by Evan Cowan

You should be familiar with reading music, intervals, and the major scale and keys before continuing. Also, I recommend reading the lesson on basic chords, even if you're already familiar with major and minor chords, because in that lesson I introduce the vocabulary and manner in which I will be describing chords in this lesson.

Introduction

So far we've covered a lot of the fundamentals of music and made our way through some basic chords. Now, we're finally going to talk about some more interesting chords that contain more than just the root, 3rd, and 5th - they can use 6th's, 7th's, 9th's, and almost every other interval we've talked about.

In this lesson there are going to be a lot of different chord types to get through. I'll devote a section to each one, with explanations of their structure and several examples of each chord type, as I feel examples are one of the best ways to learn about these chords and become experienced with them. Many of the chords are only slightly different from one another, and this lesson is pretty rapid fire, so hopefully you'll be able to get through the different chord types quickly. If it proves to be too much information in one sitting, try splitting the lesson in two - half the chords in one day, and the other half the next day. And just like in the last section, there will be a self-test area at the end of the lesson which you can use to see how well you understand what was discussed.

"Before I begin but let me say..." - For each of the following chord types, I will be giving their "official" definition, or structure - that is, the notes that the chord is supposed to contain. That being said, for many of these chords, you're actually allowed (and in one case, required) to leave out certain notes from the chord, even including the root! How is that possible? Well, if you're playing in an ensemble, and the bass is playing the root note of your chord, you can leave out the root and the general feeling of the chord will still be expressed. Other notes can be "subtracted" from the chord as well - in my experience, the notes that are commonly emphasized in a chord are the 3rd (major or minor), 7th (major or minor), and highest extension (i.e. 9th, 11th, or 13th), although there are exceptions to this as well. So, for a chord that uses the root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th, it's ok to leave out the 5th. Also, for simplicity's sake, all of the chord examples in this section have the root as the lowest note. There are many additional ways of playing these chords where the root is either not the lowest note of the chord, or is not present in the chord.

And to make things even more confusing - when we're talking about chords, for a note to be considered a 9th, 11th, or 13th, it actually does not have to be more than an octave above the root. For example, in the key of C, the note F is a 4th, or 11th - depending on what other notes are in the chord, it's up to you to identify it one way or the other. You'll understand this better once we get through a few examples.

And with that, here we go...I recommend looking at the chord examples with the chart of intervals handy.

Suspended 2nd Chord

The suspended 2nd chord, abbreviated "sus2," is a chord comprised of a root, 2nd, and 5th. Notice that there is no 3rd (major or minor) in this chord - it has been replaced by the 2nd. Here are some examples:

The first chord is everyone's favorite sus2 chord, a Dsus2. From low to high it's D (root), A (5th), D (root), and E (2nd). Notice that even though the E is more than an octave higher than the root, it is still referred to as a 2nd, rather than a 9th. The second chord is a Gsus2 and involves a bit of a stretch - it uses the notes G (root), D (5th), and A (2nd). The final chord is a Csus2 - the notes are C (root), D (2nd), G (5th), C (root).

Suspended 4th Chord

The suspended 4th chord is abbreviated "sus4," and its structure is root, 4th, 5th. Again, there is no 3rd in the chord. A suspended chord replaces the 3rd with whatever note is after the "sus" in the chord name - so a sus2 chord replaces the 3rd with the 2nd, and a sus4 chord replaces the 3rd with the 4th. Some examples:

The first chord is the popular Dsus4. It consists of the notes D (root), A (5th), D (root), and G (4th). The second chord is a popular way of playing sus4 chords, as the shape can be used anywhere on the neck. Here it's an Asus4 - A (root), A (root), D (4th), E (5th), and A (root). The last chord is a Csus4, and uses the notes C (root), F (4th), G (5th), C (root).

Major Sixth Chord

A major sixth chord, indicated with just the number 6 (i.e. D6, F6, etc), consists of a root, 3rd, 5th, and 6th. Examples:

First is an F6 chord. From low to high it's F (root), C (5th), D (6th), and A (3rd). Next up is a G6 chord - the notes are G (root), B (3rd), D (5th), G (root), B (3rd), and E (6th). The third chord is a C6, using the notes C (root), E (3rd), A (6th), C (root) - notice that the 5th is absent from this version of the C6 chord. As mentioned in the introduction, including the 5th in many of the chords in this section is optional. And finally, the last chord is an A6, and it consists of the notes A (root), F# (6th), C# (3rd), and E (5th).

Minor Sixth Chord

The minor sixth chord, abbreviated "m6," is only slightly different from a major sixth chord - the 3rd is lowered to a minor 3rd, and so the chord's structure becomes root, minor 3rd, 5th, 6th. Note that the 6th is not lowered to a minor 6th/sharp 5th - think of the minor sixth chord as a minor chord with a 6th, rather than a major chord with a minor 6th. As usual, here are examples:

In the first chord, which is a Gm6, the notes are G (root), E (6th), Bb (minor 3rd), and D (5th). Next is an Fm6 chord - it uses the notes F (root), C (5th), D (6th), and G# (minor 3rd). The third chord is an Em6, and it consists of the notes E (root), B (5th), E (root), G (minor 3rd), C# (6th), and E (root). The last chord is a Cm6, with the notes C (root), Eb (minor 3rd), A (6th), and C (root). If you want to include the 5th in this chord, you can play the G on the 3rd fret of the 1st string.

Dominant Seventh Chord

The dominant seventh chord, also referred to as just a seventh chord, is indicated by the number 7 following the chord name, e.g. C7, D7, etc. The chord contains a root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th. Note that the 7th in this chord is actually a minor 7th, and not the major 7th which appears in the major scale. In this example and all of the following examples, I will abbreviate minor 7th with just "7th."

The first chord is an open position fingering of a C7 chord. It uses C (root), E (3rd), Bb (7th), and C (root). The second chord is an F7 chord, using a barre chord fingering that can be used up and down the neck. The notes are F (root), C (5th), Eb (7th), A (3rd), C (5th), and F (root). The third chord is an open position D7 chord, and the notes are D (root), A (5th), C (7th), and F# (3rd). The last chord is a B7 - B (root), F# (5th), A (7th), and D# (3rd).

Minor Seventh Chord

The minor seventh chord, abbreviated "m7," only differs from the dominant 7th chord by lowering the 3rd a semitone to the minor 3rd. Its structure is root, minor 3rd, 5th, 7th.

The first chord is a Cm7, using the notes C (root), G (5th), Bb (7th), and Eb (minor 3rd). Next is perhaps the second easiest chord to play, an Em7. From low to high it's E (root), B (5th), D (7th), G (minor 3rd), B (5th), E (root). Third is a Dm7 chord, consisting of the notes D (root), A (5th), C (7th), F (minor 3rd), and A (5th). Last is an F#m7 chord - the notes are F# (root), C# (5th), E (7th), A (minor 3rd).

Major Seventh Chord

Major seventh chords, abbreviated "maj7," are the same as dominant 7th chords, except that the 7th is raised a semitone to a major 7th - the chord is root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th.

First up is the cool sounding open-position Cmaj7, with the notes C (root), E (3rd), G (5th), and B (major 7th). The second chord is a Dmaj7 chord, using the notes D (root), A (5th), C# (major 7th), and F# (3rd). Next is a Gmaj7 chord, using a slightly unconventional fingering. The notes are G (root), F# (major 7th), B (3rd), and D (5th). Lastly is an Fmaj7 chord - the notes are F (root), C (5th), E (major 7th), and A (3rd).

Diminished Chord

Diminished chords make two variations to the regular major triad - the 3rd is lowered a semitone to a minor 3rd, and the 5th is diminished a semitone to the flat 5th. Hence, the chord's structure is root, minor 3rd, flat 5th. The diminished chord is usually indicated with the degree symbol, "°", or with the abbreviation "dim."

The first chord is a B° (Bdim), and it uses the notes B (root), F (flat 5th), B (root), and D (minor 3rd). Next is an A° triad - the notes are A (root), C (minor 3rd), and Eb (flat 5th). Last is a G#° chord, using the notes G# (root), D (flat 5th), G# (root), and B (minor 3rd). Notice that this last chord uses the same chord shape as the first example chord (B°), shifted down one string.

Diminished Seventh Chord

Diminished seventh chords, along with half-diminished chords (see next lesson), are popular variations on the standard diminished chord. We start with the standard diminished triad - root, minor 3rd, flat 5th - and then add a diminished 7th. Since we're already talking about a minor 7th here, when we diminish it by a semitone to make it a diminished 7th, it becomes the same note as the major 6th. That is, diminished 7th = major 6th. But because we are talking about a diminished 7th chord, we refer to the note as a diminished 7th rather than as a (major) 6th. So, the structure of the chord is then root, minor 3rd, flat 5th, diminished 7th. The chord is indicated with "°7". Examples:

The first chord is a D°7 chord, using the notes D (root), G# (flat 5th), B (diminished 7th), and F (minor 3rd). Next is a B°7, and the notes are B (root), G# (diminished 7th), D (minor 3rd), and F (flat 5th). The third chord is an F°7 chord - the notes are F (root), B (flat 5th), D (diminished 7th), and Ab (minor 3rd). Last is a G°7 barre chord, and it consists of the notes G (root), Db (flat 5th), G (root), Bb (minor 3rd), E (diminished 7th), and G (root).

Augmented Chord

The augmented chord, abbreviated with a plus sign (+) or with "aug," consists of a root, 3rd, and sharp 5th. Some examples:

The first example is a C+ chord, with the notes C (root), E (3rd), G# (sharp 5th), and C (root). The second chord is an A+ chord, using the notes A (root), C# (3rd), F (sharp 5th), and C# (3rd). Last is an E+ triad - the notes are E (root), G# (3rd), and C (sharp 5th).

Dominant Ninth Chord

The dominant ninth chord, sometimes also called just a ninth chord, is indicated with the number 9 following the chord name (C9, D9, etc). The chord's structure is root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, but it is not uncommon to leave the 5th out when playing this chord. Here are some examples:

The first chord is a C9, using the notes C (root), E (3rd), Bb (7th), D (9th), and G (5th). To play this chord you should barre the 3rd fret of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings with your 3rd (ring) finger. If this is too difficult, you can leave out the G (3rd fret of the 1st string), as this is the 5th in the chord and is expendable. The second chord is a G9 - the notes are G (root), B (3rd), F (7th), and A (9th). Next is an A9 chord, consisting of the notes A (root), E (5th), G (7th), C# (3rd), E (5th), and B (9th). Last is a cool sounding version of an E9 chord which combines notes fretted high on the neck with both open E strings. The notes are E (root), G# (3rd), D (7th), E (root), F# (9th), and B (5th).

Add9 Chord

The add9 chord refers to a major chord with the 9th added on. The structure is root, 3rd, 5th, 9th. It can be easy to confuse this chord with the dominant 9th chord, but the way to tell them apart is that the 7th is always present in a dominant 9th chord and is never present in an add9 chord. This chord can also be confused with the sus2 chord, as the 2nd and 9th are the same notes in any key. Again, there is one key difference between the chords - a sus2 chord does not contain the 3rd, while an add9 chord does. I left it out of this lesson because of redundancy, but there is also an add4 chord, which can also be called an add11 chord, as the 4th and 11th are the same notes. As you probably guessed, the add4/add11 chord is root, 3rd, 4th/11th, 5th. Anyways, here are examples of the add9 chord:

First up is everyone's favorite add9 chord, a Cadd9. The notes are C (root), E (3rd), G (5th), D (9th), and E (root). Next is a Gadd9 chord, with the notes G (root), B (3rd), D (5th), and A (9th). Last is an Aadd9 barre chord, with the notes A (root), E (5th), B (9th), C# (3rd), E (5th), and A (root).

Minor Ninth Chord

Minor 9th chords (abbreviated "m9") differ from the dominant 9th chord by only one note - the 3rd is lowered a semitone to a minor 3rd. The chord's structure is root, minor 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th.

The first example is a Cm9 chord, with the notes C (root), Bb (minor 3rd), Bb (7th), and D (9th). Next is a Bm9 chord - the notes are B (root), D (minor 3rd), A (7th), and C# (9th). Notice that this chord shape is the same as the first chord shape, but shifted up by one string. Also, both chords omit the 5th. The last example is an Am9 barre chord - it is basically the same chord shape as an Am7 barre chord, except for the added B on the high E string, which turns it into a minor 9th chord. This Am9 chord uses the notes A (root), E (5th), G (7th), C (minor 3rd), E (5th), and B (9th).

Major Ninth Chord

The major ninth chord, abbreviated maj9, is potentially confusing due to its misleading name. The 9th is not changed in any way - the "major" in the chord name instead refers to the 7th in the chord, which is now a major 7th. The chord is root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th, 9th. As usual, here are examples:

First is a Cmaj9 chord, consisting of the notes C (root), E (3rd), B (major 7th), and E (9th). Again, the 5th has been left out of the chord here. The second chord is an Amaj9, with the notes A (root), E (5th), B (9th), C# (3rd), and G# (major 7th). Last is a Dmaj9 chord, using the same shape as the Cmaj9 in the first example, but shifted up a string. The notes are D (root), F# (3rd), C# (major 7th), and E (9th).

Eleventh Chord

Eleventh chords, indicated by the number 11 in the chord name (C11, D11, etc), can also be called dominant eleventh chords. The structure of the chord is root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th - but since it is difficult to fit all six notes into a chord, usually a note or two is left out. However, 11th chords are an exception to the loose "rule" I stated in this lesson's introduction, where I said it's common to emphasize the 3rd, 7th, and highest extension (in this case, the 11th) of a chord. In the case of 11th chords, I've found that the 3rd is often the note that is omitted, presumably because the major 3rd and the 11th can sound pretty dissonant when played together. Therefore, the notes often emphasized in an eleventh chord are the root, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th, but it's ok to include the 3rd in the chord as long as it doesn't sound too bad. Here's some examples:

The first example is a one finger barre chord version of a C11 chord. It consists of the notes C (root), F (11th), Bb (7th), D (9th), and G (5th). Next is an A11 chord - the notes are A (root), G (7th), B (9th), D (11th), and E (5th). The last example is an interesting barre chord version of a B11 chord. It uses the notes B (root), F# (5th), A (7th), E (11th), F# (5th), and C# (9th). Notice in all three examples that the 3rd has been left out of the chord - again, this omission is not a requirement, but more of a convenience.

Minor Eleventh Chord

As I'm sure you're starting to figure out by now, anytime the word "minor" is in a chord's name, the chord includes a minor 3rd instead of a major 3rd. The minor eleventh chord, abbreviated m11, is no exception - its structure is root, minor 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th. Also, because the minor 3rd is an integral part of the chord, it cannot be omitted. But, the minor 3rd and the 11th don't clash as much as the major 3rd and 11th do, so this is not a problem. Instead, the 5th or 9th (or both) can be left out of the chord instead. Here are examples:

First is a Cm11 chord, using the notes C (root), F (11th), Bb (7th), Eb (minor 3rd), and G (5th). This chord is very similar to the C11 in the first example above, except that the 9th (D) has been changed to a minor 3rd (Eb), which conveniantly is just a semitone higher. The second chord is a Dm11 chord - the notes are D (root), C (7th), F (minor 3rd), and G (11th). Here we've left out both the 5th and the 9th. The last example is an Am11 chord, using the same shape as the last example, but shifted down a string. The notes are A (root), G (7th), C (minor 3rd), and D (11th). Again, the 5th and 9th have been left out.

Note: Although not included in this list, there is also a major 11th chord. It's similar to the major 7th and major 9th chords - the word "major" in the chord name means to include the major 7th instead of the minor 7th. So the structure of a major 11th chord is root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th, 9th, 11th.

Thirteenth Chord

The thirteenth chord, which can also be called a dominant thirteenth chord, is indicated by the number 13 in the chord name (C13, D13, etc). To play a 13th chord on the guitar, it is actually required to leave out at least one note - the chord's structure contains 7 notes, and there are only 6 strings on the guitar! Unless you're weird and have a 7-string guitar. Anyways, the structure of the chord is root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th. However, the 11th is almost always omitted from the chord, and the 5th and 9th are expendable as well. Here's examples, as always:

The first example is a C13 chord. It consists of the notes C (root), Bb (7th), E (3rd), and A (13th) - the 5th, 9th, and 11th have all been omitted. Next is a G13 chord, with the notes G (root), F (7th), B (3rd), E (13th), and A (9th). If the chord is too difficult for you to finger it's ok to leave out the A on the 5th fret of the 1st string. The last chord is an open position E13 - the notes are E (root), B (5th), D (7th), G# (3rd), C# (13th), and F# (9th).

Minor Thirteenth Chord

The last chord in this lesson, the minor thirteenth chord (abbreviated "m13"), differs from the 13th chord by one note - as you expected, the 3rd is lowered a semitone to a minor 3rd. The structure is therefore root, minor 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th. As before, the 11th is almost universally left out of the chord, and the 5th and 9th are expendable again.

The first chord is a Cm13, using the notes C (root), Bb (7th), Eb (minor 3rd), and A (13th). Next is a Gm13, with the notes G (root), F (7th), Bb (minor 3rd), and E (13th). Last is the open position Em13 chord - the notes are E (root), B (5th), D (7th), G (minor 3rd), C# (9th), and F# (13th). Notice that all three of these examples are built from the 13th chord shapes shown before - I simply lowered the 3rd in each of those chords to a minor third to get the minor thirteenth chord shapes.

There is also a major 13th chord, and as before this simply means to include the major 7th instead of the minor 7th. The structure of the chord is root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th.

Test Your Skills

See if you can figure out what the following chords are. To get the answer, simply move your mouse arrow over the chord and tab diagram. As before, all of the following chords have their root as the lowest note of the chord. Again I recommend using the chart of intervals to help you out in this section.

The notes are A, E, A, B, C#, E. A is the root, so E is the 5th, B is the 2nd or 9th, and C# is the 3rd. The 7th is not present, so this is an Aadd9 chord. The structure of the chord is root (A), 5th (E), root (A), 9th (B), 3rd (C#), 5th (E). Chord: Aadd9	The notes are G, B, D, F#. With G as the root, B is the 3rd, D is the 5th, and F# is a major 7th, so the chord is a Gmaj7. The structure of the chord is root (G), 3rd (B), 5th (D), major 7th (F#). Chord: Gmaj7	The notes in the chord are E, C, E, G#. E is the root note, C is a sharp 5th, and G# is the 3rd, so this is an E+ chord. The structure of the chord is root (E), sharp 5th (C), root (E), 3rd (G#). Chord: E+
The notes are A, E, G, C#, F#. A is the root, E is the 5th, G is the 7th, C# is the 3rd, and F# is the 13th, so this is an A13 chord. The structure of the chord is root (A), 5th (E), 7th (G), 3rd (C#), 13th (F#). Chord: A13	The notes are D, G#, F, B. D is the root, G# is the flat 5th, F is the minor 3rd, and B is a 6th - but since there is both a minor 3rd and flat 5th, which are the makings of a diminished chord, we should call B the diminished 7th. So, this chord is a D°7. The structure is root (D), flat 5th (G#), minor 3rd (F), diminished 7th (B). Chord: D°7	The notes are D, E, F#, C#. D is the root, E is the 9th, and F# is the 3rd, and C# is a major 7th. Therefore, this is a Dmaj9 chord. The structure is root (D), 9th (E), 3rd (F#), major 7th (C#). Chord: Dmaj9

Summary

Whew! We made it through a whole bunch of chord types in this lesson. Here's a list of the chords you learned, along with their structure (abbreviations - 3rd = major 3rd, 7th = minor 7th):

Suspended 2nd Chord - root, 2nd, 5th

Suspended 4th Chord - root, 4th, 5th

Major Sixth Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, 6th

Minor Sixth Chord - root, minor 3rd, 5th, 6th

Dominant Seventh Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, 7th

Minor Seventh Chord - root, minor 3rd, 5th, 7th

Major Seventh Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th

Diminished Chord - root, minor 3rd, flat 5th

Diminished Seventh Chord - root, minor 3rd, flat 5th, diminished 7th (major 6th)

Augmented Chord - root, 3rd, sharp 5th

Dominant Ninth Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th

Add9 Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, 9th

Minor Ninth Chord - root, minor 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th

Major Ninth Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th, 9th

Eleventh Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th

Minor Eleventh Chord - root, minor 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th

Major Eleventh Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th, 9th, 11th

Thirteenth Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th

Minor Thirteenth Chord - root, minor 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th

Major Thirteenth Chord - root, 3rd, 5th, major 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th

And remember, for some of the chords listed above, it's ok to leave certain notes out of the chord, but it's generally recommended that you play at least the 3rd (except for 11th chords), 7th, and highest extension (9th, 11th, or 13th).

That wraps up part 5 of the guide...just one more lesson to go! If you're ready to move on, click here to go to the next lesson, Advanced Chords. Click here to return to the top of the page.