[Martinswede]

Hi!

When I write I usually use simple chords. Em C F Dm and so forth.
Sometimes I use a third or a fifth as bass note D/F# C/G etc.
Very rarely I use Em7 Dsus2 Gmaj7 and so forth.

I wonder how you use extended chords and on what basis?
Most of us I guess go with what sounds good. If so how do
they sound in comparison with the simple stacked thirds? 
I know of many songs with extended or altered chords and
some sound a whole lot different if you substitute them with
the basic chord. C instead of Cadd2 etc.

I'm mostly interested in scale (minor/major) based chords
and not so much in jazz chords like Em6b9.

Cheers,
- Martin

[tone]

I think it mostly depends on what instrument I'm playing. I can usually hear where I want the bass and top notes to go, so I usually build the chord around that if I'm playing the piano. But the guitar's a bit more restricting, so I'll often jump to familiar shapes, and only fiddle about with them if they're not working. As a rule though I like to mix up the inverted chords and extended chords with the plain chords as much as possible. It adds a variety and texture I like, and stops the music from sounding too predictable.

I agree entirely about substituting the plain chord where the extended one should be though - it changes the sound and feel completely in most cases. I like the ambiguity of chords like D/G and Bb/C, they're sort of half way between two distinct chords, and can be heard either way depending on the context.

[adamfarr]

I don't have all the theory down, but I think there are a few interesting aspects to try:

- variation - if you come back to the same chords often then it can be good to have a variation that retains the progression but has a different flavour. So even in a blues, instead of V7, then other dominants can work - V9, V13...

- substitutions - the jazz chords topic the other day was quite interesting - I noticed I was using a Bm6 but with a flat 6. So I was using all the same notes as a GMaj7. Or DMajor shares almost all notes with Bm7. Interchangeable? Could be...

- transition - you can slot in an altered chord in between two triad chords. The VIIº7 is a great one for this - with 2 notes next to chord tones they can pull naturally to one of them.

- voice leading - this may be more about inversions but often you can see common notes between chords so you can move by changing as little as possible. Or you can add cromatic notes that aren't normally in the chord to give movement (descending bassline is obvious example, though those seem to end up being called slash chords G/F# etc.)

- just style and flavour. m7 works surprisingly well in rock. Trying all 7ths in a progression just to see can be an eye opener...

[Boydie]

I do think the chord variations/extensions can sound wildely different depending on what instrument they are played on

Coming from a guitar background I would say...

I now automatically play a 9th chords for the IV and V chords in a 12 bar blues - in A I would play A7, D9, and E9 - I just personally love the bluesy/jazzy/funky feel of these chords played at the 5th fret for the A & D and 7th fret for the E

There is also the famous "Hendrix" chord - E7#9, which sounds great in rock

The Maj 7 chords are my instant "guitar jazz" chords to add a bit of sophistication to a piece

I particularly like adding Maj 7 chords to songs in Minor keys by using the relative Majors

Eg - in the verses of this song (which is in Gm) I use Minor 7 chords and a Major 7 chord (Gm7  Cm7  EbMaj7  Dm7)

In the chorus I then contrast this with mainly Maj 7 chords: Bb7  FMaj7   Gm

https://soundcloud.com/boydiemusic/why-would-i?in=boydiemusic/sets/boydie-original-songs


When I am playing funk I also use 11th chords to add a bit more interest and movement - eg moving between 9th and 11th chords by movng one finger

I hope that gives you some ideas and "food for thought"

[Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra]

For me using extended chords are an aid to my writing in that they excite my interest in a way that simple triads might not. They take me to different places. Even if I might/could revert to the straight chord eventually, it's messing about with the possibilities that often gets the song going in the first place. 

Having now got to a point where I use sevenths as second nature, I can now play a simple triad (not on the piano unless you chop two of my fingers off!) and be inspired anew.

So I think that drawing on everything in your armoury gives you a wider choice of direction and also inspires you more.

Yep, almost always 9ths for blues especially on the IV chord. In fact I like to mix them up a bit so for a slow blues (St Pete's Blues-Ray Charles) I'll play

Bb7 | Eb9 | Bb7 F7 | Bb9
Eb9 (nice chromatic slides down to D9, back, then up to E9) | Eb9(more slides) | Bb7 F7 | Bb9
F9 | Eb9 | Bb7 Eb9 | Bb7 F7.........nice slide from B9 to Bb9 in bar 8 too!

The slides work with 7ths too of course but nicer with 9ths!

That 'Foxy Lady' chord works well too in minor blues as the 'going-back-to-the-fifth' at the end of the prog before hitting the tonic minor again. Has a nice hanging in the air quality. On the piano I usually use a sharp 5 too so E-Ab-C-D-G

Like it too in 'Hold On' by JJ Cale...think it's Am-E7#9 the main bit.

Extended chords.....love 'em!

[Neil C]

Hi,
I dont consciously know any theory and I've stolen recycled an idea of occasionally throwing in a jazzy chord into some pop or rootsy songs just to provide a point of difference and contrast.
 
neil