Understanding 7, 9, 11 and 13 chords

[@pierrekopa3116]

This is the KZbin that should never have changed: clear and concise explanation of what you want to learn. Thank you so much Suz ! 14 years ago, you decide to record yourself explaining 7, 9, 11 and 13 chords, and today, I could learn it thanks to that

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

That is so cool, isn't it?! I'm a big fan of life long learning, and of sharing one's knowledge.

[@StevenDoyleYes]

thank you! 15 year old video still helping beginners :)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@rivers9135]

Ive been playing guitar for 20 years. This is the first time i understood extensions so clearly. You’re a genius.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thank you for you nice comment, and I'm glad you found this helpful. I teach guitar and piano, and find that theory is easier (at least for me) to understand on piano, as it is so linear, whereas guitar has so many different strings and frets, that it makes "seeing" the notes trickier.

[@willyeklof]

bless you for imparting such mysterious knowledge so plainly

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thank you!

[@matthewslounge7769]

Summed it up perfectly in just 4 minutes. And that's despite the crappy sound quality. No offense to your effort in the audio though, but I just found your explanation to be succinctly informative, insightful, and clear-cut. Now I understood the permanence of those note numbers. Huge thanks to you, you've just affected my music career profoundly!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it. It's definitely time to get my piano tuned! :-)

[@brendancross4016]

Uh, over 10 years later and this video is still teaching people how to understand chords. Thanks so much for this!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! I'm glad it's helpful. Thanks!

[@adrianovelasquez2765]

Jesus! I spent countless hours figuring this out. You explained it so easily!!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! I'm glad you found it helpful! :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@TheTruth285 Good question! It depends on what key you are in. If your chords have all white notes (C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am Bdim), then even though you are playing only 2 notes of a given chord, you are in the key of C (or its relative minor, Am -- which uses the same 7 chords) -- and therefore, C - E - C is really playing 2 notes of the C chord. Likewise, E - G - E would be 2 notes of either the C chord (C-E-G) or the Em chord (E-G-B). The BASS notes (e.g. C, or E) also identify the chord for you.

[@jsmith1899]

exactly what I was looking for, real time saving video....thanks

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

+Jarrod Smith You're welcome! :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Of course, you can always choose to voice the chord with whatever notes you choose -- usually the 3 notes that sound best, e.g. the b7 3 and 13 (6 an octave higher) is a common voicing for a 13 chord (and the bass note (the 1) would be played in the left hand.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@TAYC34 Thanks for your comment and question. A 13 chord is made out of 1 3 5 b7 9 11 and 13 -- which is obviously WAY too many notes to play at once! So people choose the most important 3 or 4 notes to play, which is often (in the case of C13): The 1 (C) in the left hand (bass note) and the b7 (Bb) 3 (E) and 13 (A) in the right hand. Generally, 3, 7 and 9 (or 13) are the most important defining notes in a chord. :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. Not sure why eHow videos are not working. I'll see if I can find out why. Best Regards, Suz

[@Zoologic21]

There doesn't appear to be as many videos as there should be on extending the basic triad. Knowledge like this is crucial when it comes to playing with more colorfully and I really appreciate someone taking the time to explain this rarely discussed element of theory/playing.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thank you so much for your comment. I'm glad you you found the video useful!

[@ftoftheX]

Best teacher I'd ever heard.

[@MikeyMusique]

Thanks!!! I have been studying Jazz Theory for over a year!! This has really helped me refresh my memory and theory!! God Bless!!

[@richml1992]

MIND BLOWN when you showed why it's only 7 9 11 13 and not 8 10 12. Great lesson!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@yacattack20 Bm(add 11) would be made out of: 1 b3 5 11 B D F# E (play the E below the F#) -------------------- this is based on the building blocks of: 1 b3 5 b7 9 11 B D F# A C# E There are many ways to voice this. The easy way is to play 1 b3 11 and 5 (and leave out the b7 and the 9). The high number in a chord assumes all the skips down (e.g. 11 includes 9, b7, 5, b3, 1), but choose the best 3 or 4 notes to have the chord sound best to you.

[@DoubleReeds]

@DoubleReeds another exception is the sharp 11th (#11), which also leaves the third alone - and the fifth is not as important a note as the third, so the resulting "querstand" is ok. another complete exception is bebop, where chords are often played with 11ths and thirds, but otherwise they tend to cancel each other.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Well said, fretbuzz. Common voicings of chords include the root (1) in the left hand, and in the right hand, either notes 3 7 9, or 7 3 13(6 an octave higher). Lots more, but these are the more common ones.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Good point! Calling the F note the 11 (relative to C) would imply playing it in the octave ABOVE the C chord; while calling it Add4 implies being right next to the 3 and 5 notes of the chord (E and G).

[@markbetancourt8582]

Thank you so much! Other tutorials didn't make it clear that there was a difference between a 7 chord and a major 7 chord. You just ended quite a bit of confusion for me. You explain things very well.....I wish you were my teacher.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! Glad you found this helpful! :-) If you have topics you'd like to see covered in a future video, just let me know. All the best, Suz

[@Airjeam]

I've never seen a lesson so simple, and simultaneously so informative. You went right to the point, and I retained everything by the end of the video! Thank you!!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Good question! This video just talked about the main skips that make up a chord. However, you can always add other "neighborhood notes" (notes of the scale upon which the chord notes are based), which includes the 2 and 6, among others (e.g. C6 = C with a 6th added - C E G A; Cadd2 = C with a 2 added (C E G D). :-)

[@MrTBoneMalone]

Good Job Suz, You actually made this simple enough for most novice musicians to understand. Even as a person that studied music theory in collage, I don't think I could have explained it any easier then you just did.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@TAYC34 The more common chord voicing is to use b7 3 and 13 (which is the same as 6 an octave above) so with C13, of the notes 1C 3E 5G b7Bb 9D 11F and 13 A, you would play Bb E and A (the b7, 3 and 13). For my brain, I usually think the "6 note" an octave higher, rather than 13 (easier to think of on the fly). :-)

[@SamuelVillasisLacson]

I wish I have found this video long time ago, I'm novice musician that wants to explore the world of jazz but had hard time learning these, but you made it easy as it can be. You are just amazing, looking forward for more videos!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thank you! I'm taking a break from making videos, but hope to resume later this year. I appreciate the feedback.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@lobstertexas Good point. I should have said "most of the time" chords would have a 7, 9, 11 or 13. And that other times you might see chords with an added (or suspended) 2, 4, or 6. Thanks for pointing that out! :-)

[@alexallan-musicaaovivo500]

This is the first time someone explained this clearly enough to me. Simple does it! Thank you!!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it! :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yes! In practical playing, you would usually choose the most important 3 to play, which is either b7 3 6(13) or b7 3 5 6(13). It has a cool sound that is both dissonant, yet spacious.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Sometimes chords have a Major 7th (the natural 7 of the scale) instead of the dominant. Rock, pop, blues and jazz tends to use the dominant 7th more often, while Brasilian songs and some ballads use the Major 7th. Major 7th is soft and dissonant (e.g. as in Girl from Ipanema), while the dominant 7th has a stronger leading tone to the next chord (e.g. C E G Bb leads more strongly to the notes in the F chord - F A C). Thanks for your question :-)

[@draster541]

I’ve learned more here in 4min than any other site. Excellent Tutorial & easy to follow.😊😊😊😊😊

[@jonathaneasow1798]

I always thought that the 7,9,11,and 13 added in chords was just some fancy magic that made chords sound better(or worse), but explained it so well, thnx a lot!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Same here. I used to feel intimidated by those advanced chords, until I figured out that it was all based on skips!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@TheTruth285 I don't know the answer to that. A Google search resulted in an article about parallel scales -- but for simple playing, I think starting with understanding the basic triads gives you an important foundation for then moving to more advance chords (e.g. 13ths, 9ths, etc. in which you ADD notes to the basic triad). :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Good point. This video was introducing the concept for beginners, hence showing all the chord notes in root position. Pianists usually voice 13 chords using 3 notes: 7 - 3 - 13 with the root in the bass. But voicing advanced chords is a whole other video! :-)

[@stephenrinet6980]

I was listening to a jazz musician many years ago. He said something about 9ths and 13ths. I never thought to look that up until today. Thanks to your video I know wbat that means now.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! I'm glad this was helpful. I was confused about this for years, until I realized all those skips were based on the notes in the scale.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@slapmyfunkybass Good points, Mr. Funkybass. :-) This video was intended for beginners, to show the logic behind how to build 7, 11, and 13th chords. Of course, with advanced chords, it's all about choosing which notes to play. Most commonly, people choose to play the 3, b7 & 9, or the b7, 3 and 13 (AKA 6 an octave higher). Guess that's the subject for my next video. Thanks!

[@Samstraysongs]

Cmaj7....love to end my Doo Wop songs with a major 7th. I now know how to play C13th, Thanks again for the fun lesson!

[@MrFireblade67]

Well that's just what I needed. I am self learning guitar. I love blues and funk which seem to spend most of the time playing 7,9, @ 13 chords.

[@DoubleReeds]

the 11th in a chord iplies the omission of the third, because the third is an important higher note and the 11th is a tension note which scrapes against the third (querstand, i dunno the english word). a 13th in a chord implies a third with the omission of the 11th.one exception is in a minor chord, where the 9th, despite the "querstand", is not usually omitted but seperated by an octave. the 11th is ok with the third in minor chords.

[@Tom-qh8rh]

Same as Alex: this is the first time I've understood what the heck is going on! Much easier to understand visually on piano, for us poor guitar players! Thanks!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

You're welcome! I play piano, uke, and piano, and find that theory is much easier to show/ understand in the more linear format of the keyboard. :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Cmaj9 = C E G B D (1 3 5 maj7 9). Ditto with 11 or 13. the word "maj" BEFORE a number means use the natural 7th of the scale (whether its below a 9, 11 or 13). if the word "maj" is not there, it implies playing the dominant 7, which mean the note a half step below the major 7th (e.g. 1 3 5 b7 9), whether or not it includes an 11 or 13 above. The key is the word "maj" directly after the fundamental chord name that defines what the 7 does.. C7 = C E G Bb // Cmaj7 = C E G B.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@SuzDoyleMusic P.S. I took music theory in college and considered much of it tedious, pedantic, "busy work" kind of info, rather than practical performing musician info. Hence my quest to provide videos with what I consider to be more "user friend, practical" music theory. Huzzah!

[@fretbuzz59]

Don't confuse chord names w/chord voicings. In this video she builds the chords in root position (root or "1" as the bottom note). But in many cases the chords wouldn't be "voiced" that way. Voicing refers to the order of the notes. For example, a 7th chord could be voiced 1, 7 3, 5, which for many styles of music would sound better than root position. It's still a 7th chord, even though the order of the notes is different.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yes. A dominant 7th is when the natural 7th (relative to the scale from which the chord is made) is lowered a half step. :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Glad you enjoyed it! :-)

[@lautarosoad]

excelent explanation, and i mean, EXCELENT, i was having my own doubts about dominants, but yeah, your explanation its really perfect.

[@soundaddiktion2006]

Best piano lesson of my life xD

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! :-)

[@bridgetosomewhere8635]

Maybe for me, too. She makes it so easy to understand which will make it easier to remember.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@TheMindOfPat - Excellent question! I think everything in life (including music theory) is simply made up, and becomes "a rule" only when many or most people have agreed to it. Therefore, nothing is ever absolute. The more you learn, the less absolutes there seem to be. Therefore, I say go ahead and use whatever inversions you want -- as long as they feel right to you and express what you want. And anything I share is just my best understanding, and is always open to change with new info . . .

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yep! You're both right! :-) Although, technically, I would refer to those 4 notes as Cadd4 (as the F note is more often added to the chord next to the G note, rather than an octave up). But, it depends on the use.

[@JeffreyMiddelveld]

Very nice, but I would recommend a +11 on a major scale and a regular 11 on a minor scale, because of the distance between the 3rd and 11th (or 4th). When you play a Cmaj7 or C7, an added F (regular 11) will sound like you're playing a sus4 on top of the basic triad. Further than that, very good and clear explanation!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Good points! :-)

[@humanhamburger]

Short and sweet and to the point, thank you for the explanation, I now know something I didn't before.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Good question! When voicing chords, the most common things is to have the root in the left hand, and the 3 b7 and 9 in the right hand. With a 13th chord, you'd have the 1 in the bass, and the b7 3 and 13 (also called the 6th an octave higher). If playing ALL the notes, it's best to always have the root (name) of the chord be the lowest note, and therefore, it most likely will sound best to have the 1 3 5 b7 in the Left Hand. However, experiment with it, see how it sounds in different ways! :-)

[@MikeyMusique]

Great Job on explaining! It's always good to have a refresher course!!!!! Kudos to u!!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

You'd call that C(add13). C13 assumes that the 11, 9, and 7 are added to the triad, whereas add13 means you just add the 13 (also known as the 6th an octave higher) to the basic triad. :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

A minor 7th means the chord is made out of a minor triad (1 b3 5) and a dominant (b) 7 -- e.g. Cm7 = C Eb G Bb. If playing a B natural on top of a Cm chord, you'd have a CmMaj7, which is C Eb G B (the official "scary movie chord.") !! Minor always refers to the 3 of a chord (Major chord vs. minor chord); 7 = b7, and Maj7 = the natural 7 of the scale. (It's almost backwards of how it might be!)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Good idea! I'll put that on the list of ideas to cover. Thank you!

[@Metamophisis]

Great video on keyboard 🎹! I love ❤️ you for this! I just got a chord wheel and I was trying to figure out the relationship of majors!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Awesome! Glad you like it!

[@julesclock]

This was super helpful lockdown learning, thank you Suz! Hope you're keeping well!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thank you! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@MinusMedley]

Awesome, well done!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thank you!

[@brentduanefoster]

I finally got the whole idea of the 13 chord! Always use the Dominant 7th!!! THANKS!!!! :-)

[@comaroniandrei]

Well i usually use Csus4 for those kind of chords as a guitarist, but yes Cadd4 can replace Cadd11 as it is the same note, just the pitch is different

[@maddi62]

Good introduction. The previous poster has a point though. Those musicians who use 9ths 11ths and 13ths generally have favoured 'voicings' that omit the more obvious harmonies, or 'invert' the chord to give cool sounding 'close harmonies'. Okay you only wanted to give the basics but its worth pointing out that the majority of higher degree chords are not actually played this way

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@slapmyfunkybass Are you omitting the root on bass, or on piano? Just curious! :-) I suspect that, as with much of music, there are diverse approaches and no real standards, especially across Jazz to Classical platforms. But then again, that's part of what makes things interesting!

[@DoubleReeds]

@SuzDoyleMusic you even get 10 as in b10, sometimes instead of #9.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@peterjordan16910 - Yes, that is true! Many people find it easier to think a "6" chord note than 13, e.g. :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@TheTruth285 Usually chords have 3 notes. If you play a 2 note chord, we still "hear" the 3rd note. So a C chord (C E G) would usually have all 3 notes, even if one of them is in the bass. Not enough room here to explain more, but you can download my free factsheets that explain chords on the teaching part of my website. KZbin won't let me post a web address, but if you Google Suz Doyle Music & click on the "teaching" part of my web site, you'll find free facthseets to download & play with.

[@alexrivera.churchpianist]

Just what another comment says: CLEAR AND CONCISE EXPLNATION OF WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN. Thank you so much.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Good question! It is my understanding that "suspend" means to replace the 3 of a chord with either a 2 or a 4 (e.g. Csus2 = C D G; Csus4 = C F G). So you could have a C13sus4, which would consist of (all notes) C F G Bb D F A -- although you would usually voice the chord with the most important 3 or 4 notes of it, e.g. C (in the left hand bass), and in the right hand: Bb F (or with the G as well) and A. Any other thoughts on this, anyone?

[@DoubleReeds]

@kamikaze90watermelon no not quite, of course there is always dissonance in any chord or interval other than unisons or octaves, especially when dealing with jazz extensions. a querstand is specifically the dissonance between two tones which are a minor second apart.

[@bluenoteinc]

Thank you for sharing. I look forward to viewing your other videos.

[@MrTBoneMalone]

Just a thought, would love to see how you would explain chord inversions. Something that can be a little more difficult for a younger musician to wrap their mind around.

[@TAYC34]

@SuzDoyleMusic I was thinking that you would play the something like the 1, 5, 9, and 13 with one and, and then something else with the other hand. I just thought it would be pretty hard to span 1 to 13 with one hand. So it sounds like it would be more typical to play the 1 with the left hand, and then maybe the 7, 9, and 13 with the right hand. Or maybe the 7, 9, and 13 dropped down one octave with the left hand, and then something else with the right hand?

[@ryanjlightful]

This was so incredibly helpful. Explained so perfectly by the loveliest voice 😊 thankyouuuu

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

You're welcome! Thanks for your kind comment.

[@ejcatalan]

Loved the explanation!!! it really helped, and very easy to understand

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

@theinck Yahoo! Glad you found this helpful. Hope theory gets easier! :-)

[@HeartSoulLeake]

Thank you for clearing up some very (prior to watching this video) intimidating music terminology!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

+HeartSoul Leake You're welcome! Enjoy!

[@taraguitar]

Outstanding - I can hear the penny dropping in my head - thanks so much for this lesson

[@mastertung7]

The very best video,on simply understanding those terms,thank you ..

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

You're welcome!

[@jaydentownsend5402]

its like something you thought you knew but made actually sensible in 4 mins.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@corneliojerez1791]

This was a wonderful explanation! Thank you!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

You're welcome! :-)

[@TheMindOfPat]

@SuzDoyleMusic This is what baffles me about music theory (despite over 10 years with it as a kid). The words "often" or "usually" or "by convention" or "most important" seem to come up a lot. What happens if you do or do not want specific "interior" notes? What happens if you want a different inversion? Or if you're not in a strictly "western" major/minor scale? I'm sure someone's figured it out, but I'm terrified of what it must look like to read. ;) Thanks for the post though, it helps!

[@deejay5633]

Subscribed, you did very well explaining the foundations behind that concept. Hats off to you :)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Why, thank you kindly!

[@syndddd]

If you play a C9 it means that the notes are C - E - G - Bb - D, right? But what if you want a Cmaj7 with the 9 (D) on top (C - E - G - B - D). What do u call that chord? And the same goes for 11 and 13 chords

[@Gaga3993]

I have a question-why you didn't explained chords 7,9,13 which are not regular? for example Cmaj7-9,Cmaj7+9,Cmaj7/+9/13 etc? It is not the rule that 9,11 and 13th tone is as you explained,it can be various modifications

[@Zekkry]

What would it be called if you played the C Major triad, and added the 13th (but skipped the steps in between). How would you indicate that in its name?

[@TAYC34]

This was helpful, as I can play the piano pretty well, but have zero music theory knowledge. One question: Are there actually people out there that can play a 13th? I can reach a 12th comfortably, which I guess no one would ever play, but reaching a 13th would be really hard for me, and I have huge hands.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! :-)

[@markbarnes6806]

Very informative, thank you!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

You're welcome!

[@fretbuzz59]

I thought mentioning those types of voicings straight off might only confuse the issue. I figured I'd explain that the notes don't need to be "in order" before bringing up the idea of leaving notes out!

[@walt9427]

Thank you! I have a question I have seen many do the full 7th chord using the left hand and the 9th, 11th, and 13th on the right hand. Is it possible to do this in reverse meaning doing the 7th chord on the right hand and 9th, 11th, and 13th on the left hand?

[@syndddd]

Great video! Learning a lot of new stuff - especially by reading through the comments. I'm definitely subbing :D

[@amylalor4903]

This was fantastic, thankyou so much for explaining it so well! I’ve always struggled with the concept but now I’ve got it

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@LuigiBoVerFinal]

So is a Dominant 7th the same as a Flatted 7th in terms of chords?

[@sarhaarellano2882]

Thanks for a simple, direct and useful material. God bless,

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

You're welcome! :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@seeker_ky8604]

Amazing video!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Thank you!

[@josephjwoods66]

WOW! One of the best explanations ive seen..Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Glad you enjoyed it! :-)

[@adamfelixobrien]

Thank you so much for this! Clear, concise... Mystery solved!

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

+Felix O'Brien Yay! Glad you found it helpful! :-)

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pmccurdy]

Thank you for that explanation. So simple and concise. Thanks again.

[@SuzDoyleMusic]

You're welcome! :-)