• Clayh
  • Junior Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2010-07-23
  • Posts: 1

Topic: Jazz guitar chords- CONFUSED, PLEASE HELP

Hi, I'm in my school's jazz band as a percussionist, and I also play guitar (Just not in Jazz Band). We are playing "Hot Chocolate" from the Polar Express movie, and I'm doing guitar on this song because we need a guitarist. I have the music, and it's almost all chords, but they're all really weird (Think F13, Bb13, C7/E). I also have a sheet of all the chord fingerings with the roots circled, but above all the fingerings, it doesn't have the chord name, just the add-ons (I don't know what they're called) like "Maj7", and "7(#11)". I have no idea how to match these to the chords in the song. HELP!

~Clay

  • Registered: 2009-11-16
  • Posts: 605

Re: Jazz guitar chords- CONFUSED, PLEASE HELP

Hi Clayh some one will be along to help you. I come from a jazz piano background, most of these cords are easy on a keyboard. It's just a matter of counting the notes off. I don't have the foggest idea about on a guitar. If you go to guitar cords on Google you'll find several sites where you can get the cords and their variation. Lots of luck

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: Jazz guitar chords- CONFUSED, PLEASE HELP

Couple easy ways to cheat on those extended chords.  Any time you see a 9, 11, or 13, you can substitute in a 7 for it.  For example, that F13 can be played as a simple F7 chord.   That should help get you by until you pick up those extended color cards.  Don't let those chords scare you, as they are just 7ths.

The other thing to do is get a really thick chord book with all kinds of variants in it.  You'll find that you can probably play a lot of those progressions without moving your hand around a lot.   This not only makes it easier to play, but makes it look like you're a serious dude, too.   Guys like Bill Frisel and Pat Metheney do the most amazing things, but it hardly looks like they're moving their hands at all.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: Cardiff, Wales, UK
  • Registered: 2008-08-25
  • Posts: 182

Re: Jazz guitar chords- CONFUSED, PLEASE HELP

This site will give you the shape of F13 and any other chord you want.
F13
http://jguitar.com/chordsearch/F13
C7/E
http://jguitar.com/chordsearch?chordsearch=C7%2FE
Here's F13 on the piano
http://www.8notes.com/piano_chord_chart/F13.asp

  • Zeedis
  • Junior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Malaysia
  • Registered: 2011-02-16
  • Posts: 1

Re: Jazz guitar chords- CONFUSED, PLEASE HELP

Clayh wrote:

Hi, I'm in my school's jazz band as a percussionist, and I also play guitar (Just not in Jazz Band). We are playing "Hot Chocolate" from the Polar Express movie, and I'm doing guitar on this song because we need a guitarist. I have the music, and it's almost all chords, but they're all really weird (Think F13, Bb13, C7/E). I also have a sheet of all the chord fingerings with the roots circled, but above all the fingerings, it doesn't have the chord name, just the add-ons (I don't know what they're called) like "Maj7", and "7(#11)". I have no idea how to match these to the chords in the song. HELP!

~Clay

Hi Clay,

This is my first post smile

Maybe the chords in the sheet contains moveable chords, which means it can be played anywhere on the fretboard by playing the exact fingering pattern. Thats why they circled the root. The key of the chord will change depending on its position on the fretboard but the still maintaining the chords name (just like playing barre chords which be played anywhere on the fretboard)

  • zonsht
  • Junior Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2011-03-03
  • Posts: 3

Re: Jazz guitar chords- CONFUSED, PLEASE HELP

jazz uses mostly chords constructed on the 1 - 3 - 5 - 7, these are basic 4 note chords, these chords can have extensions or tensions which are added to the base chord, there are different extensions to the different chords for example a dom7 chord may have the 13,9,b13,b9,b5,#9,b9.
also some of the tensions will fit better on chord progressions. in other cases the composer will hint you to use extension by placing the word "alt" (altered) over a dom7 chord

  • Registered: 2009-11-16
  • Posts: 605

Re: Jazz guitar chords- CONFUSED, PLEASE HELP

AS an aferthought, brain is now working, go to www.chordfind.com

  • Registered: 2007-04-20
  • Posts: 2

Re: Jazz guitar chords- CONFUSED, PLEASE HELP

Get the Mickey Baker book one. Just for the chords.

9 Reply by ndrewoods (edited by ndrewoods 2011-10-23 16:54:46)

  • Registered: 2011-07-05
  • Posts: 25

Re: Jazz guitar chords- CONFUSED, PLEASE HELP

Clayh wrote:

Hi, I'm in my school's jazz band as a percussionist, and I how to play guitar (Just not in Jazz Band). We are playing "Hot Chocolate" from the Polar Express movie, and I'm doing guitar on this song because we need a guitarist. I have the music, and it's almost all chords, but they're all really weird (Think F13, Bb13, C7/E). I also have a sheet of all the chord fingerings with the roots circled, but above all the fingerings, it doesn't have the chord name, just the add-ons (I don't know what they're called) like "Maj7", and "7(#11)". I have no idea how to match these to the chords in the song. HELP!

~Clay

I agree with what Jerome had said. When you see extended chords such as the 9th, 11th and the 13th chord, you could always look for an alternative way to play it. Have you tried using polychords? Polychords are a great cheat to easily play extended chords but they are a bad way of labeling chords. Hope it helps.