How do I play these chords?

[Terraform]

The astericks are the little degrees signs (dunno the alt code for the little thing) This is for a tryout for Jazz Band at school, and some of this stuff isn't in the chord finder. Please reply ASAP, the tryouts are monday.

C7(b5)/Gb

E*

Db*

C7b5

Emi6/Gb

Eb6/G

Cmi7/F

Bb/F

Bb13

F9/C

F9

F13

C7(b5)

That's exactly how they are on the music, and I can't find them anywhere. Please help. Thanks in advance.

[The Fury]

I would guess those degree signs mean a diminished chord, there is a secton on chord formation here: http://www.cyberfret.com/theory/chord-construction/basic/index.php - this will help you to know what all the numbers and stuff after the chord mean.

Anyway, the chords: (in the same order you posted them)


e¦-------0----4----3----0-----8-----8---------3---8----------10-----
B¦--5----0----5----5----2-----8-----8----3----3---8-----8----10------
G¦--3----0----6----3----0-----8-----8----3----3---10----10---10---
D¦--4----2----5----4----2-----8-----8----3----3---10----10---10----
A¦--3----1----4----3----2-----10----8----1----1---8-----8----8-----
E¦--2----0--------------2----------------1--------8-----------------


I think they're right, anyone want to confirm?

btw. I think C7(b5)and C7b5 are the same so I only did the first one.

I hope that helps.

[cyberfret]

There are some basic types of chords that are used in Jazz that you will want to memorize, the same way that you have memorized basic major and minor chord. Check out this lesson called Jazz 101. That lesson really just goes over the 5 basic chord types and 10 different chord forms. But it will be a start.

http://www.cyberfret.com/styles/jazz/101/index.php

A lot of times the chords that you see in a Jazz chart were written by a piano player. Piano players have the ability to play far more complex chords than guitar players. we only have 6 string and 4 fingers and maybe a thumb to use. They have 10 fingers. So sometimes they will write a chord that is just not possible for us to play. So guitar players will always simplify chord, or substitute a compatible chord in its place.

Step one in substituting is to leave out things like 9s and 13s to begin with. As you learn more about jazz chords you can add them back in. So when you see F9, you should think F7. When you see Bb13, you should think Bb7. This reduces the number of chords that you are going to have to get under your fingers in a short period of time.

Step two is to eliminate the slash chords. That means that Cm7/F becomes just Cm7. A Cm7/F chord is just a Cm7 chord with an F as the lowest sounding note. Well if you are playing in a Jazz band, the bass player will be playing that F so you don't need to worry about it. Cm7/F is easy enough to play, but there may be other chords where you will just want to eliminate the bass note, at least at first.

So here are some suggested chords fingerings. The Fury was mostly correct, but what I am going to do is give you some simplified options to try as well.

C7(b5)/Gb

This one has to make me chuckle a little, because who ever the person was who wrote the Jazz chart made this chord symbol way more complicated than necessary. A C7(b5) and a Gb7(b5) actually have exactly the same notes in them. A C7(b5) has the notes C E Gb and Bb. A Gb7(b5) has the notes Gb Bb Dbb(C) and Fb(E). Note that bb means double flat, lower a note by 2 half steps. So they should have just put Gb7(b5) :)

What The Fury put is technically correct, just a little difficult to play.

Here are 2 voicings for a Gb7(b5) on with the root on the 6th and one on the 5th. Numbers in parentheses are the finger you should use.

--------
--1(1)--
--3(4)--
--2(3)--
--------
--2(2)--


--------
-11(4)--
--9(1)--
-10(2)--
--9(1)--
--------

Edim

The degree sign means diminished like The Fury said. There is only one note that isn't right in his voicing. Since a diminished chord consists of 1 b3 and b5, (E G Bb) he was right to take basic E chord form and lower the B to a Bb. But there is also a B note on the 2nd string open that needs to be dealt with. There is no E G or Bb note in a comfortable reaching distance to play on the 2nd string. That is one reason that it is not very common to play plain 3 note diminished chords on the guitar. Most of the time when you see a chart that just says Edim ( or the degree sign ) they really mean Edim7. The addition of that extra note (Db in this case) makes all of the difference in the world as far a ease of fingering.

So here is The Fury's chord with a Db on the 2nd string.

--0-----
--2(4)--
--0-----
--2(3)--
--1(1)--
--0-----

Here are a couple of others to try.

---3(4)--
---2(2)--
---3(3)--
---2(1)--
---------
---------


----------
---8(4)---
---6(1)---
---8(3)----
---7(2)---
----------


Dbdim

If you play what The Fury put, that is a Dbdim rather than a Dbdim7, that is fine.....just leave out the 1st string, that is the only note that is incorrect.

Diminished 7th chords are funny in that any note in the chord could be considered the root. They are symmetrical chords, all of the notes are the same space away. So if you where playing the notes of a diminished 7th chord all on one string you would play a note, move up 3 frets play the next note, move up 3 frets play the next note, up 3 frets and play the next...then up 3 and you are back to the first note an octave higher.

With that said. You could take the 2 voicings that I gave you for Edim7, move them up or down 3 frets at a time and you would have the exact same chord, just with the notes in a different order. Well a Db is down 3 frets from an E. So those are really just the same chords. Probably confusing until you learn more about theory, but you could technically just play the same thing for both chords.

If you want to actually play the chord so that Db is the lowest sounding note, here is what you could play.


----------
---5(4)---
---3(1)---
---5(3)----
---4(2)---
----------


C7(b5)

Same fingering as the Gb7(b5) just with the root being C

--------
--7(1)--
--9(4)--
--8(3)--
--------
--8(2)--


--------
--5(4)--
--3(1)--
--4(2)--
--3(1)--
--------

Emi6/Gb

Play what the Fury put, or just leave out the Gb base note an play this.


--------
--5(1)--
--6(2)--
--5(1)--
--7(3)--
--------

Eb6/G

Play what the Fury wrote

--8(1)--
--8(1)--
--8(1)--
--8(1)--
-10(3)--
--------

or leave out the G and just play Eb6.

--8(3)--
--8(3)--
--8(3)--
--8(3)--
--6(1)--
--------


Cm7/F

Play what The Fury wrote

--8(1)--
--8(1)--
--8(1)--
--8(1)--
--8(1)--
--------

or if you need a voicing a little lower on the neck just leave out a F bass note and play a Cm7.


--3(1)--
--4(2)--
--3(1)--
--5(3)--
--3(1)--
--------


Bb/F

Play what The Fury wrote, or leave out the bass note and just play Bb barre chord, root on the 6th or 5th. If you don't know your basic major and minor barre chord.....your in trouble going into a Jazz band situation :)

Here is a lesson
http://www.cyberfret.com/chords/barre/index.php

Bb13

*note to The Fury, you took a wrong turn somewhere on the next 2 :)

Here is a Bb13

--------
-10(4)--
--9(3)--
--8(2)--
--------
--8(1)--

or substitute one of the Bb7 voicings below.

--1(1)--
--3(4)--
--1(1)--
--3(3)--
--1(1)--
--------



--6(1)--
--6(1)--
--7(2)--
--6(1)--
--8(3)--
--6(1)--

F9/C


--------
--8(4)--
--8(3)--
--7(1)--
--------
--8(2)--


Or just play an F7 in one of these 2 places.


--8(1)--
-10(4)--
--8(1)--
-10(3)--
--8(1)--
--------


--1(1)--
--1(1)--
--2(2)--
--1(1)--
--3(3)--
--1(1)--


F9


--------
--8(4)--
--8(3)--
--7(1)--
--8(2)--
--------

or again play one of the F7 voicings above




F13


-10(4)--
--8(3)--
--8(3)--
--7(1)--
--8(2)--
--------

--------
--3(4)--
--2(3)--
--1(2)--
--------
--1(1)--

or again play one of the F7 voicings above

OK, I need a nap after that one :)

--Shawn

[The Fury]

And the award for the longest ever post goes to...:D

Writing out thoses chords was a learning experience for me as much as anything. I guess I got a bit bogged down at the end :)

Well done Shawn.

[Perfect4th]

Originally posted by The Fury
Well done Shawn.

Dittos.

Peace!

[Terraform]

Thanks soooo much! I just have one more question. I don't know where i'm supposed to play the chords! ((like on the ones you can play in several places on the fretboard)) does it really matter? And will the teacher care if I use simplified fingerings?


edit: This all seems so complicated! I hardly know any chords, or anything about chord formations (My teacher never really taught me anything but the minor pentatonic scale, open chords, and the song Heart-Shaped Box) and Jazz is completely new to me. I don't even know if I'm ready for Jazz, or if I even wanna play it at all.

[cyberfret]

Where you decide to play the chord depends on where you are coming from and where you are going. You want to try and play the chords so that you don't have to make big leaps up and down the neck. Your teacher will probably not even know that you are simplifying a chord. Most high school band directors know very little about theory or Jazz. And it is completely valid to simplify the chord structure, so they should not have a problem with it.

Now as to helping you make the decision of whether or not you want to learn how to play Jazz.....I can't help you there. Jazz is the most complex form of music chord wise. There is a lot to learn. But it sure beats the monotony of songs with all power chords :) If more rockers learned some more of these types chords we wouldn't have such overuse of one dimensional chords in songs. Look to groups like Incubus or the Stone Temple Pilots for rock with jazz chords.

Ignorance is Bliss

ahhhh........but Knowledge is Power :)


--Shawn