Why Jazz Chords aren't so bad for beginners. And how to master them.
In this article, learn why jazz chords aren’t that difficult and how to master them:
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Gordon November
Gordon November
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“Jazz is super hard.” When the topic with the threatening four letters came up in music class, everyone felt nervous.
You could even feel the tension of our experienced music teacher. How she quietly tapped her fingertips on her desk – and searched for words to get us students into the topic. How we all stared at her with big and expectant eyes. It must have been hilarious.
Could it be that we both – you and I – are in the same situation right now? You are an absolute beginner. And I am the seemingly all-knowing pianist who is now supposed to teach you jazz chords?
Honestly, we can do this! I know that jazz is hard. But I also know tricks and tips that will help you master jazz chords pretty quickly. And even better: improvise with them independently.
Are you ready? Then let’s get started.
Jazz Chords: Learn to understand them
We jump right into the topic and start with the question: What are jazz chords anyway? You will find out in this section. And you will also come into contact with the first jazz chord progression.
Attention: To really follow me, you should already have basic knowledge of chords. You can get this in my articles on piano chords, intervals and major and minor. Yes, that’s a lot of knowledge you can pile on. But you’ll be happy when you play jazz chords all the faster with this knowledge.
A look back: How jazz chords conquered New Orleans
Let’s take a step back. Specifically to the year 1901. We are in New Orleans. The city is pulsating. People enjoy their lives. And in the middle of the hustle and bustle are music legends like Kid Ory and Louis Armstrong, who are stirring up the jazz scene mightily.
Together with other jazz musicians, they play spontaneous jazz sessions and let their instruments create a sound together that no one has ever heard before. Their magic word: Improvisation. Notes? No thanks! Everything here comes directly from the musician’s heart. Every note. Every solo. Every chord.
And what chords! Chords that simply have it all sound-wise. Bam! That’s a bang!
How did the Dixie bands and New Orleans music geniuses manage to get so much out of a chord? I’ll tell you their secret: They relied on seventh chords.
And what are seventh chords now?
If you’ve already dealt with chords a little, then you know what a seventh chord is. And if not – that’s not bad either. Then you’ll learn it now.
You usually encounter chords in the form of a triad. Then they consist of three notes. But also four-note chords – i.e. chords made up of four notes – are not uncommon. The difference to the triad: We have one more note. Otherwise everything stays the same. Easy, right?
On the sheet music it looks like this:
If we stack four thirds on top of each other, we get a seventh chord. So triad + more notes. Why the name seventh chord? Because the highest note of the chord is a seventh in relation to the root note.
And now it gets wonderfully simple. Because you already know what a jazz chord is. The fact is: Seventh chords are the most basic type of jazz chord. Yay!
For comparison: Ordinary major or minor triads are super rare in jazz. It’s almost always seventh chords that you encounter in jazz pieces.
And which you can use to give your improvisations that jazzy, smoky style. But that doesn’t mean that seventh chords belong exclusively to jazz. You can also encounter them in other genres. But that doesn’t matter to us at this point.
Gmaj7? Learn to understand the secret language of jazz chords
Jazz music is usually recorded on a lead sheet. Unlike the sheet music you usually encounter, here you “only” see the melody. The chords are noted above it. In the form of seemingly cryptic abbreviations such as Gmaj7 or Amin7.
Before I explain what this is all about, some good news: This notation gives you – and every jazz player – absolute freedom. You can decide which chords you want to play. And how. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
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The jazz chord notation explained in an easy to understand way
A chord is determined by its root note. This is usually the lowest note of the chord. So if “A” is the lowest note of a chord, then the chord is an A + yes what now? You’ll find out now!
Minor chords are often indicated by a minus sign ‘-‘, a ‘min’ or an ‘m’ after the chord note. For example, an A minor seventh chord could be written as A-7, Amin7 or Am7.
Dominant chords are usually simply defined by the name of the chord and the extension. For example, a dominant seventh chord in D is called D7.
Major chords are simply named with the chord name; sometimes they can also be noted with a small triangle, like this ∆, or with a ‘maj’ or ‘ma’ after the chord note. A G major seventh chord can therefore be written as G, G∆, Gmaj7 or Gma7.
So you see: Each of these hieroglyphs on a jazz sheet music also really has a meaning. So you don’t actually need any sheet music to play jazz. You just have to understand the system behind the notation of jazz chords and your fingers will glide confidently over the keyboard.
Jazz chord progressions: Explained very simply and immediately playable for you
Understanding extensions
You have learned that the seventh is a fundamental extension of every chord, creating a seventh chord. These seventh chords can be additionally extended – in this way a wealth of jazz chords is created.
What? So many chord possibilities?
Don’t worry. In the field of jazz, you only have to remember three extensions for your chord. Or rather: Three numbers. 9. 11. And 13.
Ninth note
You can simply add a ninth to your jazz chord. This applies to major chords and minor chords. But also to dominant chords and half-diminished seventh chords. A Cmaj9 chord, for example, is a C major chord supplemented by a seventh and a ninth.
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Eleventh note
In jazz music, a chord can also be supplemented by an eleventh note or – attention, know-it-alls – an undecime. This applies to minor chords but also to half-diminished and diminished seventh chords. If you feel like it, you can also add a ninth to this type of jazz chord.
Thirteenth note
Almost done. We come to the last extended jazz chord. With this one, you supplement your seventh chord with a 13th note. This is possible with major, minor and dominant seventh chords.
Important: Never add the 11th note to this chord. This creates a nasty dissonance. That would only ruin our beautiful jazz music.
Jazz chord progressions: Chaka, you can do it!
As a beginner or aspiring pianist, I would first like to introduce you to the most important jazz chords and chord progressions:
You now know the major seventh chords, the minor seventh chords and the dominant seventh chords with their extensions. And that’s exactly what you need to master most jazz chord progressions.
But what about the diminished and half-diminished chords?
Don’t worry: You’ll understand them quickly too:
A diminished triad consists of two minor thirds. A fully diminished seventh chord consists of three minor thirds. However, the third minor third destroys the seventh. Because as you can see in the middle below: From C to A it is only a sixth. So the chord should actually be called a fully diminished sixth chord.
On the right, however, you see the half-diminished seventh chord. “Half-diminished” because the last third, from Gg to Bb is a major third, and thus a seventh again.
The jazz chord progression that everyone should know
As they say? No master has fallen from the sky yet. So you don’t have to master all jazz chord progressions right away. Nevertheless, I would like to introduce you to one. It is quasi THE chord progression among jazz chord progressions. So use it.
The Jazz Standard: ii-V-I
ii-V-I. What is that? That’s the chord progression I was just talking about. It is one of the most used chord progressions in jazz music. And it should definitely be included in your pianist repertoire.
But let’s first decipher these symbols and their meaning.
Lower case Roman numerals = minor chord
Upper case Roman numerals = major chord
Now this chord progression has to become a jazz chord progression. And it becomes one by adding a seventh. So we get the chord symbols ii7, V7 and Imaj7.
An example for C major:
You also have complete freedom here and can add extensions to the chords in this chord progression. This gives you direct control over an amazing amount of variation possibilities.
The behemoth Jazz: Is jazz really that hard - and why?
You’ve got it! If you’ve fought your way through this article and understood everything, you now know what jazz chords are, can form them independently and even play your first jazz chord progressions. That’s actually something for people with experience. But you as a beginner have also understood it.
The trick: Don’t be intimidated by the large towers of notes. And preferably don’t think about notes at all. But understand the concept behind the jazz chords. Once you have internalized that, you will play the piano freely. And are able to make your songs your own.
Improvising like Louis Armstrong: In the Masterclass Intuition
If you want to learn even more about intuitive piano playing and play your favorite songs by ear in the future, then become an Intuinaut together with my community. In the Masterclass Intuition on piano.university you will learn free piano playing – as well as chord progressions – from scratch. And will soon become a master or a Paganini in improvisation.
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