More Blues Tools

Advanced Blues Chords, Vibrato, Sliding 6ths Riffs

“I was told when I started to play that simple

music is the hardest music in the world to play.

And blues is simple music.” Albert Collins

Sessio n 4: More Blues Tools

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Advanced Blues Chords

This session covers many of the more advanced chord forms that are common in the

blues. Primarily, it looks at 9th chords and 13th chords. These richer sounding chord

forms really add a lot of color to your blues playing as well as multiply your options as

a guitarist when playing chords to the blues.

9th Chords

Ninth chords are built like the dominant 7th chords described in Session 1. But a

ninth chord adds one more note to a 7th chord—the interval of the 9th. The 9th step

is the same as the 2nd step. So, in the key of C the 9th would be the note D.

Ninths can be added to major 7th, minor 7th, or dominant 7th chords. For example,

a dominant 7th chord would have the formula 1-3-5-b7 and a dominant 9th chord

would be 1-3-5-b7-9.

In the key of C, a C9 would include the notes C-E-G-Bb-D.

The Major 7th Rule

When the word “major” is in the chord name then the 7th in the chord is unaltered.

But if “major” is not in the title then the chord has a flatted 7th. (The only exception

to this rule is the fully-diminished chord which would have a double-flatted 7th.)

For example, a Cmaj7 has an unaltered 7th step—1-3-5-7. A Cmaj9 has an unaltered

7th step—1-3-5-7-9. But a C7 (no “major” in the chord name) has a flatted 7th—1-3-

5-b7. And a C9th also has a flatted 7th—1-3-5-b7-9.

Objectives

• Learn 9th, 13th, and
  half-diminished chord
  forms.


• Understand the half-
  diminished chord
  substitution.


• Hearing the difference
  between the major 6th
  and the dominant 7th.


• Playing the sliding 6ths
  riff.

Key Ideas

Advanced chords use a

flatted 7th unlessthe word

“major” is in the chord

name.

When the word “major” is

in the chord name then

the 7th is unaltered.

You can substitute a 9th

chord for any 7th chord.

Blues Guitar with Steve Krenz 47 http://www.learnandmaster.com/bluesresources