Learning jazz guitar chords often starts with systems like drop 2 and shell voicings. These are fantastic for understanding chord inversions and creating a solid foundation. However, relying solely on systems can limit your harmonic palette. There’s a world of beautiful Guitar Jazz Chords that exist outside these structured approaches, offering richer and more unique sounds. This lesson delves into some of these exceptional voicings that you might not hear frequently, yet are surprisingly accessible and rewarding to play.
Stepping Outside Chord Systems for Richer Sounds
It’s crucial to avoid becoming confined by chord system thinking, especially when exploring jazz guitar chords. The focus of this lesson is to introduce you to beautiful, sonically rich chords that enhance your jazz harmony. These voicings are particularly effective as sustained chords, creating a lush harmonic backdrop, ideal for soloists. While they might not be the go-to choices for rhythmic comping, where chord movement is paramount, they excel in adding depth and texture to your playing.
Enhancing Dominant Chords with Added Color
Let’s begin with a voicing closely linked to the melodic minor scale – the altered dominant chord. Consider this first example, a G7(#9):
The Dm7 chord here is a standard Drop 2 voicing for an Fmaj7, functioning as a Dm7(9) in this context. The G7 voicing is built upon a fundamental 3-note G7 chord, enriched by the addition of a #9 (Bb) on top. This voicing creates a compelling resolution to the subsequent Cmaj7. The Cmaj7 is voiced with a G triad over a low C – not quite a traditional bass note, but effective in creating a rich, open sound.
Transforming into a Lydian Dominant Flavor
This particular voicing takes on an even more compelling character when used as a Lydian dominant chord. The example below illustrates this, using it as a backdoor dominant in the key of C major:
Image alt text: Guitar tab showing Lydian Dominant chord progression in C major, featuring unique jazz guitar chord voicings.
In this application, the chord functions as a dominant 7th with both a #11 and a 13th.
The Cmaj7 voicing in this example is another harmonically rich chord, incorporating a 9th and a 13th. It’s constructed using an Asus4 upper structure triad over a B bass note, creating a sophisticated and airy sound.
Fresh Perspectives on Altered Dominant Chords
Here’s another approach to playing altered dominant voicings, ensuring the 7th of the chord remains prominent in the melody. This G7(#9) voicing is constructed as follows: B(9), G(1), Bb(#9), F(b7). In the example progression, the F (b7) is moved down to Eb (b13), resolving smoothly to the 9th of the Cmaj7 chord.
The Dm7 voicing in this case is adapted from a Drop 2 voicing, where the 5th has been replaced by the 11th, and the root by the 9th, resulting in a Dm7(11, 9).
This same voicing proves to be equally effective for a Lydian dominant chord, transforming into a dom7th(13#11) sound.
In the subsequent example, it’s utilized as a Bb7 chord within a backdoor dominant progression.
Bb7 voicing breakdown: Ab(b7), E(#11), G(13), D(3).
The Cmaj7 voicing remains consistent with the rich voicing used in the initial example.
Image alt text: Guitar tab demonstrating Altered Dominant chord options and progressions using unconventional jazz guitar voicings.
Leveraging Sus4 Triads as Upper Structures
This example showcases a set of three chords, all ingeniously built upon upper structure triads.
The Dm7 voicing is a Dm7(11), created by layering a C major triad over a D bass note.
The G7 chord utilizes an E major triad to construct a G7(13b9), resulting in a complex and tension-filled dominant sound.
The C6/9 chord is formed by using a Dsus4 triad as the upper structure, providing a bright and open major chord sound.
Why Not Explore b5, b13 Chords?
This final, “bonus” example takes a slightly different direction. It features a chord you likely already know but perhaps haven’t considered using in this particular way.
The Dm7 and Cmaj7 voicings are both standard drop 2 chords.
The G7 voicing, however, might be familiar to you as a Db7(9) chord. Since Db7 is the tritone substitute for G7, this voicing can be effectively employed as a G7 chord as well.
This application yields the following G7 voicing: B(3) Eb(b13) F(b7) Db(b5) – effectively creating a G7(b5,b13) chord. This voicing adds a significant degree of dissonance and sophistication.
Image alt text: Guitar tab illustrating the use of a b5 b13 chord voicing in a jazz context, showcasing unique guitar harmony.
Expand Your Voicing Vocabulary
A fantastic starting point for discovering new and inspiring sounds and voicings is to experiment with 3-note jazz chords. These are incredibly versatile and serve as excellent building blocks, both as standalone chords and as foundations for more elaborate voicings.
Explore 3-Note Chord Voicings – “Some Day My Prince Will Come” Lesson
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Download the PDF of Chord Examples
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