by Evan Cowan

Throughout this lesson I'll assume you are familiar with reading music, intervals, and the major scale and keys.

Introduction

Congratulations - you've made it to the last part of the guide. Hopefully by now you've got a good grasp on how chords work and have added some new chords from the last lesson to your vocabulary.

In this lesson we're going to talk about how to modify some of the chords you've seen so far. The first method involves using a slash ("/") in the chord name to add a specific interval or note. The second method involves modifying specific notes already in the chord by raising or lowering them. Unlike the last section, this lesson is not just going to be a huge list of chords with a bunch of examples, as that would take up too much space. Instead, I'll stick to discussing the chords in a general sense and you can try to create your own fingerings for some of these chords. And after all that I'll talk a little about not having the root note as the lowest note in a chord, and also leaving it out of a chord completely.

Chords with a "/" in their name

Admittedly, I wouldn't refer to the chords I'm about to talk about as "advanced" chords, but I felt there were enough chords in the last lesson already and that these chords would make a good start to this last section of the guide. Anyways, some of you may have seen chords with names like D7/6 or C/G and wondered what those were all about. Well, they're not too complicated. In general, the slash can be interpreted as a way of differentiating between a standard chord name, which is to the left of the slash, and a particular modification we'd like to make to that chord. This modification is what goes after the slash. So for a G7/6 chord, "G7" is the chord we're starting with and "6" refers to a particular modification. Let's take a closer look at this type of chord.

When we see a chord name where the slash is separating two numbers, such as a C7/6, here's how to interpret it: start off by isolating the chord to the right of the slash, which in this case is C7. We know that the structure of a dominant 7th chord is root, 3rd, 5th, and minor 7th. Then, all you do is add on the particular interval listed to the right of the slash, which in this case is the number "6" - this tells you to include the major 6th in the chord. So the structure of the chord becomes root, third, 5th, 6th, minor 7th. You can also write this as a 6/7 chord and it will mean the same thing - a 6th chord is root, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and adding on the 7th gives us the same chord as a 7/6 chord. Another alternative method of writing the chord name is C7add6 - this is just a more direct way of telling you the same thing that "C7/6" does.

About the only other time you'll see this type of chord is for a 6/9 chord. As you can probably figure out by now, this means to start with a 6th chord (root, 3rd, 5th, 6th) and add the 9th to it, so the chord becomes root, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th. Again, if you so choose you can write C6add9 instead of C6/9 if you so desire. Warning: I've also seen this type of chord written as 9/6, but it actually means the same thing as a 6/9 chord. If you were to follow the previous directions, you'd start with a 9th chord (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th) and add the 6th, but this would be incorrect. In a 9/6 chord, which is the same as a 6/9 chord, the 7th is not present. If you want to think of it another way, think of this type of chord as an "add6add9" chord, whereby you start with the standard major chord (root, 3rd, 5th), and add the 6th and 9th to it.

As was the case with many of the chords in the last lesson, for the 7/6 and the 6/9 chords, including the 5th is optional.

You will also often see the name of a note to the right of the slash, instead of a number - for example C/G or D/F#. What this means is you take the note that is to the right of the slash, and make it the lowest note of the chord to the left of the slash. So for a C/G chord, we play a C major chord with the note G as the lowest note of the chord instead of a C. For a Dm/C chord, we play a D minor chord with C as the lowest note. The note to the right of the slash can be any note - it doesn't have to be a note that's normally in the chord already.

And finally, the following chords probably should have been included in the last lesson but I'll slip them in here instead. You may have seen chord names such as Cm/maj7 or Em/maj9. In this case, the slash is simply a separation between the abbreviations for the word minor, "m," and major, "maj." Without the slash, the chord name Cmmaj7 looks sort of confusing. Anyways, when we see a chord that has "m/maj7" in the name, we take the major 7th chord (root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th) and lower the 3rd by a semitone to a minor 3rd - the chord becomes root, minor 3rd, 5th, major 7th. Similarly, for a m/maj9 chord you take the major 9th chord and lower the 3rd to a minor third to get the proper structure: root, minor 3rd, 5th, major 7th, 9th. And as usual, the 5th is optional for both chords.

So, here is a list of the chords I discussed in this section:

7/6 Chord (aka 6/7, 7add6) - root, 3rd, 5th, 6th, minor 7th

6/9 Chord (aka 9/6, 6add9) - root, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th

m/maj7 Chord - root, minor 3rd, 5th, major 7th

m/maj9 Chord - root, minor 3rd, 5th, major 7th, 9th

And don't forget, if you see the name of a note to the right of the slash, that means to put that note as the lowest note of the associated chord.

Others ways of modifying chords

All the chords we've been through so far are all well and good, but sometimes we want to play a chord that doesn't fit one of those definitions. There are numerous things we can do to modify a chord to fit our particular needs. Let's take a look.

Let's say we want to play a C dominant 7th (C7) chord, but instead of having the 5th in there we want to play a flat 5th. Nothing's stopping us from actually playing this chord, but what do we call it? So far, we haven't seen any chords that fit the structure - root, 3rd, flat 5th, minor 7th. To indicate a dominant 7th chord with a flat 5th instead of a perfect 5th, we simply add a "b5" to the chord name to indicate this modification. Therefore, since I originally said our root note was a C, this chord is a C7b5. Well what if we want to have a sharp 5th instead of the flat 5th? That's easy - we just add a "#5" or a "+5" to the chord name. Personally, I prefer using "#5," so if C is our root again, the chord is then a C7#5, or C7+5 if you prefer the other naming scheme.

The reason some people use the + instead of the # is that it's confusing if we see a C#5 chord - is it a C# power chord? Or is it a C major chord with a sharp 5th? In cases like this, so as to avoid confusion, you should put the modification in parentheses to indicated that you aren't talking about a C# chord. So you should write C(#5) if you want to indicate a C major chord with a sharp 5th. Sometimes you will see every modification in parentheses no matter what - so our first example chord would be a C7(#5) instead of just C7#5. Regardless, all of these are just different ways of naming the same things - it's your choice which convention you want to use, but be aware that others exist. In this lesson I will not use parentheses for the modification unless it is necessary, as in the C#5/C(#5) example.

Anyways...back to the lesson. So, to name any chord where we've altered the 5th by lowering or raising it a semitone, we use "b5" or "#5" after the chord name to indicate this change. Using the note C as an example root note and the #5 modification, here's an idea of all the new chords we can create: C(#5), Cm#5, Csus2#5, Csus4#5, C6#5, Cm6#5, C7#5, Cm7#5, Cmaj7#5, Cm/maj7#5, C9#5, Cm9#5, Cmaj9#5, etc. The same goes for the "b5" modification - simply replace the "#5" in any of the listed chords with a "b5." The only chords where the "b5" or "#5" modifications don't work are with diminished or augmented chords, since those chords already affect the 5th in one way or another.

Before we move on, let me mention that a "m7b5" chord has another common name - half-diminished. The structure of the chord is root, minor 3rd, flat 5th, minor 7th. It's also called half-diminished because it's basically a regular diminished chord with the minor 7th added. Remember, if it was a true diminished 7th chord, we'd have to diminish the 7th as well - but we leave it as the minor 7th, and hence, half-diminished. Ok, on with the show...

We can also modify the 9th of a chord in similar ways - we can either lower it (b9) or raise it (#9) by a semitone. However, this is only an option if the 7th is also in the chord - remember, every form of a 9th chord has the 7th included as well. So for a C11 chord with a flat 9th, its name is C11b9. However, if we want to play a C9 chord but with a sharp 9 instead (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, sharp 9th), it doesn't make sense to write C9#9. Instead, we treat the chord as a dominant 7th chord with a sharp 9th, and call the chord a C7#9. Also, notice that a sharp 9th is the same note as a minor 3rd in any key - remember, the 9th is the same note as the major 2nd, and one semitone higher than the major 2nd (and the 9th) is the minor 3rd. Therefore, a "#9" is never written next to a minor chord, as the minor chord already includes the #9 in the form of a minor 3rd.

If we so desire, we can also raise the 11th of a chord by a semitone (#11), or lower the 13th of a chord by a semitone (b13). There is no "b11" or "#13" because lowering the 11th by a semitone gives you the major 3rd, and raising the 13th by a semitone gives you the minor 7th, and it makes more sense to call those notes by their proper names (major 3rd or minor 7th), instead of a flat 11th or sharp 13th.

If necessary we can use more than one of the previously mentioned modifications on a chord, such as C7#5#9, or C11b5b13, or even C7#9#11b13. However, we cannot use "b5" with a "#11," because they both refer to the same note - remember, the 11th is the same as the 4th, and raising the 4th by a semitone is the same as lowering the 5th by a semitone. The same goes for "#5" and "b13."

We can also add a "sus2" or "sus4" (or both) to a chord if we feel like it. Remember, these modifications replace the 3rd with either the 2nd or the 4th, depending on which you use. However, we don't use these modifications on minor chords - a Cmsus4 is the same as a Csus4 so it's easier to just leave out the "m."

And finally, we can directly add a particular interval by using the word "add" in the chord name - just like the Cadd9 chord we saw in the last lesson. If we have the third in the chord and we want to include the 4th, we can't use "sus4" - we must instead use "add4" or "add11." If we want to add the 2nd we must use "add2" or "add9." You can also add the 6th with, you guessed it, "add6."

Let's try to name a chord that has its root as the note C, and is made up of the root, 2nd, 4th, sharp 5th, 6th, major 7th, sharp 9th, and sharp 11th. We start with the major 7th, because every other note in the chord except the 7th is due to some sort of modification. So we write Cmaj7. The presence of the 2nd and 4th, coupled with the absence of the 3rd, tells use that that both "sus2" and "sus4" have been used, so we now write Cmaj7sus2sus4. The sixth is not normally part of a major 7th chord, so we have to add it explicitly - now we have Cmaj7sus2sus4add6. The sharp 5th, sharp 9th, and sharp 11th are all direct modifications that we know how to write, and so the final name of the chord is: "Cmaj7sus2sus4add6#5#9#11." Of course you'd never ever see a chord like this in practice (it's probably wiser to interpret the chord with one of the other notes as the root), but it's fun to try it out.

Moving the root around

Throughout this guide and in every example so far I've always talked about how the root note is always the lowest note of the chord. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. In theory, any note in a chord can be interpreted as its root. This is why those automatic chord recognition or chord naming programs/websites you may have seen spit out several different names for the chord you entered - the program loops through every unique note in the chord, treating it as the root and interpreting the other notes in the chord accordingly, leaving you to figure out which of the results it gave you is the correct one. And sometimes more than one answer is "correct" - it depends on how the chord is being used in the song.

In addition, we can leave the root note out of the chord completely. As I said in a previous lesson, the bass player will often be playing the root notes of the chords, which allows you to omit the root note. This is handy if you've figured out a nice sounding chord that has all the proper notes except for the root - with the bass player playing the root for you, you can use the chord and it will work.

Let's go through with an example to help illustrate the point:

At first glance, this chord looks like a G°7 - and it is. The notes, from bottom to top, are G, Bb, C#, and E, and with G as the root the structure of the chord is then root, minor 3rd, flat 5th, diminished 7th. But wait a minute - let's try looking at the chord from the perspective of Bb being the root. If we do that, then the structure of the chord is then diminished 7th (G), root (Bb), minor 3rd (C#), and flat 5th (E). That looks like the structure of a Bb°7 chord - and it is! Alternatively, we can write this chord as Bb°/G - a Bb° with a G as the lowest note. Well, how about with C# as the root? The chord becomes flat 5th (G), diminished 7th (Bb), root (C#), and minor 3rd (E). Whoa...that's a C#°7. And now with E as the root - the chord is minor 3rd (G), flat 5th (Bb), and diminished 7th (C#). Now it's a C°7! It turns out that the chord in the diagram above is four different diminished 7th chords at the same time! Although most likely it would be considered a G°7, it's interesting to see what happens if we look at it from multiple angles.

Well, what if we treat the chord as missing its root? Let's say the root is C - now what? The structure of the chord then becomes 5th (G), 7th (Bb), flat 9th (C#), and 3rd (E). Now it's become a C7b9 chord! This just goes to show that everything depends on what angle you want to look at a chord from - depending on what note you pick as the root, the roles of all the other notes in the chord will change, and thus the name of the chord will change.

So, now we're going to go through three final examples which will (hopefully) bring together all the information that's been discussed so far in this guide.

Some Final Examples

In this section, we're going to go through the full analysis process for three unique chords. Here I won't be assuming that the root is the lowest note of the chord, but I will assume that it is in the chord somewhere, or else you'd be here forever reading about every possible name for the chord. I recommend following along with your chart of intervals handy. So, here we go:

Here we have one of the chords from the main riff of "Not For You." From low to high, the notes in the chord are E, C#, F#, A#, B, and E. Since E is the lowest note, let's first try using it as the root note. C# is a 6th/13th, F# is a 2nd/9th, A# is a flat 5th/sharp 11th, and B is a 5th. So how do we approach this? Well, first we notice that there is a 5th, but no major or minor 3rd in the chord. However, there is a 2nd - so we can start with an Esus2. Next we can use "add6" to include the 6th, so it's an Esus2add6. But now we're stuck - we have no way of referring to the A#, which is the flat 5th/sharp 11th. We can't use a "#11" because there is no 7th in the chord, and every 11th chord must contain a 7th. And we can't use a "b5" because a regular 5th is already in the chord. So, using E as the root note is not a wise choice.

Now let's try the next highest note, C#, as the root. E is a minor 3rd, F# is a 4th/11th, A# is a 6th/13th, and B is a 7th. There is a minor 3rd in the chord, so we can't call F# a 4th - but we can call it an 11th because the 7th is present in the chord. So far, we can call the chord a C#m11, because the minimum requirements are present - minor 3rd, minor 7th, and 11th. But, we still need to deal with the 6th/13th. Which should we call it? We can call it the 13th and make it a C#m13. This is perfectly valid, but since the 11th is present and we usually leave out the 11th from a 13th chord, I'm going to choose instead to call the note a 6th and add it directly - thus, the chord is a C#m11add6, and we can even call it a C#m11add6/E to indicate that an E is the lowest note. This is a reasonable name for the chord, but let's see if we can do any better.

The next note we can try is an F#, and immediately things are looking good. E is the 7th, C# is the 5th, A# is the 3rd, and B is 4th/11th, but we'll call it the 11th because the 7th and 3rd are present. So then the chord simply is an F#11, or F#11/E if you prefer. But, as I said in a previous lesson, the 3rd is usually (but not always) left out of an 11th chord, and in this chord it's obvious why - the 3rd (A#) and 11th (B) are only a semitone apart and are very dissonant when played together. Still, it can be argued that this dissonance is the desired effect of this chord and so F#11 or F#11/E is a perfectly reasonable name for the chord as well.

We can almost immediately disregard A# as the root note - the flat 9th (B) is present, but the 7th (G#) is not - which is a bad sign. So let's try the B as the root. E is the 4th/11th, C# is the 2nd/9th, F# is the 5th, and A# is the major 7th. We notice that there is no major or minor 3rd in the chord, but there is a major 7th and an 11th, and it's ok to leave the 3rd out of an 11th chord. So with the root, 5th, major 7th, 9th, and 11th, we can safely call this a Bmaj11 or Bmaj11/E.

Let's go on to the next example.

I pulled this chord from Jeff Buckley's "Love You Should Have Come Over." It looks pretty basic, so let's check it out.

The notes in the chord are C#, E, G, and B. Let's try C# as the root - then E is the minor 3rd, G is the flat 5th, and B is the 7th. This fits a C# half diminished chord perfectly, or C#m7b5 if you prefer. I would say this is probably the best way of referring to this chord, but let's look at some other ways.

If we treat E as the root, C# is the 6th, G is the minor 3rd, and B is the 5th. Again, this fits a chord definition exactly - it is an Em6. However, we can also call it an Em/C# - E, G, and B form an Em triad, and since the C# is the lowest note we can just add it directly to the Em chord using a slash to get Em/C#.

If we choose G as the root, C# is now a flat 5th, E is the 6th, and B is the 3rd. Basically, it's a G6 with a flatted 5th, and so we add the "b5" to get G6b5.

And finally, if B is the root, C# is the 2nd/9th, E is the 4th/11th, and G is the sharp 5th. There is no major or minor 3rd, so we can call it a Bsus2sus4#5. Obviously, this is not the best way to refer to this chord.

And now on to the last example.

This chord was mentioned on the GTW message board and it caused some confusion. Let's give it an analysis.

The notes in the chord are E, F#, G, A, B, and E. Let's try E as the root note. F# is the 2nd/9th, A is the 4th/11th, G is the minor 3rd, and B is the 5th. With the E, G, and B we have an Em chord, but we have to consider the F# and A as well. The minor 3rd is present so we can't use a "sus2" or "sus4." So we have to add them directly and the name of the chord ends up being Emadd9add11.

Let's try it with F# as the root. E is the 7th, G is the flat 9th, A is the minor 3rd, and B is the 4th/11th. With the minor 3rd, 7th, and 11th present we can call this an F#m11, and indicate the flat 9th with "b9" to get F#m11b9. To indicate the E as the lowest note we can also call it an F#m11b9/E.

With G as the root, E is the 6th/13th, F# is the major 7th, A is the 2nd/9th, and B is the 3rd. So we have root, 3rd, major 7th, 9th, 13th - looks like a Gmaj13 to me, and it is.

Now with A as the root, E is the 5th, F# is the 6th/13th, G is the 7th, and B is the 2nd/9th. There is no 3rd in the chord, so we can call the B a 2nd and add it with a "sus2." With the 5th, 7th, and 13th, we have enough to call it a 13th chord - the sus2 took away the 3rd so we don't have to worry about including that in the chord. So the chord becomes an A13sus2. Alternatively, we can treat the F# as a 6th instead of a 13th. In this case we have an A7sus2 with an added 6th, so it becomes A7sus2add6.

And finally let's try B as the root. E is the 4th/11th, F# is the 5th, G is the sharp 5th, and A is the 7th. There is no major or minor 3rd in the chord, so it is wise to consider E as a 4th that we can add with "sus4." Next, the 5th and 7th help make this a B7sus4 chord, and with the sharp 5th, we can call it a flat 13th instead and so we end up with B7sus4b13.

Summary

In this lesson I first talked about chords with a slash in their name and what to do about them. Then I moved on to other ways of modifying or altering chords - by directly modifying a particular note in a chord. I finished up with a section on root notes and how they don't always have to be the lowest note of the chord, or even in the chord at all.

C'est fini! You've made it through 6 long lessons, and hopefully you are well on your way to becoming an expert with chords. Thanks for taking the time to make it through the guide...I hope you enjoyed the ride. Feel free to drop me a private message on the forums with comments, corrections, or suggestions. Click here to return to the top of the page.