Chapter 3, Part 2 - Advanced Chord Analysis
Theoretically any chord can be given “a” name using the Chords-built-on-thirds system outlined on the page “Chord Identification” (Link). But, simply naming a chord “Bob” says nothing about what Bob is like, what job he has or where he is going. If a chord is spelled out precisely and completely, then “common usage” lets us determine what job a chord is most likely doing.
As we work through the songs in “Our Analysis” (Link) we will come across many chords that are hard to name. We call these chords “Indeterminate“.
Indeterminate Chords
Indeterminate chords must ultimately rely on context to name them with confidence. The two dictionary definitions of ‘context’ apply here: (1) “the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.” (2) “the parts of something written or spoken that immediately precede and follow a word or passage and clarify its meaning.”
(1) Consider what other players are playing, particularly the bass player. Keyboard players often play fragments, especially rootless chords in order to make room for other voices. (2) Always consider the chord progression to give a chord meaning.
Identifying Indeterminate Chords
What follows is a procedure you can follow when analyzing indeterminate chords:
(1) Non-tertian Intent
Since the traditional system of naming chords is based on thirds, the first thing to do is decide if the composer is “playing that game”. As we can see from Example 1, chords can be made with perfect 4ths, 5ths and tritones (aug4) or they can be made with seconds and sevenths. If this is what the composer is doing you will usually see whole pieces or at least whole passages written this way. One or two chords voiced in 4ths or seconds doesn’t really count. We will look at some of these non-tertian chords in a moment.
(2) The 1-3-7 Combination
Seventh Chords are foundational to Jazz. The passage in Example 2 is “understood” when it is played with three note chords or even two note shells.
Search through the chord, and all it’s inversions, looking for a third and a seventh with the same root. These ‘1-3-7’ combinations will give you a high level of confidence naming the chord. Again, we will look at some of these chords below.
(3) 1-3-7 Shells
If the chord does not seem to be intentionally non-tertian and if there are no 1-3-7 fragments we are left looking for less obvious clues. Often you are looking for “Shells” (3rds or 7ths) with one or two ‘Upper Structure Extensions (9, 11, 13). Look at each inversion because one inversion may have a third while another has a different third or a seventh. Again, if it is not a solo performance be sure to consider what the other players are up to, particularly the bass.
Let’s look at some examples:
(1) Chords not built on thirds
Fourths, Fifths and Tritones
Example 3 shows us how chords built on 4ths and 5ths work. The first bar has a 4th with another 4th above it (4.4). We can invert this chord to make it two fifths (5.5). Bar 3 has a 4th with a tritone above it (4.T). Notice that the outer shell can form a 7th (bar 2). The audio sample points out how the shells sound very much like the chords. You can also hear that the chords with a tritone have more tension.
Another interesting thing about chords built on 4ths is a stack of three 4ths (Example 4) can be inverted to form a ‘1-3-7’ chord. A three note chord built on 4ths (c-f-b flat) inverts to a sus4 chord (1-4-b7). These chords became popular in the early ‘60s (eg. ‘Maiden Voyage’ by Herbie Hancock).
McCoy Tyner said of these chords: “It’s not just a pile of fourths. I play a lot of fifths in my left hand, you know, and they do the same thing as fourths: They open up the sound. I don’t close my sound in, and that allows me to play other things superimposed on the chord, since there is a lot of space between the intervals. But there are thirds, seconds, octaves, and clusters there too.”
The YouTube link has Tyner using these chords on Coltrane’s ‘Impressions’. We have an analysis of this song here (Link).
Seconds and Sevenths
Chords built on Major 2nds (minor 7ths) are interesting because it is impossible to stack two or more 2nds without a resultant 3rd!
Example 6 shows a couple of chords built with minor seconds (Major sevenths). The shimmering nature of these tightest of all chord clusters was put to great use by Cecil Taylor.
(2) The 1-3-7 Combination
Example 7 shows a few chords that have a third and a seventh with the same root. With a little practice spotting and hearing the pattern will become second nature. Unsurprisingly, when a chord has five or more notes (bar 5) it becomes likely there will be more than one ‘1-3-7’ making it more indeterminate.
(3) 1-3-7 Shells
Example 8 shows us some “1-3-7 shell chords” that is chords with a third or seventh with other intervals added. In most cases these chords have more than one potential name – context will be needed to decide.
Bar 5 is included to remind us to check for enharmonic equivalents (d# and eb are the “same’” because of equal temperament tuning)
Exercise
Example 9 Is an excerpt from a piece composed by Alexander Scriabin around 1908. I have no way of knowing how Scriabin or his audience “heard” this piece but because of my background the song sounds a lot like 1960s Jazz. The exposed sevens and tritones scream Jazz to me. As there was no such thing as Jazz in 1908, Scriabin’s point of reference must have been completely different.
Example 10 shows the “changes” used in the first eight bars of ‘Carrese Dansee’. Try applying the three step procedure outlined above to name these chords: (1) Non-tertian? (2) 1-3-7s? (3) 1-3-7 shells?
(1) It is probably fair to say that Scriabin intended this piece to be non-tertian. But, our ears tell us there is more going on here than just meandering fourths.
(2) Looking at the first bar of Example 10 we invert this chord to look like Example 11. In this inversion it looks like a Cmaj7 #11 ( a 1-3-7 with an upper structure extension)
Go through the other chords in the progression and see what names you come up with.
Example 12 shows the names we came up with. The progression moves in thirds and then ends with a modified II-V-I. No wonder it sounds like jazz!
Footnote
The Scriabin exercise above demonstrates how important context is when analyzing music. It is very likely Scriabin did not think of these chords like we do. It is certain that the composer and theorist Paul Hindemith would not have named these chords like this, based on his 1937 book ‘The Craft of Musical Composition’ (which is well worth reading by the way).
Jazz is a language with its own vocabulary, grammar and semantics.
Back: Chords Part 1
Next: Chapter 4 – Scales