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Extensions Of A Chord
Berklee
I heard Jamey Abersold once talk about being able to really hear
music and how having great ears is not reserved for a small elite class of musical geniuses.
Rather, it can be attained by most people with the proper amount of
practice.
Like if an old friend called you after many years of not speaking, you would instantly recall the
tone of his or her voice. You never forget their sound so to speak.
The same concept can be applied to music. If you can recognize a friends voice
you can recognize the sounds of chords too!
We all posses the same ability when it comes to sounds and musical
tones It just starts with actively attaching our minds ear to everything
we hear.
Hearing Jamey Aebersold say this gave me confidence that if I practiced
the right exercises I could learn to train my ear too!
Since that time Ive made huge progress in my ear training and aural skills. With inspiration
and some great ear training exercises it has made all the difference!
Here are some of the techniques that I have been using for years and still use to this day to
deepen my hearing of chords with tensions. Theyve made a huge difference in my music.
While the same amount of time could easily be spent on melodic ear
training, I will focus on harmonic ear training in this article.
I will also focus mainly on Dominant 7 chords since there are so many cool ways you can alter
them to change their sound. #9, b9 ,#11, 13 etc.
Please keep in mind that these same exercises can be applied to any type of chord though.
There are limitless ways of attaining this, but I found that for me, these
methods really helped me hear a lot more!
From there you can start adding basic tensions in the right hand one at a time. Play this
over and over. Play repetitively at a slow quarter note tempo and try to get used to their sound.
This can be a sterile exercise, and not very musical, but its like the bicep curl at the gym. The
growth will happen with every repetitive rep.
I still have to slow things down and isolate certain chords when listening to
the greats from time to time.
When Oscar Peterson is burning at 240bpm it can be a struggle to hear what he is doing. Its
frustrating, I know! Remember, this is a life long practice!
The 2nd addition to this exercise it to play these voicings in all 12 keys with tensions
into a sequencer.
Label the MP3 Dom7#5 chord (for example) and listen to these on repeat away from
the keyboard when you are driving, walking around, or even when asleep.
This is a great technique to burn the sounds into your soul.
Understanding that chords work relative to each other, and how they function in relation to
each other is one of the greatest ways to help when trying to hear whats going on
harmonically.
So you can play a B minor 11. This is great! But where is it coming from or how does it
function? How does it relate to the overall chord progression when you
hear it or play it?
Try to macro- hear when listening. (2-5 of the 4 chord to a 2-5 of a 6 chord with
its related 2 chord for example.)
Try to observe and listen for common motions in harmony. Chord progressions like2-5-1, 1-45, jazz blues chord progressions, common jazz turnarounds, etc.
Also, remember the more you alter your dominant chords the more the
chord wants to function as a 5 chord.
This altered 5 chord will want to resolve to the 1 chord. (The Dom7#11 is the exception to this
rule.)
I found that having this theoretical understanding can help a lot when I am stuck on what a
pianist is playing and I cant seem to hear it out.
Use theory to your advantage, its an added edge in training your ear!
(If you want to learn more about altered harmony check out Steves lesson on the altered
scale.)
(You can also learn more about altered dominant chords by checking out thisdominant jazz
piano chord lesson)
No, you dont have to sound like Frank Sinatra to utilize this
technique! If you are like me and do not sing too well, its ok!
I am just really talking about matching pitch of the tension to further burn the sound of it in your
musical being.
I didnt implement this technique till much later, but honestly I wish I did
sooner.
In taking exercise #1 above a bit further, try to match the tension with your voice out loud when
playing it. This can really help to further cement your hearing of the tone.
Play just the third and seventh of your dominant chord in your left hand (this is a tritone by the
way).
Sing the tension over your tritone. Try to sing or match the pitch while hearing how the tension
wants to function. Like a #9 followed by a b9 followed the root over a C7 chord for example.
Sing the Eb to Db to C root. Tensions have tendencies, whether they want to resolve up or
down. Where do they want to move to? Hear and sing these tendencies.
This helps to think of harmony in a melodic way. Also, many times on a lead sheet
when you see a tension on a chord its often the melody!
This can really help you understand how to hear these color tones when you sing them out
loud. Learn the melody!
Once you get bit but the listening bug there is no turning back.
I suggest that you always actively listen no matter where you are.
Try to hear the harmonic movement of a TV commercial when you are lounging around on the
couch. You do not have to be in front of the piano.
Try to transcribe the chords of the pop song that you hear being played over the speakers as
you are buying your groceries.
Come up with fun ways that challenge you to hear anything and everything at all times. Take
your favorite songs and do not use the sheet music but rather find out what they are playing
simply by ear.
This technique also helps to ensure that you wont forget what you played. Reading music
does not intrinsically help you remember anything.
When you break a piece down to its elements by ear you end up owning
it and it becomes engraved in your musical being.