Extended Chords - 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths

Into the great beyond! This lesson is all about chords that use 5, 6, or even 7 notes. Things like Gmaj9 or Em11. This is definitely an advanced lesson, so make sure you know all about 7th chords first.

[@alexsharp3481]

do you realize how useful these videos are for guitar? I've learned so much from these. thank you so much

[@mattfreeman927]

*Same here, pal!!*

[@martinbCZ]

yep, same here :D

[@churlesjenkins4338]

Alex Sharp I know dude. I've been searching for an explanation for extended chords on guitar about what notes you can leave out and when he mentioned leaving the 5th out I was like ohh duhhh!!!!

[@donszabo7558]

me too. I now have a keyboard and I learn stuff on that first and then apply it to the guitar.

[@josemariasosaresendiz8286]

for bass guitar also 🎸

[@shanearnold7781]

I remember my AP Music Theory teacher last year was terrible and spent the class stroking his ego instead of teaching the material so I marathoned a bunch of these before the test, got the only 5 out of my whole year with over 40 students. Thanks Michael, your videos saved me

[@TuanHoang-hb2id]

Shane Arnold ur so right . He has talent at teaching . I had to drop the music theory class at college before cause the professor 👩‍🏫 didn’t even know what she was talking about . Not many good music theory teachers out there ....😏

[@brandbird]

Wonderful lesson, as usual. Time just flew by. At first I though "ugh, 20 min advanced lesson on chords, wonder if I can watch this in one go", but when it ended, I wanted more and can't wait for the next one. Thank you, you are an inspiration.

[@noecaz4191]

Agreed

[@baselinesweb]

1.5 in the speed settings works great.😁

[@Moe-wn9rc]

true lol

[@JohnDoe-sz3lz]

Using the thumb to play the C and the D in that Cm9 inversion was dope.

[@valeriekuhn3746]

Why?

[@ArneWidding]

Which means that the 9 and 11 chords bascially work the same as the sus2 and sus4 chords... Tension.

[@DrINTJ]

You're the best music teacher on KZbin. At first I thought you were too slow and you repeat things but that's how I teach physics and engineering so I realise how annoying it can be, so I realised it's because of how much you care about getting the idea through with all the nuance and clarity. Thank you.

[@QrchackOfficial]

Actually, the "problem" you're referring to towards the end with losing the root note is pretty much fundamental to my arrangements :D Add 9s, 11s and shift them around, then drop a bassline which keeps the root more or less intact, instant jazz arrangement!

[@MichaelNew]

Let's see what I misspelled this time.

[@adrin181]

haha, not this time good video as always!

[@LeoUnna]

+Michael New How do Slash Chords work. can you explain please

[@Fetrovsky]

+Michael New 9ths. The th has to be smaller and superscript. :P

[@MichaelNew]

+Daniel Jesús Valencia Sánchez Oh come on. My handwriting is way too bad to be trying for that kind of subtlety.

[@Fetrovsky]

:D just messing with ya

[@Vivi-mp9nn]

i am 15 and From germany. i love Music i listen To any genre all day long and i get mad when i dont have music. sadly we don't have a lot of money. so i teached myself how To play soprano flute At 6 Years and later learned the flute, violin and Saxophon. i can't afford any of these instruments because i saved 8 Years to by myself a piano. i have never played it i just know alot about music and how basic songwriting works. the day it came i already composed my very first Own song that i than recorded. all my knowledge is bades on your wonderful Videos that break down music theory and Maded it look so easy that i just started. i want To thank you so much for these Videos they are so great! i feel so intelligent when i listen to music and recognize (did i write it wrong? i have no idea) things you thaught me. its so cool seriously keep it up you are wonderful.

[@paulawilliamson637]

vivi Schwarz Wow, you are an the amazing person!!!! I pray that all of your musical dreams come true, you are already a beautiful inspiration to me.

[@hans-joachimbierwirth4727]

When i was 15 i barely had the money to buy a kazoo. Although i already wrote sinfonies for kazoo and bongo when i was four years old.

[@stevepecora1527]

"reach an 11th... on a good day" hilarious. great work as usual Michael, you're videos are some of the best out there for music theory!

[@stevemartin4249]

Even though I'm only a beginning jazz guitarist, not a keyboard player at all, your explanations are a ton of help in trying to take those complex harmonies apart and put new ones together. Much thanks!

[@casparuskruger4807]

There IS such a thing as b15 chord. For instance, a C7b15 is the notes ( theoretically ) C, E, G, Bb, B ( in next octave ). It sounds rather discordant is resolved very quickly. On piano it would normally be played Bb, E, G, B--over a C bass note. It appears in the song Sexy Sadie by the Beatles ( Ab7b15 ) in the bridge in a sequence of A7, Ab7-15, G. ( Although this chord is never indicated in any song book! ) Sounds great! Cheers!

[@jeobrien46]

I've watched several videos on this subject but this lesson is the most complete and easiest to understand. In particular, your explanation of playing extended chords with the left hand while your right hand is busy with the melody is something I've been searching for. All of the other videos seem to use two hands to play extended chords and don't address the issue of playing the melody with the right hand unless the melody note happens to be the top note of the extended chord. Your videos are just excellent and will be my "go to" videos from now on. even though I am studying piano, I think your videos apply to guitar as well.

[@jamielarot8226]

Awesome teaching of these chord extensions on the Piano which also can be applied to Guitars. I know that there's only seven notes in the musical scale but adding these extensions and voicings of chords make it sound really wonderful to the ears. You really unlocked the mystery of these chord extensions and how to apply them in a meaningful way. I started playing guitar when I was about 13 years old and memorized most of the chords from the major to the 9s, 11s, and 13s. But it's different finger positioning on the Piano keys which I struggled to learn throughout the years due to the massive 88 keys on the Piano. I play pretty much all the instruments except the horn section but all have and are playing the same musical scales with different tonalities. Thanks for sharing and for teaching the most intriguing chord extensions of the God given musical gifts to all of us.

[@andymac7333]

Michael, thank you so much for your theory lessons. I've learned so much from you. I really love the accessible language, and the calm and thoughtful manner which you explain things. Your videos zero in on the core of concepts very quickly, it's very satisfying as a student. Every video has taught me something or given me a new perspective on something I thought I understood. Thank you.

[@agreedj3063]

3 yrs later, this is still helpful. 5 stars on the teaching board, I am a visual person and need those types of break downs, two months into learning the piano and these types of tutorials help significantly.

[@ckitout12]

Thank you so much for helping me learn the names of extended chords.. Because I learned to play by ear, I never actually learned the chord names. With this video you have made it all clear to me! God bless you, Michael..

[@cyl5207]

Thank you, Michael. Every lesson you teach is so helpful to me.

[@JuanRamirez-qy9wm]

Michael: 15,17,19 don't exist Jacob Collier: hold my beer

[@nicklaskragbe1075]

so true lol

[@magenoir999]

I don't know Jacob's work that well but I'd guess it's because he uses perfect intonation or really weird scale that repeats every three octave or something like this.

[@Coconuification]

This dude is so good at laying out music. Ive learned so much, and he as answered so many questions that have puzzled me.

[@andrewwilson711]

All great videos you have produced Explained in lots of good detail well done!

[@dangidelta]

Thanks Michael for all the invaluable insight you've offered so far through all of your wonderfully articulative lessons...hope you keep posting more of such beautiful masterpieces

[@blasborg]

Suuuper informative, thank you!!! Loved the bit about which notes to leave out when you need to. Also cool to hear how the different voicings can make the same chord sound amazing in different ways

[@charlesdollar930]

I can't thank you enough for these videos, man. You take everything so slow and steady, there's no better way to teach this kind of s**t. I don't know why my college professors could never figure that out, they just treated me like I wasn't cut out for it (of course cause I'm a guy who has ADD/ADHD.)

[@HardlySimpleFilmsFCX]

Great lesson, I'd also just like to point out, you can always play the root note in octaves with your left hand and play the rest of the chord in the right hand. Also, I always like the m9 inversion where the root is in the left hand, and the right hand plays (in this order) 7th, 9th, 3rd 5th.

[@KarlHamel]

I always had trouble learning and mastering music theory. I used to find this boring and tedious. It's starting to feel easier and I did see a lot of improvement in my playing as well. Thanks for everything!

[@ChristopheLambin]

Great lesson. Never realised that, say an 11 chord, should include all the lower 3rds as well (guitar player here. As you said, with only 6 strings, it's just not practical). Now I understand why a Csus2 and a C9 aren't the same chord. Thanks a lot!

[@stevenkual5888]

Please you simplified everything thank you so much.

[@akuseru2116]

this was uploaded on april 1, it's fake, these chords don't exist

[@victorcoyenn]

Good point! Guess it's the same reason why this video doesn't exist either (:

[@cjoneill9837]

Victor Coyenn Hahahahahah

[@ryanchicko9487]

you don't need big hands, just invert the chords to the 2nd or 3rd inversion. I usually play the 4th inversion on those big extended chords. I don't have big hands either.

[@cameronwhite9959]

A quote from Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap "By the time you've counted to 13, the song's over" ;-)

[@moy9022]

Thanks for this lesson. You're a great teacher. 🎉

[@fornkly]

Usually I leave off the root and play it in the bass if I can, this way I reach the extended chords, or I'll just mush them together like suspendeds with the third

[@MattJDayton]

Best theory vids on youtube in my opinion, you're the only subscription I keep checking on for new vids :)

[@battle-techs]

Where did you come from?! I've watched Masterclasses that are not this simple to understand. I can't tell you how long I've been trying to understand these concepts. You're a really good teacher. Dare I call you Master Splinter of composition comprehension.

[@newyorkfilharmonik110]

I've been really shy about asking about chords because I pretty much learn on my own, and there's a big gap between my knowledge and the people I can ask, (professional musiicians). without sounding stupid. Thanks for this video, it will take me a long way, if I can find the time to play.

[@tevbuff]

Thanks a lot Michael New for these theory videos. I'm a aspiring and self taught musician. Learning about Music by yourself can be overwhelming because there is so much learn. Your videos really help man.

[@joshjohayes]

The way in which this video is filmed is absolutely stunning! Thanks for the lesson!!! :)

[@beachforestmountain4269]

Awesome as always Michael - thanks. It would be good if you could show us a simple way of choosing transition chords in chord progressions for jazz. The chords which are most commonly used in jazz to transition from one chord in a progression, to another. I can hear that jazz almost always has transition chords between base-chord changes. Also a formula for jazz running-basslines, explained in intervals would be great.

[@MichaelNew]

+human practitioner You know I haven't spent all that much time playing jazz so I'm hesitant to get too far into the weeds, but I will think about that. I may try to cover more jazz-specific things in the future when I can dedicate more time to thinking about it.

[@nattifunk6683]

Excellent lesson very clear I am watching all your videos

[@lolmingjun]

was learning coding for my next job during quarantine but end up learning music theory from Michael

[@dangidelta]

Same here buddy...guilty as charged... procrastinating on coding through music theory

[@jsissons13]

Hey thanks man, I've been looking forward to this lesson! Cheers for relating it to guitar at the end there as well. Love your work, excited for the next!

[@MichaelNew]

+Jack Sissons I'm going to try and remember to do that more often. I'm starting to suspect that most of my viewers aren't actually piano players.

[@iacopoantonelli1979]

Wonderful, you are really good. You explain complex concepts making them simple.

[@-cloudsaboveuscrying-6805]

You just explained to me what my uni teacher never did (because he took for granted that eeeverybody knew!) So thanks you man! It was really helpful!

[@TheSunshinedreamer1]

I will use them as rolled chords and arpeggios:) Thank you:)

[@pranav7374]

Summing it up : Try to get rid of unimportant notes without changing the tone of the chord so that you can actually play these big chords with your hands. The Maj/min/Aug/dim naming always applies to all the stack of 3rds other than the extension(ofc the the 5th remains the same in every case) which is generally denoted with sharp/natural/flatten. If you're music at that point of time is harmonized with a bass try getting rid of the fundamentals like root & 5th so that they don't stack up in harmony. These aren't formulas but general rules,feel free to break em. PS:Please correct me if I am wrong....this is just a conclusion to paste it in your own theory book. Michael you're great

[@MichaelNew]

+Pranav Raykar I think that's a pretty fair summary. The one point I'd clarify is that an augmented or diminished chord will alter your fifth, although they aren't nearly as common as major and minor. And jazz likes to be extra confusing sometimes by calling a chord a minor chord, but then putting "b5". Which effectively makes it a diminished chord, like in the case of a min7b5 chord. I'll probably bring that up in the next lesson.

[@lolloled1]

Very informative and fun to watch, thanks Michael!

[@JoGarciaWav]

What a wonderful explanation...thanks so much!!

[@sebastianalmanza4756]

3 years of piano and I didn’t understand this until you explained it. Tysm!!!

[@AndyBankside]

Likewise, I'm a guitarist and thank you for an outstanding lesson.

[@Kasper-mu4ov]

seriously awesome dude, best music lessons out there!

[@rob26b]

I have a question. Some people have explained to me that an extended chord, like an 11th chord would be played with 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. But others have said that the extended chords (9th, 11th, and 13th) is just a 7th chord with an added note so they would play an 11th as 1, 3, 5, 7, 11 and not play the 9th. Which is correct?

[@churlesjenkins4338]

rob26b both are correct. just depends on what sound you're after but they need the 7 at least.

[@gavindalton2238]

That’s where you can get creative. You can play whatever notes you want to get your desired sound. The most common note to drop is the 5th, as it’s not as much a defining tone as the 3rd or 7th.

[@waelnoorelahi5692]

You are the best music theory teacher I've ever seen on KZbin . I really think you should have your own school. I have a request, I know all your videos are about music theory, but can you make a video about techniques. I really wish you make this video because you really explain things like no other. Regards and I wish you the best of luck.

[@MichaelNew]

I've been wanting to do some videos on technique for a while now. I'm trying not to spread too thin, but still I think I am going to start doing that before too long.

[@willieriley7054]

Good lesson!

[@albertvandrejer5003]

very very helpful as always! thank you michael

[@paulawilliamson637]

Michael New, you're a rockstar....... Thanks for your epic, eloquent, enormous, teaching skills & knowledgeable musicianship, I'm a 9101213th X's better at draping 7th chords & applying their extendedable duties. I just pretend that the tools or capabilities are in my bags (like final fantasy) & apply them to my chords.. --- this capability has definitely amped up my compositional capabilities ....... 💫

[@aaronmashburn763]

coming from a guitar player, this is tons of help. thanks bud, great teacher.

[@wildesTier51]

Hi, First of all, great video, thank you for sharing your knowlegde. I just wanted to discuss something you said : There is no higher extension than the 13th, because the 15th is like the root note. Actually, more and more (jazz) composers are using extended chords beyond the 13. For exemple, a lot of #15 chords can be found in Jacbo Collier music. He also wrote a specific voicing for a chord containing all the 12notes (what he called super-mega-hyper-ultra mixolydien or whatever, but he could also called it Dm7add15addb17...and so on). I know that the existence of the 15th degree (and higher) is still under debate, but I'm hearing 15th chords more often than I was expecting in modern jazz music. For me, writing #15 is more intention-related than descriptive : I like to compare it to the differences between Cm9, Cm2, and Cmadd9 (although it exists some "ontological" differences between the three chords related to these notations). What are your opinion uppon this ?

[@SoChillExplores]

Wow!!! Outstanding lesson !! Perfectly explained. Thank you so much !!!!!

[@victorcoyenn]

9:00 "City of Stars" from "La La Land" started playing in my head.

[@BravoBeats]

Could you do the church modes next? You make everything really easy to understand 👍👍

[@shanearnold7781]

This was great. Really looking forward to the next lesson.

[@sylvandelacruz]

Thanks, buddy, still appreciating your videos.

[@edgar18magallanes]

Wonderful lesson, thanks

[@3l84r70]

Mate! brilliant video! your explanation is so beautiful and simple. Thank you so much.

[@andreascordier2089]

Very nice lesson! Thanks for that! Could please show in the next lesson, when to use those extended chords when writing a chord progression?

[@jhdrummer4815]

Just found out how smoothly a minor 9th chord can blend into a minor 11th and then into major 9 with a proper voicing

[@derekbradford8271]

a c maj9 start at the third degree which is e and it ends on d this is also an E minor7

[@jurennn]

best teacher, period!

[@Angel-eb3ri]

Please dont stop uploading now!

[@will_silvano]

Thanks for keeping this lesson basic! You nailed the explanation; seeing as I'm still following :D ... ONTO THE NEXT LESSON!

[@ven4202]

This channel is life saver

[@StepanCaveman]

If anyone is interested in practicing extended chords - altering, missing out the notes, syncopation (the bass note thing Michael was talking about), there is a great book over there - Jazz piano: the Linear Approach with examples and audio. (I learned about it from this channel, too)

[@agostonpaless6629]

Great video! Thank you!

[@ricardorien]

We miss you!

[@ohwhen7775]

Hey Michael great video on the introduction to extensions, but there's just something I wanna point out at 16:30 if ya don't mind. I'm not so sure taking away the 9th in this chord example is the best choice. My reasoning is this, the relationship that the m3rd has with the 4th *and* 2nd/9th, is very strong due to the notes only being a whole tone apart for the 4th, a semitone for the 2nd and major 7th interval for the 9th, (or inverted 2nd if you like) Not only are the proximity of these intervals strong and resonant, but ALL of those notes possess a lot of 5ths in there too, *C-G, D#-A#, G-D, A#-F*. That said I think you were right on the money in making the choice to take away the 5th out of that chord for the very reason you mentioned, that it's *not as effective* as the other intervals, plus you still have a lot of 5ths going on there without it! I mentioned the 5ths because they're regarded as the strongest sounding interval between two notes in music, or something like that right.. :P In the context of the voicing you initially played CD#GA#F - when you take away the 9th(A#) in this voicing, you're actually taking away a much more important note than the 11th, because by building the chord in 3rds the way you did, you're kind of cutting off an important "strength" or "core" that chord voicing once had prior to losing it by taking away the 9th. It's like cutting off a pillar to a building which is still standing but not as sturdy as it could be standing, best analogy I can give right now. To stick with the voicing you played - CD#GA#DF, One example I'll hear either Jazz pianists, composers for strings or Acapella musicians do is simply lower the velocity of the 9th (and/or 5th if there is one), especially if the melody in that chord is the 11th, because the 9th is very close and it could sound quite loud being that high up in the register next to the 11th, and could get in the way of a clear melody, this way adjusting the velocity means you keep the strength, so it's definitely there, just not as present in order to space out the chord and make the melody stand out more. The same would be applied if the melody was the 9th, this is where I'd hear the 11th get reduced in volume instead. I believe these musicians already have set velocities for certain voicings in place before they're even considered, I actually do as well and I'm not even a musician really, heheh. Look this is a really hard thing to demonstrate with words alone, and I really don't wanna sound like some tryhard keyboard warrior here on the internet, but I really do believe what I'm saying is valuable here musically. Cheers.

[@MichaelNew]

+Essentially Instrumental That's a very interesting and well reasoned perspective. I can't really offer much of a logical defense, other than the fact that, to me, a C-11 sounds more similar to a C-11 with a missing 9th than it does to a C-9. I think it's a difficult thing to work out "on paper" so to speak. The ninth may have strong relationship with the notes around it, but in the case of an 11th chord (depending on how you invert things), you have a 2nd between the 7th, root, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. You can almost start to think of it as secundal harmony. And it's hard to say which notes are more important. To me, the 4th (or 11th) has a very distinct sound, and it contributes more (again, in my mind) to the overall quality of the chord. I think this is all a subjective thing in the end, because ultimately you're trying to decide what "sounds better". My highly subjective judgement is that I'd rather drop the 9th before the 11th if I'm trying for an 11th chord harmony.

[@ohwhen7775]

***** I think your judgment is correct in dropping 9ths in m11 chords, and musically I agree. I'd just voice it differently is all. Let's forget C for a second and move down to Am and voice it 1734 - AGCD, that's a pretty voicing for just four notes, it doesn't need the 9th because it's already got an abstract chord hidden in there which is the GCD on its own, this voicing can be and is applied to soooo many chords in music, ugh.. so much to talk about when it comes to chords man. Also, you might be thinking that if the melody was the 11th here that the 3rd is too close but you know what, who cares, it sounds good/strong/resonant, it cuts through nicely, and again if you were arranging acapella's/strings you can always just lower the 3rd or try and play it softer on the piano/guitar. Thanks for the reply and considering my comment! Cheers.

[@danielpianist9960]

Thanks a lot teacher. I have learned important thing that I needed so much to know.

[@splashfizz]

Thanks! That helped clear up a bunch of questions I had on this.

[@lawrnc1424]

I really appreciate your lessons, thank you!

[@BOER1717]

awesome as always, thanks heaps! Could I suggest a video idea? Chord substitutions :D

[@xPBKM4x]

You are an amazing theory teacher. You should be getting paid. And not the crap 80¢ per 1,000 views KZbin pays.

[@legosteveb]

Love you tutorials thanks so much. Noticed you said you could drop the 5th. I wonder if that works because the harmonic overtone of the tonic will always ring out as a fifth. So by playing the tonic you're also playing the fifth. Well the fifth above the octave anyway.

[@B3burner]

Extended chords. Funny I always told my musician friends that they're "extension chords" ... and I wondered why they reached into their gig bags to try to hand me a 15 footer, thinking I couldn't reach the power strip!

[@Albertmars32]

hey can you make a video of how to make those avicii chords? like the one in waiting for love. dont show how he made it show how to come up with those type of chords if you know what i mean, cheers!

[@elijahg2009]

Awesome channel, very concise explanation. Thanks!

[@doncaviness7961]

I tried to read a wiki page to understand this. It did not go very well. Thanks a lot. You teach well.

[@pipsmediaentertainmnet4314]

This is an old video, but maybe you or someone else could answer this. As far as composition goes, in which cases would one use an extended chord. I saw the video where you explain suspended chords and where and why one would use them, so I'm asking a similar question for these chords.

[@hopesonmakokha5217]

Pips Media Entertainmnet hmm it's tricky to use these in composition (to me anyway), but I usually use it at the end of a composition, I find it gives a nice sense of conclusion. extended chords can be very climatic if you wish to end a composition with energy, or they can sound very warm when used at the end to calm a composition

[@lerouxl8139]

use them anywhere you like. these chords are jazzy as fuck and add so much color. just find another chord that resolves with it just like you would with basic major and minor chords.

[@colmivers]

In classical common practice, 11th isnt really treated as a chord but you could analyze it as such. The ninth and 13th are typically used on the dominant chord resolving down to the tonic so like G13 - C Rock and pop use 9 chords quite a bit for flavour and jazz uses 9, 11 and 13s with reckless abandon, wont pretend to understand, the theory with jazz is very different to my background and gets very tricky

[@MrLucy58]

Can you do a lesson that tells WHEN we should use these ? What chords do they substitute for? Thanks Rich Dunn

[@guloguloguy]

WOW!!!! THANK YOU, VERY MUCH!, FOR THIS VERY INTERESTING, AND CONCISE, WELL EXPLAINED LESSON!!! ARE THERE SOME RECOMMENDED "DRILLS", OR "EXERCISES" TO WORK ON, THAT YOU HIGHLY RECOMMEND?....(FOR GUITAR, AND OR KEYBOARD),.... PERHAPS SIMPLE, USEFUL CHORD PROGRESSIONS, USING SOME OF THESE CHORD TYPES,... (?)... PERHAPS YOU COULD DEMONSTRATE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE, (MOST USED/BEST), MOVEABLE GUITAR CHORD SHAPES....

[@thiccnicc7530]

Got a theory midterm tomorrow. Thanks.

[@scotstandard]

Great lesson! Love to hear you talk theory! Maybe in next weeks video add where, when, how to use these chords in a progression? Thank you!

[@MichaelNew]

+scotstandard Not sure if I'll try to tackle that in the next lesson since that's quite a big topic on it's own. But a lot of people have been asking for that, so I may start planning a lesson on that soon.

[@Lumonless]

If you use solfege, the whole counting system from the root is a hell of a lot easier. As well as to see the triads.

[@mychemicalphanickingdiscop6630]

Great video once again!!

[@hrmerr]

Really enjoyed this. Thanks!

[@groovemachine3512]

Great lesson, very well explained

[@floral5371]

beast! thanks for the lesson!

[@Roczamillion7777]

Love ur videos man, learned so much from them.. keep it up!

[@destinylucero9118]

Thank you so much!

[@atombomb31458]

excellent vid--excellent teacher

[@karendengel7821]

What about rootless chords? You answered my first question below at the end of the video. Thanks.

[@Auldhelm]

oh.. so thats how it works! great video!