Dominant Ninth Chords
With
Tim RichardsTim Richards shows how to build and voice dominant ninth chords, starting from a C7 and adding the ninth across both hands.
What's in the course
31 lessons (1h 44m) · 1 free
Lesson transcript
Dominant Ninth Chords
So now we're going to move on to dominant ninth chords.
Understanding the Ninth
- Starting with a C7:
- The ninth is the same note as the second of the scale.
- But you can't play those five notes with one hand.
If you take the root away, you end up with what looks like:
- E half diminished
- E minor 7, flat 5
And the C might be down in the bass.
Chord Shapes and Ambiguity
These shapes are ambiguous. If you didn't know there was a C in the bass, you'd think that was E minor 7, B5.
But you might be playing C7 in the left hand and an arpeggio (3, 5, 7, 9) in the right hand.
Differences in Chords
The difference between this and the major nine is the flat seven:
- We have a B flat now.
Applying the Chord Shapes
We can use this now when we play chord shapes as well:
- G minor 7, third inversion:
- Remember, you just move one note: the F goes down to E, and that becomes C9.
You could do it down here as well with G minor 7:
- I've taken the G out because it's in the bass.
- Move the F to an E, and that gives us C9.
Simplifying the Process
You don't even have to understand that to do it; just moving one note works. Of course, I'm moving the bass as well.
But even without the bass, you get the 2,5 sound.
Next Steps
And we're going to use that in our next tune, Funky 2 5.
31 lessons
1h 44m of structured video lessons
Advanced video features
Slow down, loop a passage, follow along
Mobile, tablet & desktop
Practise wherever you are
100% satisfaction guarantee
30-day money-back guarantee
Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Critically acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Tim Richards is one of Britain’s most experienced jazz educators, teaching piano privately for over 30 years, as well as at Morley College, Goldsmiths College, the University of Surrey, Premises Studios and other venues in the UK and abroad. He has produced numerous titles for Schott Music, including the best-selling two-volume Exploring Jazz Piano, Blues, Boogie & Gospel Collection and the acclaimed Improvising Blues Piano. He is also co-author, with John Crawford, of Exploring Latin Piano and Brazilian Piano Collection.
More recently Schott have published Jazz, Latin & Modern Collection (15 pieces for solo piano), comprising Tim Richards originals alongside pieces by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and the two volume set Beginning Jazz Piano (now a two-part MusicGurus course).
“The real joy of Tim’s music… is that it is both hugely educational but also such great fun to play. Anyone with the slightest interest in learning to play or teach jazz piano should really acquire a set of Tim’s books.” PianoDao
As a performer Tim has been a presence on the UK jazz scene since the 1980s, also playing the blues with UK and US legends such as Otis Grand, Earl Green, Dana Gillespie, Larry Garner, Joe Louis Walker and Mojo Buford. He has released over a dozen albums as a leader (featuring many of London’s best jazz musicians including Pete King, Gilad Atzmon, Tony Kofi, Jason Yarde, Seb Rochford, Ed Jones, Dick Pearce and many others), and toured all over Europe with line-ups ranging from duo to nine-piece. His latest recording, the album ‘Telegraph Hill’ by the six-piece Hextet, was described in The Observer as "A true joy from beginning to end".
More info can be found on his website www.timrichards.ndo.co.uk
