Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Basic Chords For Jazz: Harmonic Sounds. Colour Sound. A Basic Jazz Chord
Basic Chords For Jazz: Harmonic Sounds. Colour Sound. A Basic Jazz Chord
˙˙ ˙˙˙ ˙˙˙
C M7 D m7 E m7 F M7 G7 A m7 Bø
˙˙˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙˙˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙ Ó
& ˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙
First, Third and fifth grades of chord are harmonic sounds.
Seventh grade is a colour sound.
By adding a seventh to a triad we have a colour chord, a basic jazz chord.
œœœœ œ œœœ
C M7 D m7 E m7 F M7 G7
œ œ
& œ œœœœœ œ œ œœœ œœœ œ œœœ œœœ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ
œ
www wwIIIm7 wwwIVM7
V7
ww
IM7 IIm7
? ww w ww w ww
ww
These are modal arpeggios, because they are made over modal chords.
œœœœœ œ
œœœ œœœ œœœœœœ
A m7 Bø C M7
œ bbbbb
& œœ œ œ œ ˙ Ó
VIm7 VIIm7b5 IM7
b bb œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ
& bb œœœ œœ œœ œ œœ œ œ
www
IM7
ww
IIm7
www
IIIm7
wwwIVM7
? bb b w ww w w
bb
A b7 B b m7 b
œœœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ
˙ Ó nnnnn##
Cø D M7
b bb œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ
& bb œ
www ˙˙˙
V7 IM7
ww
VIm7
www
VIIm7b5
? bb www ww w ˙ Ó nnnnn##
bbb w w
F # m7
## œœœœ œœœœ
D M7 E m7 G M7
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
www ww www
IIIm7 IVM7
www
IM7 IIm7
? ## w w ww w
C #ø
œ œ œ œ œ œ D M7œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
## œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ
A7 B m7
& œ œ œœ œ œ ˙ Ó
IM7
ww ˙˙
VIIm7b5
www
V7 VIm7
? # # www www ww ˙˙ Ó
w w w
Follow this exercise in all keys. So you will master all jazz chords in each key.
You are playing all basic arpeggios with right, a great tool for improvising.
Basic Jazz chords 3
˙
From first to second note there are 2 tones, being a major chord.
A half note under octave is a Major seventh. So we have a Major seventh chord.
CM7, FM7, Cmaj7, Fmaj7.
? ˙˙ Ó
˙˙
Triad G is a major chord with interval of 2 tones from first to second note.
One tone under octave is a seventh. So we have a seventh chord G7,
This is also called a dominant seventh chord.
These three chords IM7, IVM7, V7 are primary chords and they are enough
to harmonize lots of tunes.
˙˙˙ ˙˙
? ˙˙˙˙ ˙˙ ˙˙˙
C M7 F M7 G7 C M7
˙ ˙
IM7 IVM7 V7 IM7
˙˙
? ˙˙˙˙
D m7 E m7 A m7
˙˙ ˙˙˙ Ó
˙
IIm7 IIIm7 VIm7
Between first and second note there is an interval of 3 half-tones, so they are
minor chords.
Seventh is one tone under octave, so they are minor seventh chords,
Dm7, Em7, Am7
Basic Jazz chords 4
? ˙˙˙
Bø
So we have a minor seventh chord with flat fifth:
˙ Ó Bm7b5 or Bm7-5 or Bφ .
This one is also called Half-diminished chord.
VIIm7b5
Diminished chord:
When we skip by intervals of one and a half tones we have a diminished
chord.
These ones are very
# useful as passing chords.
Ó
Perform and learn all diminished chords.
Chord qualities:
Jazz harmony works with these chord qualities in each key:
Major, Seventh, Minor, Half-diminished and Diminished.
C M7 C7 C m7 Cø C dim
&œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ b œ bœ œ b bbbb
œ œ œ bœ œ b œ œ bœ bœ
www b www b b wwww b b b wwww
IM7 Im7 Im7b5 Idim
b b wwww
I7
? w w b bbbb
Major Seventh Minor Half-diminished Diminished