#1
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Name That Chord
What do you call an Fmajor with an added G note? (FACG)
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#2
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I call it Fadd9.
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#3
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#4
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Or F2, aka Fadd2
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#5
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Funny how naming chords works, you'll get different names depending on who you're talking to. I personally notice a lot of guys in the P&W and pop/country scenes using the "2" nomenclature, whereas most everyone else seems to use add9. I think a lot of this comes down to the reality that this nomenclature is all a shorthand, and people who use those chords the most (which tend to be in the aforementioned genres) find it quicker to write "2" than "add9". This is also likely the reason jazz players have so many shorthand ways of writing extended chords, i.e. C-7 for a minor seventh, or F∆9 instead of Fmaj9.
As long as your intended audience understands what you're trying to say, it's all good! |
#6
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If you're being "technically correct" you cannot use the 9 nomenclature without a 7 already in the chord. The theory rule basically states that you "can't use upper structure naming (9, 11, 13) without the presence of the 7th degree".
So F(add2) is technically correct, but F(add9) is universally accepted...though maybe you'll hear from some know-it-all jerk about how it should be a "2" and not a "9" because there's no "7". So basic naming follows rules like: F A C G = F(add2) or F(add9) F G C = F(sus2) F A C E G = Fmaj9 F A C Eb G = F9 I hope that all makes sense.
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-Steve 1927 Martin 00-21 1986 Fender Strat 1987 Ibanez RG560 1988 Fender Fretless J Bass 1991 Washburn HB-35s 1995 Taylor 812ce 1996 Taylor 510c (custom) 1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition) 1997 Taylor 810-WMB (Limited Edition) 1998 Taylor 912c (Custom) 2019 Fender Tele |
#7
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Thanks to all who replied!
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#8
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And of course, in contrast to the common acceptance of "add9", when we add the 11th without a 7th, that seems to be called "add4" at least as often as "add11". And not just "4". I.e., these principles are not wholly consistent, because they've evolved through practical usage (keeping the shortest symbols for the most common chord types and extensions), not through some logically designed system. Hence "add2" is as acceptable as "add9". Some of the conventions are variable. Quote:
Again, logic would suggest it means Fadd2 (following the "F6" principle), but it's still potentially ambiguous. Likewise "F4" - not often seen, but it does appear. Fadd4 or Fsus4?
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"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen. Last edited by JonPR; 12-17-2018 at 12:21 PM. |
#9
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F2 is not the same as Fsus2. a 2 chord is a major chord with a 2 added, not a 2 replacing the 3. If the chart's not too crowded, including the "add" doesn't hurt.
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#10
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I mean I know F2 is not supposed to be the same as Fsus2, but some people think "F9" means F(add9) or that Fmaj7 means the same as F7....
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"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen. |
#11
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The 'add' is used to distinguish it from a 'sus' - which is why you 'll never see it with a 6. You can't have a sus6 chord. You can, however, have a sus2. I suspect some of the impetus for calling the add2 and add9 probably came by way of trying to distance it from a sus chord in the first place. add2 and sus2 are 2 very different sounding chords. The 'add' nomenclature doesn't really make the add9 more correct, for the exact reason you state. No intended 7th in the chord. You're not supposed to give the upper structure names to 2, 4 & 6 without the 7 present. So, I'm not with you on that one. You also hit on another issue - compound tensions can be referred to as 'add': e.g. Bb9(add13). This is typically in older music. More recent music will simply have Bb9(13). In really early jazz charts everything above the 7 was an 'add' so you'd even get Bb7(add9) or F7(add13). The 'add2' vs 'add9' thing is really not a big deal. i actually take much bigger issue when people use a straight line fraction for alternate bass, like: A — C# the reason being, in the jazz community that is a compound chord (a C# triad & and A triad played at the same time). While the slash would be the proper way to notate the alternate bass/inversion, like: A/C# The big issue with notation is to be as clear as possible while also being as quickly readable as possible. Avoid confusion and the poor slob playing your chart will have an exponentially higher chance of playing what you wanted in the first place.
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-Steve 1927 Martin 00-21 1986 Fender Strat 1987 Ibanez RG560 1988 Fender Fretless J Bass 1991 Washburn HB-35s 1995 Taylor 812ce 1996 Taylor 510c (custom) 1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition) 1997 Taylor 810-WMB (Limited Edition) 1998 Taylor 912c (Custom) 2019 Fender Tele |
#12
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I realize I should probably avoid these threads; most of my chart reading is from jazz piano days. (I was never that good, AND it's tricky as all get-out.)
Mostly handwritten symbols (circles, pluses, phis), big M for Maj, small "m" for minor, "-" for minor... Some charts don't even have room for "add." |
#13
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But you don't see "sus9" do you? So "add9" doesn't work as a distinction from that. Quote:
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I agree with you that "add2" makes the best sense - given the "absent 7" principle, as well as the distinction from "sus2" - but chord symbol terminology evolved from practical shorthand, not from some authoritative logical diktat. It's a mixture of common practice with loose adherence to some form of logic - rather like any language. Quote:
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You do still sometimes see someone writing a 13 chord as "7/6" or something similar, as if to make sure the 9 and 11 are excluded. Quote:
Quite!
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"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen. |
#14
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I do find it amusing when jazz musicians use "-" for minor. What, it's just too much effort (maaan...) to write an "m"? (Like, "less is more" I guess?)
__________________
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen. |
#15
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In college we were forbidden using the M = maj & m = min because when writing fast a capital 'M' and a small 'm' can look very similar so we were forced to use the dash for minor, e.g. B-7 for a Bmin7. So anytime there was an 'M' it was for 'maj' and never 'min'. Much easier to grade tests that way I continued that for a while, but I think it's easier to read Bm7 and Bmaj7 on a chart when sight reading so I resorted to those. The guys who do my sessions seem to agree.
__________________
-Steve 1927 Martin 00-21 1986 Fender Strat 1987 Ibanez RG560 1988 Fender Fretless J Bass 1991 Washburn HB-35s 1995 Taylor 812ce 1996 Taylor 510c (custom) 1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition) 1997 Taylor 810-WMB (Limited Edition) 1998 Taylor 912c (Custom) 2019 Fender Tele |