7th--which, ideally, consists of 1-3b-5-7b. However, we're only going to use the 1 (on the fifth string), the 7b (actually, lowered 1/2 step would be more
accurate) (on the third string), and the 3b (on the second string). Once again, the fifth is eliminated in this position. This chord, too, is completely movable:
