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= Notes on Voicing =
== Omitting Notes ==
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.
== Open Strings ==
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:
That C{{9}}{{s}}11 still a bit difficult, but if we omit the D (9th), it becomes a very simple voicing. For the G{{9}}{{s}}11, the chord shape above is pretty easy to play and includes all 6 notes of the chord. Unfortunately, the A11 and P5 are in the same octave, creating a m2 interval. Hence, the G{{9}}{{s}}11 voicing 2, which avoids any m2 intervals but drops the B (M3) of the chord.
== Omission from Arrangement ==
Extended chords generally apply to Jazz, in which guitar is often accompanied by bass and/or piano. This means the guitar may not be responsible for supplying every note of the chord. For instance, the bass may play the root note (or other bass note for an inversion). This allows the guitar to omit this note from the chord. Piano can take this even further, allowing the guitar to play as little as 2 notes of the chord.
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.
= Voicing = Avoiding Dissonant Intervals ==
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 (creating a m2 interval), the A4 is played an octave higher as the A11 (producing a M7). 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.