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Picking Chord Name

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 Celt
(@celt)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 2649
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Help

I am putting together some chords for some lyrics and came upon this chord.

A - E - G# - B -E

It has a nice jazzy feel and I'm playing as the opening chord into a Cma7 and back
and forth for 8 t0 16 measures then into Fmaj7 and Em.

The reverse chord dictionary gives several options for name:

E add4

Ab 9m aug5

Amaj9 no 3rd

B13 no 5

In context with the other chords which would the most appropriate name
for this chord and what key would I actually be playing in.

John

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(@noteboat)
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If I understand this right, your last three chords are Cmaj7, Fmaj7, and Em. So Em (E-G-B) is somewhat of a substitute for G (G-B-D) - they share two common tones. That puts you in the key of C major.

Since G#/Ab isn't in key, we have to figure out what's going on with that note.

The relative minor of C is Am, and the harmonic minor scale (which is the one usually used for constructing chords) has G# in it. Am leads nicely into C, because they also share two tones (C and E).

In that context, A is the root, E is the fifth, G# is the major 7th, and B is the 9th. It's A minor 9th, and there's no "aug 5" - you can't always trust the programming of those dictionaries... an aug 5 would be E# or F.

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(@vic-lewis-vl)
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Looks to me like an E add 11 - E root, Ab 3rd, B 5th, A 11th - can't be E11 because there's no b7. I'm no expert on keys, but with C E and F chords (or derivatives thereof) it looks like you're in the key of Cmaj.

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
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Ooops - Noteboat beat me to it!

Obviously, my knowledge of scales etc is severely lacking compared to Tom's (isn't most people's!) - would it matter how the chord's actually being played? If it's played with an A in the bass as the root or an E as the root, would that make a difference when it comes to naming the chord? How are you actually playing the chord, John?

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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 Celt
(@celt)
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Posts: 2649
Topic starter  

Thanks

Tom, Your explanation makes perfect sense and confirms
my belief the it was some kind of Am chord in the key of Cmaj.

Vic, Yes I am playing the A in the bass but I'm not sure that would
make that much difference to key in this case.

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(@fretsource)
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Posts: 973
 

I see where the chord dictionary is getting the aug5 from. It's taking the root as Ab(G#) and naming the notes as Ab Cb E Bbb with E being the aug5 and Bbb being the added flat9 (which they're calling 9m). As the Cb would make it a minor chord, the aug 5 is highly unlikely, if even possible!! So it ain't that :D

NoteBoat, if A is the root, and the minor 3rd C is implied, the 7th (G#) has to figure in the name as Maj, so A min-maj 9.
The chord dictionary can't handle implied notes so I guess that's why it came up with A maj 9 (no 3rd).


   
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(@noteboat)
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You're right, Fretsource - I'd noted that the seventh is a major seventh, but that should be in the chord name. Am/maj9.

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