A certain chord that mystifies me.

[Norman Tran]

Okay, so I have a favorite chord but I do not know what it's called. The chord is a dominant 7th chord with a flat 9th. I heard this is the Hendrix Chord but I don't think so. What amazes me is how it literally is like a musical orgasm every time I hear one of these chords. Any one else have a "favorite" chord?

[Adrian Allan]

that chord is almost the same as the diminished 7th chord which will subsitute for the dominant chord - ie. Ab dim7th is the same as G7b9 but without the root.

So having arrived at the diminished chord from the dominant 7th b9 you can change key in many directions.

Both chords are used all the time in jazz arrangements.

I thought that the Hendrix chord was the Dom7th sharp 9th, like at the start of Purple Haze.

[Salvin Cransby]

I like the chords 7b5 and 7b13.
I like when FACC becomes FBCD (dimb9?)
Sounds and functions of chords change depending on their surroundings though, so sometimes basic chords sound amazing.

[Salvin Cransby]

I like the chord m7b5
but this is the same notes as half diminished
and as m6 ----If the six is in the bass, it can be a passing chord with a moving bassline Am/F#

[Stephen Douglass Bennett]

Eric Whitacre divisi chords. ALL of them are my favorite chords.

[phil Kelly]

I favor impressionistic Ravellian / Delius -ish clustered pitch sets like ( reading down ):

E
Db
B
Ab
F

..over a G pedal

these clusters move nicely in minor 3rd parallel shapes over such a pedal, and can leaf harmonically in many directions due to their octatonic scale basis.

[pete whitfield]

Favorite chord - wow, I didn't know how hard this would be! I remember as a student working on a Joseph Horovitz composition and coming across a #11 chord - (one of those special growing up moments!) It was Ab9 with a D on the top.
But the #9 has to be my favorite! (I think that is what the Hendrix chord is as Adrian says). I can see some sense in actually calling it a b10 chord, as part of the beauty of it is that it seems to have contradictory major and minor 3rds, which ought to sound messy but has such a strong emotional pull I feel.

[Norman Tran]

Ahh this chord (I don't know the name of it but now I do :) ). I really like how there's a good variety of dissonance in the chord yet it sounds so pleasant. The tritone dissonance (B and F) contradicts with the perfect fith (Bb and F), and the powerfully consonant 10th I believe (G and B [one octave higher] ) but this contradiction adds a beautiful tonal quality and texture to the chord. Here is one of my favorite chord progressions using it (reading down from highest note to lowest)

G
E D D
C A G#
G --> F -->
C B D
E

I really like adding tension to my music so I like how the innocent and consonant C chord (I don't know the specific formal name for the chord) goes into the dissonant tritone chord, requiring resolution. Instead of giving the listener the absolute satisfaction of a more consonant chord. That's why I like ending it with that funky E chord (forgive me lack of technical precision lol).


pete whitfield said:

Favorite chord - wow, I didn't know how hard this would be! I remember as a student working on a Joseph Horovitz composition and coming across a #11 chord - (one of those special growing up moments!) It was Ab9 with a D on the top.
But the #9 has to be my favorite! (I think that is what the Hendrix chord is as Adrian says). I can see some sense in actually calling it a b10 chord, as part of the beauty of it is that it seems to have contradictory major and minor 3rds, which ought to sound messy but has such a strong emotional pull I feel.

[Fredrick zinos]

Spelled from the bass up Left hand Fb Ab, Cb, Fb ; Right hand G natural, Bb, Db, Eb,

Repeat loudly 69 times.

Debussy would have used this chord but probably up an octave, maybe voiced differently.

After almost 100 years still pretty shocking.

[phil Kelly]

I like it!

why did you spell the E major chord as an Fb Major ? ..
..or is this actually how it was notated in its original usage ?

[Fredrick zinos]

Phil, yes this is the original notation. There is a key signature, more or less, 3 flats that, in the context of the noise that gets made, is possibly irrelevant but perhaps accounts for the composer's spelling of the chord.



phil Kelly said:

I like it!

why did you spell the E major chord as an Fb Major ? ..
..or is this actually how it was notated in its original usage ?

[Chris Alpiar]

My favorite crunchy chord is a Dom7 with full crunch: e.g. C7 b9 #9 #11 nat13
this also spells out symmetric diminished or octatonic, or 1/2-whole diminished scale

I also really like symmetric augmented major, which is basically two augmented triads a minor 3rd apart. But you can make a nice "jazz" voicing with it like
EMaj7
________
C5

(C5 is root and P5 only) so you get C > G > E > G# > B > D#
is also a symmetric scale made of min3, 1/2 steps

[Rick Longden]

pete whitfield said:

Favorite chord - wow, I didn't know how hard this would be! I remember as a student working on a Joseph Horovitz composition and coming across a #11 chord - (one of those special growing up moments!) It was Ab9 with a D on the top.
But the #9 has to be my favorite! (I think that is what the Hendrix chord is as Adrian says). I can see some sense in actually calling it a b10 chord, as part of the beauty of it is that it seems to have contradictory major and minor 3rds, which ought to sound messy but has such a strong emotional pull I feel.