How To Add the Ninth Chord

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 Chords in my opinion have one purpose, to support the melody line. Like in a painting, you don't paint the colors first then draw the lines of the image. In music there are so many chords to choose from that it makes it fun when you find the combination of chords that really brings out the melody line in any song.


Now where you place the 7th or 9th chord in relationship to the melody depends upon the song structure.

Let's say you are playing "Blessed Assurance" in C. The traditional chord structure would be:


blessed a - (E,D,C)
ssurance - (CEG)
Je-sus is - (ACF, BDG, CFA)
mine (G DE G)


Now if you add an inversion of a ninth chord you get:


blessed a - (E,D,C)
ssurance - (D E G)
Jesus is - (ACF, BbDbG, BDA)
mine (G DE G)


Just by changing the relationship of a couple of notes, the whole flavor of the melody changes. Try this out using a C and G bass. You should hear when the chord changes which bass note compliments the chord change.


Warmest Regards,
~ D.

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