Noodling Around with chords

[Wiggy]

I was noodling around and found minors that were shaped nearly the same as a major
but sounded very different and pleasant together.

I call it "?min" because it is closely related to the Key but it is not the
relative minor. I don't know what to call it - the key's M7 alter-ego"

Bm and GMaj7 have the same notes. So why do we have 2 names for the same chord?
*** See: Jim Yate's reply #6 ***

This was created with help from the circle of 5ths: (Sorry, this editor doesn't recognize tabs.)

Key ?min Eq'v M7 ?min+1/2 Rel min
E Abm EM7 Am C#m
A C#m AM7 Dm F#m
D F#m DM7 Gm Bm
G Bm GM7 Cm Em
C Em CM7 Fm Am
F Am FM7 Bbm Dm
Bb Dm BbM7 Cm Gm
Eb F#m DM7 Gm Cm
Ab Cm AbM7 Bm Fm

Ex: Play back and forth
G then Bm (it seems to go "low")
G then Cm (it seems to go "high"
G them Em (...the relative minor)

The chart looks like this:

 

[casualmusic]

Bm and GMaj7 have the same notes. So why do we have 2 names for the same chord?

I like the ambiguity because one of the “chord names” will fit the scheme of the key being played; see next…

Cheers.

 

[casualmusic]

I’m ashamed to say that the circle of fifths confuses me when I’m playing a song.

Instead I memorized the I, IV, V chords for each easy key, and the harmonious II-minor, III-minor, and VI-minor chords flow naturally.


1. Easiest ukulele keys with chords:

C: C, Dm, ‘Em, F, G/G7, Am

F: F, Gm, Am, Bb, C/C7, Dm

G: G, Am, Bm, C, D/D7, ‘Em

A: A, Bm, C#m7, D, E/E7, F#m

D: D, Em, F#m, G, A/A7, Bm


2. For baritone and guitar players another easy and favourite key is:

E: E, Fm, Gm, A, B/B7, Cm


3. Some chord fingering allows easy one finger switching.

Example 1: 2-0-1-0

- ukulele F can flip to Dm (VI-minor) or F7

- baritone/guitar C can flip to Em (III-minor) or C7


Cheers.

 

[Mike $]

...Bm and GMaj7 have the same notes. So why do we have 2 names for the same chord?...

The Bm and the Gmaj7 don't have the same notes and they are not the same chord. Minor chords are triads, they have only three notes in them. Any chord with the number 7 in it, including: major 7, dominant 7, minor 7, diminished 7, and augmented 7 chords all have four notes in them. The Bm has B, D and F# in it, but the Gmaj7 chord has G, B, D and F#. Play them with all the notes of the chords and you will hear quite a difference between them. You can substitute one for another since they share a significant number of notes, but they aren't the same chord. Same with other substitutions. A major 7 chord and a 6 chord do contain the same notes, for instance Am7 and C6 are identical, except when you spell them, one starts on the A note and the other on the C note. On the Uke, a minor 6 chord seems to be the same as a 9 chord, but, the 9 chord is a 5 note chord and you are unable to properly play one on the uke and are forced to us a substitute chord, and usually a minor 6 chord is used....but you could just as easily substitute a 7sus2 chord. You really only need to use the 3rd 7th and 9th notes to get the flavor of the 9 chord The 5th and Root can be implied or played by another instrument. A dominant 7 chord can be implied by two notes, the third and the 7th.

 

[Wiggy]

I’m ashamed to say that the circle of fifths confuses me when I’m playing a song.

Instead I memorized the I, IV, V chords for each easy key, and the harmonious II-minor, III-minor, and VI-minor chords flow naturally.

1. Easiest ukulele keys with chords:

C: C, Dm, ‘Em, F, G/G7, Am

F: F, Gm, Am, Bb, C/C7, Dm

G: G, Am, Bm, C, D/D7, ‘Em

A: A, Bm, C#m7, D, E/E7, F#m

D: D, Em, F#m, G, A/A7, Bm

...

I like what you did there. Nice smooth (like you said, harmonious) transitions.

I use the 5ths chart when transposing. And also when I discover something cool like Ab to Cm and want to do it in another key: such as Bb to Dm or F to Am.

 

[Canada Jim]

Bm and GMaj7 have the same notes. So why do we have 2 names for the same chord?

GMa7 is not quite the same chord as Bm.
GMa7 - G B D F#
Bm - B D F#,
GMa7 could be written as Bm/G depending on its context.
Bm/G - G B D F#
Em7 is an inversion of G6. Which name you choose here would also depend on the context.
G6 - G B D E
Em7 - E G B D
We call the standard tuning of a ukulele a "C6 tuning" since it is GCEA, an inversion of C6.
We could just as easily call it an "Am7 tuning" since an Am7 contains the same notes.
Some folks call standard tuning "C tuning" though that would really be GCEG.

 

[Wiggy]

GMa7 is not quite the same chord as Bm.
GMa7 - G B D F#
Bm - B D F#,
GMa7 could be written as Bm/G depending on its context.
Bm/G - G B D F#
Em7 is an inversion of G6. Which name you choose here would also depend on the context.
G6 - G B D E
Em7 - E G B D
We call the standard tuning of a ukulele a "C6 tuning" since it is GCEA, an inversion of C6.
We could just as easily call it an "Am7 tuning" since an Am7 contains the same notes.
Some folks call standard tuning "C tuning" though that would really be GCEG.

Thanks, Jim. I always need more "schooling"

I've seen chords written like Bm/G written but never got a grasp of what that meant. I guess it means Bm "plus" or "with" an "add" -ed G. I hesitate to say "over" G as it implies.

I Googled: "how many notes to make a major 7 chord"
Now that I realize it requires 4 notes (not always a possible reach with only 4 strings) to make the complete chords, I'll take another run at M7s.

I'll now be diving into relating Xm7s to Y6s because that's easier

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

GMa7 is not quite the same chord as Bm.
GMa7 - G B D F#
Bm - B D F#,
GMa7 could be written as Bm/G depending on its context.
Bm/G - G B D F#
Em7 is an inversion of G6. Which name you choose here would also depend on the context.
G6 - G B D E
Em7 - E G B D
We call the standard tuning of a ukulele a "C6 tuning" since it is GCEA, an inversion of C6.
We could just as easily call it an "Am7 tuning" since an Am7 contains the same notes.
Some folks call standard tuning "C tuning" though that would really be GCEG.

Thanks, Jim. Spoken like a teacher, and a highly competent one at that! Very clear explanation of the nuances of uke tuning nomenclature.

 

[Canada Jim]

Thanks, Jim. I always need more "schooling"

I've seen chords written like Bm/G written but never got a grasp of what that meant. I guess it means Bm "plus" or "with" an "add" -ed G. I hesitate to say "over" G as it implies.

I Googled: "how many notes to make a major 7 chord"
Now that I realize it requires 4 notes (not always a possible reach with only 4 strings) to make the complete chords, I'll take another run at M7s.

I'll now be diving into relating Xm7s to Y6s because that's easier

Chords like Bm/G are called "slash chords". They're often read as "B minor seventh with a G in the bass" and usually are used to show a moving bass line. Since the ukulele hasn't much bass range, players often ignore the note after the slash (or transpose the moving line into the treble range).
What I call "the Mr. Bojangles lick" is often shown using slash chords:
C / / |C/B / / |C/A / / |C/G / / |, though it could be shown as C / / |CMa7 / / |C6 / / |C / / |
With a linear tuned uke, I'd play:
_____3__3__ _____3__3__ _____3__3__ _____3__3__
_____0__0__ _____0__0__ _____0__0__ _____0__0__
__0__0__0__ _____0__0__ _____0__0__ _____0__0__
____________ __4________ __2________ __0_________

With a re-entrant tuned uke, I'd play:
__3__3__3__ __2__3__3__ __0__3__3__ _____3__3__
_____0__0__ ______0__0___ ____0__0__ __3__3__3__
_____0__0__ ______0__0___ ____0__0__ _____0__0__
____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

 

[bbkobabe]

Looks like Jim got a new gig... Mall Santa!

 

[Wiggy]

Ah-hah!
Now I now see my confusion:

Bm = F# B D
GMaj7 = F# B D G

No wonder my ears (erroneously) accepted them as "darned near" the same, and at times good enough.

 

[ripock]

Something that I find amazing is how much the mind controls the ear. As mentioned ø = m6 = rootless 9. They're the same chords but the roots are different. I really dislike 9 chords and find them shrill but my favorite chord is the Em6. I use it a lot. For example that's my I chord when I play Rhythm Changes. However if someone was playing a blues progression in D and they played an A9 (3323) I would think "yuck". But if they played 3323 as the last chord in a 2-5-1 in E, I would feel very satisfied.

 

[Wiggy]

When noodling around I often discover some interesting chords but have no clue what they are. I created these to keep these nearby so I can quicky add the dots to determine the note names of what shape I was holding at that moment.

For std uke the 4 top boxes would be |g|C|E|A|.

Use this to find out what they are:

Chord Identifier - Reverse Chord Finder - Search chord by notes

Online Chord Identifier. Find chords by notes, guitar frets or piano keys. Chord Finder and Chord Namer for the notes you want. 84.000+ known chords.

www.scales-chords.com

Just plug in note names; it doesn't matter what order - it'll tell you what chords use those notes. Some chords require 5 notes, and this will also tell which are missing.