- Free Piano
Lessons -
Week 75:
Harmony - Part 3
We said
last lesson that notes can be added to these basic triads, creating an
extension, or extended chord. The six basic extensions are:
1. 6th. The 6th scale note.
2. 7th. The 7th scale note
flatted.
3. Major 7th. The 7th scale note.
4. 9th. One octave higher than the
2nd scale note.
5. 11th. One octave higher than the 4th scale
note.
6. 13th. One octave higher than the 6th scale note.
Here is how these six basic extended chords look on the keyboard, all
built on C:
Any of
these chords can be formed on any of the 12 different keys, giving the
pianist a wide choice of chords.
In addition, any of these chords can be altered by the use of sharps or
flats. For example, we could form a flat 9th:
Or we could
form a sharp 11th:
So the
possibilities for combination go on and on, and are, for all practical
purposes, inexhaustible.
Now if all
those possibilities weren’t breathtaking enough, we also have two more
factors which greatly multiply the potential possibilities: inversions,
and voicings.
We'll take up those two options next
lesson, so stay tuned.
 |
