Extended Harmonies printable pdf download

music theory for musicians and normal people by toby w. rush

Extended Harmonies

so far, we’ve talked about two

types of tertial chords: triads and

seventh chords. remember, tertial

chords are chords constructed

w w w b b

w w w b

w w w

w w w #

by stacking major and minor thirds!

now, there are four types of triads

and eight types of seventh chords,

even though common practice period

diminished triad

minor triad

major triad

augmented triad

composers only used five of them.

∫

w w w

# #

w w w

b b

w #

w b

diminished diminished

diminished minor

minor minor

minor major

major minor

major major

augmented major

augmented augmented

seventh chord

so that makes for twelve chord types so far... but what if we keep going? what other chord

types can we make by stacking major and minor thirds? tertial chords with five, six and seven

notes are called ninth chords, eleventh chords and thirteenth chords respectively.

suddenly the possibilities increase from twelve...

# ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

...to 124!

w w w

b ∫ b

w w w

b b b

w w w

b b

w w w

b b

w w w

# #

w w w

# # #

w w w

‹

w w b b

w w b

# #

w w #

w w

w w b

w w

˙ ˙ ˙

the good news: common

# ˙ ˙ ˙

minished

diminished diminished

diminished minor minor

diminished minor major

minor minor minor

minor minor major

minor major major

minor major

major minor minor

major minor major

major major major

major major

augmented

augmented major

augmented augmented

augmented

hed

minor

ninth chord

augmented

ninth chord

augmented

major major

augmented

doubly-a

practice period composers

ord

ninth chord

ninth

˙ ˙ ˙

only used these “extended

∫

w w

b b

w w w

# #

w w

‹ #

∫ ∫

b ∫

b ∫ b

b b

b b b

b b

w w w

# ˙ ˙

w w w

harmonies” as diatonic

w b

b b

w w

w b

chords on the dominant.

˙ ˙

G: V

minished

diminished diminished

diminished minor

minor minor minor

minor minor major

minor major major

minor major

minor

hed

diminished diminished

minor diminished

minor perfect

minor diminished

minor perfect

major perfect

major augmented

diminished

perfect

augmented

perfect

augmented

augmented augmented

augm

nished

eleventh chord

doubly-a

chord

elevent

w w w

# b

w w w

w w

# #

w w

‹ #

w w

w w w

# #

w w w

‹ #

w w w

# #

w w

‹ #

w w

‹ ‹

w w

# ‹

b b

w w w

w w

G: V

seriously: these are the only

extended harmonies used by

r minor

major minor minor

major minor major

major major major

major major

augmented major

what about a fifteenth chord?

augmented major

augmented augmented

augmented

hed

perfect

augmented

perfect

augmented

augmented augmented

augmented

major perfect

major augmented

augmented augmented

augmented

augmented augmented

augmented

doubly-augmented

doubly-a

G: V

chord

eleventh chord

doubly-augmented

eleventh chord

doubly-augmented

eleventh chord

doubly-augmented

triply-au

eleventh chord

elevent

common practice period composers.

try it: if you add another third

∫

w w w

∫

w w

∫

w w

∫

w w

∫

w w

in fact, the v

and v

∫

# b

weren’t used

on top of a thirteenth, you

∫

w w w

∫

w w w

∫

w w

w w w

b ∫

w w w

w w

b b

w w

w w w

∫

w w w

∫

w w ∫

w w w ∫

∫

w w w b

w w b

w w b b

w w w b

b b

w w b

are just doubling the root.

much before the romantic era.

w w

w w b

so tertial harmony stops at 13!

diminished diminished

diminished MINOR MINOR

diminished MINOR MAJOR

diminished

minished

diminished

diminished diminished

minor diminished

minor diminished minor

minor perfect minor

minor perfect MAJOR

DIMINISHED DIMINISHED

DIMINISHED MINOR

PERFECT MINOR

PERFECT MAJOR

PERFECT MINOR

PERFECT MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED

doubly-diminished

diminished

minor

diminished

thirteenth chord

thirteen

nished

diminished

thirteenth chord

w w w

# #

w w w

# # #

w w w

# ‹ #

w w w

‹ ‹ #

thirteenth chord

chord

b b

# b

# #

b b

w w w

b b

w w w

finally, the ninth, eleventh or

now, when we put these chords into

w b

four-part harmony, we’ve got a

thirteenth of the chord is what

problem: they all have more than

defines it as a ninth, eleventh

R MINOR

MINOR MINOR MINOR

MINOR MINOR MAJOR

MINOR MAJOR MINOR

MINOR MAJOR MAJOR

MINOR MAJOR AUGMENTED

MINOR MAJO

MINISHED

DIMINISHED MINOR

PERFECT MINOR

PERFECT MAJOR

PERFECT MINOR

PERFECT MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED AUGMENTED

PERFECT MINOR

PERFECT MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED AUGMENTED

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-A

chord

thirteenth chord

THIRTEENTH CHORD

thirteenth chord

AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-A

w w

b b

w w

w w w

# #

w w w

w w

# #

w w

w w w

# # #

w w w

thirteenth chord

# # ‹

w w w

thirteen

‹ # ‹

four notes. So we have to make

or thirteenth chord.

# #

w w w

b b

w w w

thirteenth

œ œ

w w b

w w

w w b

w w

w w b

w w

the tough call: which ones do

w w

we cut from the team?

so how do you put these in

four-part harmony?

R MINOR

MAJOR MINOR MINOR

MAJOR MINOR MAJOR

MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR

MAJOR MAJOR AUGMENTED

MAJOR MAJO

MINISHED

DIMINISHED MINOR

PERFECT MINOR

PERFECT MAJOR

PERFECT MINOR

PERFECT MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED AUGMENTED

PERFECT MINOR

PERFECT MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED AUGMENTED

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-A

chord

THIRTEENTH CHORD

thirteenth chord

THIRTEENTH CHORD

thirteenth chord

AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-A

w w

# #

w w

w w w

# #

w w w

# ‹

w w w

‹ ‹

w w w

omit the fifth and use only

w w w

‹

w w w

‹

w w w

thirteenth chord

‹

w w w

thirteen

# #

# # #

# #

‹ #

‹ ‹

‹ # ‹

w w w

w w

w w #

w w

w w #

w w

w w #

w w

w w #

w w

w w #

w w

w w #

w w

third

the ninth, eleventh or

w w #

we need to keep the root

thirteenth as necessary.

because it defines the chord.

similarly, the third is what

OR MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED AUGMENTED

AUGMENTED

INOR

PERFECT MAJOR

AUGMENTED MAJOR

AUGMENTED AUGMENTED

AUGMENTED

AUGMENTED AUGMENTED

AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-A

chord

THIRTEENTH CHORD

thirteenth chord

MAJOR

AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-AUGMENTED

MAJOR

AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-AUGMENTED

TRIPLY-AUGMENTED

TRIPLY-A

thirteenth chord

AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-AUGMENTED

thirteenth chord

THIRTEENTH CHORD

AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-AUGMENTED

AUGMENTED

DOUBLY-AUGMENTED

TRIPLY-A

seventh

thirteenth chord

thirteen

makes the chord tertial.

oh, and if you’re worried

about inversions: stop.

in the common practice

the seventh acts as a bridge

root

period, extended harmonies

to the extended harmony,

are almost always found

preventing the chord from

C: V

in root position.

coming across as two separate

harmonies played at the same time.

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Extended Harmonies

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