[FwL]

Originally Posted by Guitar Slim II

This thread has been an excellent education on the subject of altered chords. But...I'm not sure I've ever seen 'alt' used as a chord symbol on a chart or song sheet. Usually, the alteration is specified, as in #5, b5, etc., isn't it? I've never seen it in a chord book. And an internet search reveals the same thing as this thread: a lot of good stuff about altered chords in general, but no examples of it as a chord symbol.

So I guess I wouldn't worry too much about the "alt" chord per-se. Next time you see an altered chord, the specific alteration will probably be spelled out for you. You can build it, even if you don't understand it. That's how it works for me, anyway. I don't really understand chords more complicated than diminished or half-diminished (m7b5) chords, but I know how to "build" the more complicated chords based on the specific chord symbol. Chord symbols are specific, "alt" is not.

Or, could it be an error? Maybe a "note to self" from the transcriber, this is an altered chord of some kind, figure it out later -- but it never got fixed?

Anyway, this is Gershwin, right? Whatever it is he's doing with harmony is way beyond me. And I'd guess that even experts might struggle with it. I take all charts and transcriptions with a grain of salt.

Again, very educational thread, thanks...

I popped open a copy of the Real Book just to see how long it took to find an alt chord. By song #2 (A Child is Born) you've got D7alt. Song #14 (All in Love is Fair) has A7alt.

The use is pretty common on lead sheets.


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