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Ok so I've been studying basic theory again and I'm playing guitar again and I was going through I vi IV V progressions, and I made up a chord on the fly. It contains the notes G A D E. How do I classify this chord so I can use it in different keys?

isnt that a G6/9

rayman612 wrote:isnt that a G6/9

idk i'm not versed in chord types besides major and minor

G6sus2 I believe because the 3rd is omitted

It would be an add9 if there was a third in the chord (B) been since it's not, it's a suspended chord which is neither major nor minor. Same goes for 4's or 11's. If there's a 4th and no 3rd, it's a sus4. But if there's a 4/11 AND a 3rd, it's an add11 chord.

Could be a Gsus, Asus, Dsus, or Eminor add11, really depends on the function of the chord in the surrounding harmony. I'd be most likely to hear it as an Asus. It transitions smoothly into a G major triad.

^^^True dat. I just figured since he listed G as the first note he'd want the for the chord with that as the root.

I need to learn more about this stuff.

bouncingfish wrote:I need to learn more about this stuff.

Hit up youtube man, music theory lessons. Or get a book with exercises.

zosomagik wrote:

bouncingfish wrote:I need to learn more about this stuff.

Hit up youtube man, music theory lessons. Or get a book with exercises.

I sure will. Watched Variens tutorials if you've heard of them? Got a basic understanding, kinda, but nothing more. Is it worth it? Or should I just spend all the time making tunes instead?

Really depends. If it's an issue for you at the moment then by all means dive in. But if your bottleneck is somewhere else then you're probably better off plugging away at some throwaway tunes to polish your production chops. A good understanding of modes, how to build a chord, and voice leading will set up a strong functional understanding of harmony. I wouldn't really spend my time too much on the rhythm side of theory learning since a lot of it relates to notation vs actually practical rhythmic knowledge. For that just check out some drum lessons for a lot of varying styles so you get an intuitive knowledge of rhythm. All depends on where's you're already strong and what's holding you back.

Regarding the chord in question, it's two stacked fourths a major second apart, which makes it pretty hard to classify in terms of traditional triadic harmony. Quartal harmony is pretty cool. Lots of floaty jazz chords to be made by stacking fourths instead of thirds. Good for reharmonization when you're trying to reduce a couple chords down to one instead of splitting a single chord up into multiples. Functionally, A sus takes the place of an A minor followed by D dominant, which is a ii-V in G major. ii-V progressions set up the tonic in the strongest way possible so playing ii-V or a ii sus chord is a quick way to establish a key center if you're modulating around. Sus chords crop up in modal jazz a lot for that reason. They make nice open piano chords too.

Another question. So I'm playing in G Major. How do I use seventh chords? The only that fits is G Major 7 so how do people really use them?

You could play C major7 D dominant7 and A,B,E, and F# minor7. But technically the F# should be a minor7 flat5

Most common in classical music would be D dominant 7th, being the V7 chord.

That's a whole lotta fourths...

Ambiguous chord. McCoy Tyner uses them a lot. Stacked fourth chord.

zosomagik wrote:You could play C major7 D dominant7 and A,B,E, and F# minor7. But technically the F# should be a minor7 flat5

Huh I was using the wrong formula for 7th chords.. lol

Is it always that case though? the 2,3, and 5 can be turned into a minor 7 where the 4 and 5 can be major 7th chords?


Man how did you guys memorize all this stuff?

ChadDub wrote:

zosomagik wrote:You could play C major7 D dominant7 and A,B,E, and F# minor7. But technically the F# should be a minor7 flat5

Huh I was using the wrong formula for 7th chords.. lol

Is it always that case though? the 2,3, and 5 can be turned into a minor 7 where the 4 and 5 can be major 7th chords?


Man how did you guys memorize all this stuff?

Yeah that is always the case for any major key, but the 5 is a dominant 7th chord not a minor 7. A dominant 7th is a major chord with a flatted 7th. Although, you could use a regular major 7 chord if you wanted, it doesn't sound horrible. As for memorizing the stuff, it's like memorizing formulas in math class. Chords and scales are completely relevant to one another, as you see the roots of the chords are the notes of the scale and so are all the rest of the notes in the chords. That's why the 2,3, and the 6 are minor, because the interval which dictates whether a chord is minor or major (the 3rd) is a minor 3rd as oppose to a major third in the major scale of that key.

doesnt help u with chord progressions but its REALLY useful anyway (especially the scales section):

http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/piano/