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Extended chords rarely feature all the notes, as that would make them quite dissonant. For example, a "full" 13th chord features every note in the scale. Also, as you can imagine, there are more variations of extended chords than triads or 7ths; as the number of notes in the chord increases, the number of permutations available based on {{f}}/{{s}}'ed notes increases exponentially. Some permutations simply sound awful and aren't used, or are enharmonic to other chords making them redundant. We will not list those below.
Because extended chords contain more intervals and thus harmonic complexity than triads and 7ths, they are typically played with an undistorted guitar tone. Otherwise, they can sound very dissonant. In fact, unlike triads and some 7ths, extended chords typically have fewer desirable voicings, avoiding highly dissonant intervals such as m2 between notes. Jazz musicians also typically roll down the tone knob on their guitar to reduce overtones for a darker sound, as well as finger-picking instead of using a plectrum. This allows the complexity of the interaction between the fundamental pitches to be more clearly heard. When distorted guitar wants to play an extended chord, it must often be separated between multiple instruments, or arpeggiated.
BelowExtended chords rarely feature all the notes, as that would make them quite dissonant. For example, a "full" 13th chord features every note in the scale. Also, as you can imagine, there are more variations of extended chords than triads or 7ths; as the number of notes in the chord increases, the number of permutations available based on {{f}}/{{s}}'ed notes increases exponentially. Some permutations simply sound awful and aren't used, or are enharmonic to other chords making them redundant. We will not list those below. I try to list basically every moveable voicing I can find. In practice, there are ''a lot'' more voicings for these chords, as they are often assisted by open string notes. I did not include chords that use open strings since they are specific to one chord, unable to be applied to chords with different root notes. If you are composing or arranging a piece and want to find the most comfortable voicing for a chord, it helps to write down the actual note names of the chord next to the interval relationship of the chord. For example:
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''Extended Chords'' feature notes beyond the traditional triads, 7ths, and suspended 2nd/4ths. They are most commonly found in jazz, although some of the less complex ones can be seldomly found in other genres. The chords typically continue along the same route as the triads and 7ths, adding every other note from the root note. Although this goes past the octave, the number assigned to the additional notes continues to increment upwards from 7. For example, G B D F is a dominant 7th; G B D F A is a 9th, G B D F A C is an 11th; and G B D F A C E is a 13th.
Harmonically, extended chords fall into the same functions as other chords: tonic, pre-dominant, and dominant. They are most commonly used as substitutes for traditional triad or 7th chords, assuming the function of the chord they replace.
Extended chords each have their own flavor, with each voicing have its own sub-flavor. In addition to the interesting sounds they produce, they also serve for voice leading purposes by providing a greater variety of note choices in numerous voices, but particularly the soprano. Often the most extended note of the chord is altered ({{b}}/{{s}}'ed), slyly introducing chromatics into both harmonies and melodies.
= Notes on Voicing =
{| class="wikitable"
Omitting notes makes fingering simpler and easier. Many of the shapes below that seem too difficult at first may be possible if 1 or 2 notes are omitted. I try to supply the fullest chords that I can, allowing you to omit notes at your discretion.
= Guitar Tone =
Because extended chords contain more intervals and thus harmonic complexity than triads and 7ths, they are typically played with an undistorted guitar tone. When distorted guitar wants to play an extended chord, it must often be separated between multiple instruments, or arpeggiated. Otherwise, they can sound very dissonant.
Unlike triads and some 7ths, extended chords typically have fewer desirable voicings, avoiding highly dissonant intervals such as m2 between notes. As mentioned above, notes are often omitted from the chord voicing to avoid such intervals. Additionally, voicings try to space out "tight" intervals. For example, rather than playing a A4 and a P5 in the same octave, the A4 is played an octave higher as the A11. Spacing out intervals is more important for the lower strings/frets than the higher ones. As pitch gets higher, our ears tolerate tighter intervals. The highest 3 strings may have stacked m2, M2, m3, and/or M3 intervals, while the lower strings have P5, m7, and M7 intervals, often skipping a string.
Jazz musicians also typically roll down the tone knob on their guitar to reduce overtones for a darker sound, as well as finger-picking instead of using a plectrum. This allows the complex interactions between the fundamental pitches to be more clearly heard. Remember that guitar is rich in overtones following the harmonic series, which adds not only octaves but P5, M3, and m7 intervals ''to each note''. Since many of the notes in a complex chord form 3rds, 5ths, and 7ths with other notes in the chord and there is a guarantee that around half of them will have differing qualities than the harmonic series, this can lead to extremely dissonant-sounding chords, even with perfect technique, tuning, and intonation.
= 9ths =