Ninth chord

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In music theory, a ninth chord is a chord that encompasses the interval of a ninth when arranged in close position with the root in the bass. [1]

Contents

The ninth chord and its inversions exist today, or at least they can exist. The pupil will easily find examples in the literature [such as Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht and Strauss's opera Salome ]. It is not necessary to set up special laws for its treatment. If one wants to be careful, one will be able to use the laws that pertain to the seventh chords: that is, dissonances resolve by step downward, the root leaps a fourth upward.

Arnold Schoenberg (1948) [2]

Heinrich Schenker and also Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov allowed the substitution of the dominant seventh, leading-tone, and leading tone half-diminished seventh chords, but rejected the concept of a ninth chord on the basis that only that on the fifth scale degree (V9) was admitted and that inversion was not allowed of the ninth chord. [3] [4]

Resolutions given as examples by Schoenberg: V9 chords in
root position
1st
2nd
and 3rd inversion
resolving to I chords, followed by a I
#7 chord
resolving to IV Ninth chord resolution examples given by Schoenberg.png
Resolutions given as examples by Schoenberg: V9 chords in
root position
1st
2nd
and 3rd inversion
resolving to I chords, followed by a I
7
chord
resolving to IV

Dominant ninth

Voice leading for dominant ninth chords in the common practice period. Ninth chord voice leading.png
Voice leading for dominant ninth chords in the common practice period.
Ninth (C9) vs added-ninth chord (Cadd9), distinguished, in academic textbooks and jazz & rock sheet music, by the presence or absence of a seventh. Ninth vs added-ninth chord.png
Ninth (C9) vs added-ninth chord (Cadd9), distinguished, in academic textbooks and jazz & rock sheet music, by the presence or absence of a seventh.
Dominant ninth chord in four-part writing Dominant ninth chord on C 4 voice.png
Dominant ninth chord in four-part writing

Dominant minor ninth

Dominant minor ninth
Component intervals from root
minor ninth
minor seventh
perfect fifth
major third
root
Tuning
8:10:12:14:17
Forte no.  / Complement
5-31 / 7-31
Ninth chord
(Dominant minor ninth chord on C)

A dominant minor ninth chord consists of a dominant seventh chord and a minor ninth. In C: C E G B D. Fétis tuned the chord 8:10:12:14:17. [8] In notation for jazz and popular music, this chord is often denoted, e.g., C79. In Schubert's Erlkönig , a terrified child calls out to his father when he sees an apparition of the sinister Elf King. The dissonant voicing of the dominant minor ninth chord used here (C79) is particularly effective in heightening the drama and sense of threat.

The chord of the ninth ... is merely an additional note added to the chord of the flat seventh, which in the ... minor mode a semitone above the eighth. In the latter case it is called the flat ninth, and is used in the minor keys almost as frequently as the flat seventh is in the major keys; but as its effect on the ear, when the fundamental tone or root is used, is rather harsh, its inversions alone are generally used. This latter chord, when occasionally changed enharmonically for the purpose of making sudden transitions or modulations into distant keys, gratifies the ear more than any other chord.

John Smith (1853) [13]
Ninth chord
(Excerpt from Schubert's Erlkönig Link to passage)

Writing about this passage, Taruskin (2010, p. 149) remarks on the

unprecedented ... level of dissonance at the boy's outcries ... The voice has the ninth, pitched above, and the left hand has the seventh, pitched below. The result is a virtual 'tone cluster' ... the harmonic logic of these progressions, within the rules of composition Schubert was taught, can certainly be demonstrated. That logic, however, is not what appeals so strongly to the listener's imagination; rather it is the calculated impression (or illusion) of wild abandon. [14]

Ninth chord
(Excerpt from Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is You)

Minor ninth

Minor ninth
Component intervals from root
major ninth
minor seventh
perfect fifth
minor third
root
Tuning
20:24:30:36:45
Forte no.  / Complement
5-27 / 7-27
Ninth chord
(A minor ninth chord)

The minor ninth chord consists of a minor seventh chord and a major ninth. The formula is 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. This chord is written as Am9. This chord has a more "bluesy" sound and fits very well with the dominant ninth.

Major ninth

Major ninth
Component intervals from root
major ninth
major seventh
perfect fifth
major third
root
Tuning
8:10:12:15:18
Forte no.  / Complement
5-27 / 7-27
Ninth chord

Notable examples

Cmaj9 chord Ninth chord.gif
Cmaj9 chord
Parallel root-position bop voicings that open the choruses of Thelonious Monk's 1959 "Monk's Mood" feature a (C) major ninth chord. Monk's Mood major ninth chord.png
Parallel root-position bop voicings that open the choruses of Thelonious Monk's 1959 "Monk's Mood" feature a (C) major ninth chord.

The major ninth chord consists of a major seventh chord and a major ninth. The formula is 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. This chord is written as Cmaj9.


Relation to other chords with the ninth

Minor 6/9 C chord, featuring the major sixth degree of the jazz minor scale. Play Minor 6-9 chord on C.png
Minor 6/9 C chord, featuring the major sixth degree of the jazz minor scale. Play
Second factor (D), in red, of a C added second chord, C . Play Ninth of an added ninth chord on C.png
Second factor (D), in red, of a C added second chord, C . Play

The 6/9 chord is a pentad with a major triad joined by a sixth and ninth above the root, but no seventh. For example, C6/9 is C–E–G–A–D. It is not a tense chord requiring resolution, and is considered a substitute for the tonic in jazz. The minor 6/9 chord is a minor triad with an added 6th and 9th, evoking the Dorian mode, and is also suitable as a minor tonic in jazz. [17]

The second degree is octave equivalent to the ninth. The ninth chord could be alternatively notated as seventh added second chord (C7add2), from where omitting the 3rd produces the seventh suspended second chord (C7sus2).

An add9 chord, or added ninth chord, is any chord with an added ninth – Cadd9 consists of C, E, G and D, Cmadd9 consists of C, E flat, G, and D, Cdimadd9 consists of C, E flat, G flat, and D, etc. Added ninth chords differ from other ninth chords because the seventh is not necessarily included. An add9 can also be added to an interval, like a C5, resulting in a C5add9 chord which consists of C and G (C5) with D as an added 9 (C, G, D). Note that if the note is within an octave from the root, it is a second, not a ninth. In the case of C, D, G, within a fifth rather than spanning a ninth, this is a Csus2 chord, where the second, D, replaces the third, E (C, D, G instead of C, E, G).

See also

Related Research Articles

In music theory, a leading-tone is a note or pitch which resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper leading-tone, respectively. Typically, the leading tone refers to the seventh scale degree of a major scale, a major seventh above the tonic. In the movable do solfège system, the leading-tone is sung as ti.

An altered chord is a chord that replaces one or more notes from the diatonic scale with a neighboring pitch from the chromatic scale. By the broadest definition, any chord with a non-diatonic chord tone is an altered chord. The simplest example of altered chords is the use of borrowed chords, chords borrowed from the parallel key, and the most common is the use of secondary dominants. As Alfred Blatter explains, "An altered chord occurs when one of the standard, functional chords is given another quality by the modification of one or more components of the chord."

A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root. When not otherwise specified, a "seventh chord" usually means a dominant seventh chord: a major triad together with a minor seventh. However, a variety of sevenths may be added to a variety of triads, resulting in many different types of seventh chords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chord (music)</span> Harmonic set of three or more notes

In music, a chord is a group of two or more notes played simultaneously, typically consisting of a root note, a third, and a fifth. Chords are the building blocks of harmony and form the harmonic foundation of a piece of music. They can be major, minor, diminished, augmented, or extended, depending on the intervals between the notes and their arrangement. Chords provide the harmonic support and coloration that accompany melodies and contribute to the overall sound and mood of a musical composition. For many practical and theoretical purposes, arpeggios and other types of broken chords may also be considered as chords in the right musical context.

In music theory, a diminished triad is a triad consisting of two minor thirds above the root. It is a minor triad with a lowered (flattened) fifth. When using chord symbols, it may be indicated by the symbols "dim", "o", "m5", or "MI(5)". However, in most popular-music chord books, the symbol "dim" and "o" represents a diminished seventh chord, which in some modern jazz books and music theory books is represented by the "dim7" or "o7" symbols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Root (chord)</span> Musical note characterizing a chord

In the music theory of harmony, the root is a specific note that names and typifies a given chord. Chords are often spoken about in terms of their root, their quality, and their extensions. When a chord is named without reference to quality, it is assumed to be major—for example, a "C chord" refers to a C major triad, containing the notes C, E, and G. In a given harmonic context, the root of a chord need not be in the bass position, as chords may be inverted while retaining the same name, and therefore the same root.

In music theory, an augmented sixth chord contains the interval of an augmented sixth, usually above its bass tone. This chord has its origins in the Renaissance, was further developed in the Baroque, and became a distinctive part of the musical style of the Classical and Romantic periods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extended chord</span>

In music, extended chords are certain chords or triads with notes extended, or added, beyond the seventh. Ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords are extended chords. The thirteenth is the farthest extension diatonically possible as, by that point, all seven tonal degrees are represented within the chord. In practice however, extended chords do not typically use all the chord members; when it is not altered, the fifth is often omitted, as are notes between the seventh and the highest note, unless they are altered to give a special texture.

The term sixth chord refers to two different kinds of chord, the first in classical music and the second in modern popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thirteenth</span> Musical interval

In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The thirteenth is most commonly major or minor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleventh chord</span>

In music theory, an eleventh chord is a chord that contains the tertian extension of the eleventh. Typically found in jazz, an eleventh chord also usually includes the seventh and ninth, and elements of the basic triad structure. Variants include the dominant eleventh (C11, C–E–G–B–D–F), minor eleventh (Cm11, C–E–G–B–D–F), and major eleventh chord (Cmaj11, C–E–G–B–D–F). Using an augmented eleventh produces the dominant sharp eleventh (C911, C–E–G–B–D–F) and major sharp eleventh (Cmaj911, C–E–G–B–D–F) chords.

In music theory, a dominant seventh chord, or major minor seventh chord, is a seventh chord, composed of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. Thus it is a major triad together with a minor seventh, denoted by the letter name of the chord root and a superscript "7". In most cases, dominant seventh chord are built on the fifth degree of the major scale. An example is the dominant seventh chord built on G, written as G7, having pitches G–B–D–F:

The diminished seventh chord is a four-note chord composed of a root note, together with a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a diminished seventh above the root:. For example, the diminished seventh chord built on B, commonly written as Bo7, has pitches B-D-F-A:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guitar chord</span> Set of notes played on a guitar

In music, a guitar chord is a set of notes played on a guitar. A chord's notes are often played simultaneously, but they can be played sequentially in an arpeggio. The implementation of guitar chords depends on the guitar tuning. Most guitars used in popular music have six strings with the "standard" tuning of the Spanish classical guitar, namely E–A–D–G–B–E' ; in standard tuning, the intervals present among adjacent strings are perfect fourths except for the major third (G,B). Standard tuning requires four chord-shapes for the major triads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmonic major scale</span> Musical scale

In music theory, the harmonic major scale is a musical scale found in some music from the common practice era and now used occasionally, most often in jazz. In George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept it is the fifth mode (V) of the Lydian Diminished scale. It corresponds to the Raga Sarasangi in Indian Carnatic music, or Raag Nat Bhairav in Hindustani music.

Jazz chords are chords, chord voicings and chord symbols that jazz musicians commonly use in composition, improvisation, and harmony. In jazz chords and theory, most triads that appear in lead sheets or fake books can have sevenths added to them, using the performer's discretion and ear. For example, if a tune is in the key of C, if there is a G chord, the chord-playing performer usually voices this chord as G7. While the notes of a G7 chord are G–B–D–F, jazz often omits the fifth of the chord—and even the root if playing in a group. However, not all jazz pianists leave out the root when they play voicings: Bud Powell, one of the best-known of the bebop pianists, and Horace Silver, whose quintet included many of jazz's biggest names from the 1950s to the 1970s, included the root note in their voicings.

In music theory, the half-diminished seventh chord is a seventh chord composed of a root note, together with a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a minor seventh. For example, the half-diminished seventh chord built on B, commonly written as Bm7(♭5), or Bø7, has pitches B-D-F-A:

In music, harmonization is the chordal accompaniment to a line or melody: "Using chords and melodies together, making harmony by stacking scale tones as triads".

The augmented seventh chord, or seventh augmented fifth chord, or seventh sharp five chord is a seventh chord composed of a root, major third, augmented fifth, and minor seventh. It can be viewed as an augmented triad with a minor seventh. When using popular-music symbols, it is denoted by +7, aug7, or 75. For example, the augmented seventh chord built on A, written as A+7, has pitches A-C-E-G:

Musicians use various kinds of chord names and symbols in different contexts to represent musical chords. In most genres of popular music, including jazz, pop, and rock, a chord name and its corresponding symbol typically indicate one or more of the following:

  1. the root note,
  2. the chord quality,
  3. whether the chord is a triad, seventh chord, or an extended chord,
  4. any altered notes,
  5. any added tones, and
  6. the bass note if it is not the root.

References

  1. Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1980). "Ninth chord", p. 252, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , vol. 13. ISBN   1-56159-174-2.
  2. 1 2 Schoenberg, Arnold (1910). Theory of Harmony, pp. 346–347. University of California Press. First published in German as Harmonielehre in 1910. ISBN   9780520049444. Roman numeral analysis and arrows not included in the original.
  3. Schenker, Heinrich (1980). Harmony, p. 190. ISBN   978-0-226-73734-8.
  4. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Practical Manual of Harmony / Ukrainian edition - Kyiv, 1948. - p.52
  5. 1 2 3 Benward, Bruce; Saker, Marilyn (2009). Music in Theory and Practice. Vol. II (eighth ed.). pp. 183–184. ISBN   978-0-07-310188-0.
  6. Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis. p. 85. ISBN   978-0-300-09239-4.
  7. Benward & Saker 2009, p. 179.
  8. 1 2 Fétis, François-Joseph and Arlin, Mary I. (1994). Esquisse de l'histoire de l'harmonie, p. 139n9. ISBN   978-0-945193-51-7.
  9. Stephenson 2002, p. 83.
  10. Stockhausen, Stimmung on YouTube
  11. Stimmung, British Library
  12. Cook, Nicholas (1987). A Guide to Musical Analysis. London: J. M. Dent. p. 370.
  13. Smith, John (1853). A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Music , p. 27. J. McGlashan. [ISBN unspecified].
  14. Taruskin, R. (2010) The Oxford History of Western Music, Volume 4, Music in the Nineteenth Century, Oxford University Press.
  15. Walter Everett (Autumn, 2004). "A Royal Scam: The Abstruse and Ironic Bop-Rock Harmony of Steely Dan", pp. 208–209, Music Theory Spectrum , vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 201–235.
  16. Berg, Shelly (2005). Alfred's Essentials of Jazz Theory, Book 3, p. 90. ISBN   978-0-7390-3089-9.
  17. Jazz Lessons