Ask Jermaine: “How To Create Those Fancy Jazzy Chords”

This edition of “Ask Jermaine” was posted by Ronald Verwer in our Free Lessons area. He writes:

Hi Jermaine,

How fabulous the way you are explaining the composition of the various chords. Your flash cards are a great help. It becomes so easy to follow. By just sitting on the piano and practicing with the flashcards improves my playing tremendously. Even after 60 years of playing!

You are a legend.

The thing I want to know is how to create that Jazzy sound, not the rhythm but the Jazz chords. I have not been able to figure that out as yet. I look forward to your last and may be following videos. God Bless you and your family.

Kind regards, Ronald

Here’s what I replied to Ronald with inside the free video area:

Hey Ronald,

Thanks again for your kind words.

You create the really jazzy chords from the same old fantastic four chords from video 3: major, minor, diminished, augmented.

Try some of these out and let me know what you think:

C major 9
(C major) + (G major)
(C + E + G) + (B + D + G)
(C + E + G) + (D + G + B)
*Using numbers: 1-major + 5-major

C major 9 (#11)
(C major) + (B diminished)
(C + E + G) + (B + D + F#)
*Using numbers: 1-major + 7-minor

C minor 11
(C minor) + (Bb major)
(C + Eb + G) + (F + Bb + D)
*Using numbers: 1-minor + b7-major

C minor 11 (b5) — really dissonant but nice-sounding. Many places to put this:
(C diminished) + (Bb major)
(C + Eb + Gb) + (Bb + D + F)
*Using numbers: 1-minor + b7-major

I can go on and on. But it goes back to video 3 on the “magic chords.” That’s why I think those flash cards for the basic chords are so important. The rest is memorizing and retaining formulas like above.

-JG

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Jermaine Griggs

Founder at HearandPlay.com

Hi, I'm Jermaine Griggs, founder of this site. We teach people how to express themselves through the language of music. Just as you talk and listen freely, music can be enjoyed and played in the same way... if you know the rules of the "language!" I started this site at 17 years old in August 2000 and more than a decade later, we've helped literally millions of musicians along the way. Enjoy!

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