Guitar Chord Theory
Part 4 - Extended Chords

So what about chords that have more than 3 or 4 notes? Further notes can be added to create fuller extended chords or as I prefer, "more interesting chords"!

The only problem is, when we delve into this kind of guitar chord theory, we begin to realise how inconsistent the rules are when it comes to noting chord elements. This is one thing you have to be clear of now: sometimes you'll see a chord noted one way, other times you'll see it written another.

Hopefully this lesson will provide you with a good knowledge base to help you interpret how more complex chords are constructed.

Make sure you've learned the major scale in both E and A shape positions (E and A string root notes) - this page has these (and 6 more scale positions) mapped out for you. We'll look at the other major scale patterns (e.g. the descending, ascending and D string major scale positions) in the next guitar chord theory lesson when we look at voicings.

The order of chord tones

Ok, so you hopefully know the notes that make up the major scale. There's something else you should know though! Below is their natural order when it comes to constructing chords and knowing which note takes precedence when you write a chord...

- The 4th is the same as the 11th
- The 6th is the same as the 13th

The latter, larger numbers are to represent that note's position in the "priority" list when it comes to noting down the tones in a chord. So, in actuality the 6th comes after the 9th because it is also the 13th (the 13th could be seen as the octave of the 6th - same note, but higher in pitch).

A major triad which is symbolized by just the root's letter (e.g. G) suggests there is a 3rd and 5th added to the root to make a major triad

A dominant 7th which is the root's letter followed by a "7" (e.g. G7) suggests there is a 3rd, 5th and flat 7th (see part 3 if you're confused) added to the root.

A Major 7th which is the root's letter followed by "maj7" (e.g. Gmaj7) suggests there is a 3rd, 5th and major 7th (7th in its natural position in the major scale) added to the root.

The highest number/note in the chord is the number you use in the chord symbol - AS LONG AS - the notes/numbers preceding it are also included!

So we're just stacking the tones up to higher levels for fuller chords.

Let's look at a practical example because this is getting weird...

Below are the notes involved in a Maj9 chord...

Below is an example of a Major 9 chord (but I've left out the 5th so I can get the other notes in - this is fine)...

So what happens if not all the notes that precede the highest note in a chord are present?

Then we get "add" chords (e.g. Gadd6, Gadd9)

Let's look at the notes in an add9 chord...

Therefore, if any notes/numbers preceding that highest number (the 9th in this case) are left out of the chord, it becomes an add chord! Think of it like a gap in the order of chord tones up to the highest tone - if there's a gap, it becomes an "add" chord (but unfortunately with exceptions as we'll see in a bit).

If there was a 7th involved it would just be G9, because all the notes preceding the highest note, the 9th, would be present...

C9 - R, 3, 5, b7 (dominant 7), 9

Same thing applies with adding the 6th - because the 6th is in fact the 13th when it comes to the order of chord tones, if any notes preceding the 13th are missing, we can note the chord as add6 (e.g. Gadd6 - R, 3, 5, 13).

What if we have both the 9th and 6th notes added to a chord? - good question! In this case the highest note would be the 13th (6th), but if there's no 7th included, then the notes are R, 3, 5, 9, 13.

We could write this as add6/9, or add9/6 (e.g. Gadd9/6). The / slash is like saying "and also add..."

A bit later in the lesson, it'll become clear as to why the highest number "rule" is important...

11th and 13th chords

So, I'm afraid I'm going back to that "rule" we started looking at earlier, where we stack up the notes and the highest note in the order of chord tones becomes the dominant number in the chord symbol.

Here's the order of chord tones again for non-scrolling reference!...

Yes, every note UP TO the 11th in the order of chord tones

However, this is where it gets inconsistent - If...

a) You are unable to play every note in the chord (not enough strings/fingers etc.)

or

b) a particular note that's meant to be in there doesn't sound "right" or particularly harmonious with the other notes...

...you just have to leave that note out. A pianist would be able to get all the notes of A11 in, but the 3rd is not possible on a standard tuned guitar...

If you have 5 fingers, or can bend your middle finger very painfully (not advised) then by all means...include the 3rd on the A string! Because of this small physical limitation humans have, we still get to call it A11, because leaving the 3rd out doesn't really take away from the chord's "message" in a progression.

With a lot of chords, it's common to leave out the 5th when you get into these tricky fingerings, because leaving the 5th out in most cases doesn't take away from the overall chord.

Now, with 13th chords we leave out the 11th (also known as the 4th) because it clashes and sounds unharmonious as part of the chord (and it's hard to find enough strings and finger positions to include all these notes anyway). These are the inconsistencies you have to work around.

Stacking up extended Minor chords

For minor extended chords such as Am11 and Gm13, it's just the same except we flatten the 3rd, because a flattened 3rd (b3) makes it a minor chord.

So where a major 13th chord will include: R, 3, 5, b7 (dominant 7), 9, (11), 13

...its minor version will include: R, b3, 5, b7, 9, (11), 13 (however, the 11th/4th is not possible in standard tuning whilst also fingering the other notes in the chord)

In the next lesson we'll bring all this stuff together and use our chord construction knowledge to create different chord voicings, not just the same old E/A shape barre chords. I just hope my brain holds out :(

Use the links below and see you soon...