Four- And Five-Note Chords

In this article you will be introduced to four- and five-note chords, which are great tools for making your music more interesting.

If you don't know any music theory, this article may be difficult for you to understand. Consider reading our article on music theory first.

Once you have read this article, you can proceed to read our article about six- and seven-note chords.

Four-Note Chords

Minor 7th Chords

If a chord has the number 7 in the name, it means that a minor seventh has been added to the triad, making it a four-note chord. Dominant chords often have an added minor seventh. This is the case regardless of whether the chord is major or minor - 7 indicates an added minor seventh.

For example, a C7 chord has the notes: C - E - G - B♭. The G is the tonic note of the scale, E is the major third, G is the fifth and B flat is the minor seventh. Similarly, a Cm7 chord has the notes: C - E♭ - G - B♭. The only difference here is the E♭ which is the minor third of the scale.

Maj7 Chords

If a chord has "Maj7" or ^ as part of its name, then a major seventh has been added to the triad. As was the case with the minor seventh chord, this is regardless of whether the base triad is major or minor.

For example, a Cmaj7 (C^) chord has the notes: C - E - G - B, and a Cm-maj7 (Cm^) chord has the notes: G - E♭ - G - B.

6 Chords

If a chord has the number 6 in the name, it means that a major sixth has been added to the triad. This always signifies a major sixth! Subdominant chords often have an added major sixth, but it can also be used in other functions.

For example, a C6 chord has the notes: C - E - G - A, i.e. the tonic note, the major third, the fifth, and an added major sixth. A Cm6 chord has the notes: C - E♭ - G - A.

Add9 Chords

Chords which have "add" in their name do just that - They add a specific note. In an add9 chord, a major ninth is added to the chord. This is essentially the same as a major second, but in principal it is one octave higher. It is, however, not uncommon to play an add9 chord where the ninth is played as the second between the tonic and the third. This gives a "tight" sound, and is fairly common in pop music.

A Cadd9 chord has the notes: C - E - G - D, i.e. the tonic note, the major third, the fifth and the major ninth, but can also be played as: C - D - E - G, i.e. the tonic note, the second, the third and the fifth. It should be noted that if you come across a C9 chord (Which does not have "add" in the name) then it is a different chord, which we will discuss in the next section.

Five-Note Chords

When playing a five-note chord, you add an additional note to four-note chords.

9 Chords

If a chord has 9 in the name (Without "add"), it signifies that the chord has both a minor seventh and a major ninth. Rather than write both the 7 and the 9, it is simply pressumed that the chord also contains the minor seventh. This means that the 9 chord contains five notes.

For example, a C9 chord has the notes: C - E - G - B♭ - D, i.e. the tonic note, the major third, the fifth, the minor seventh and the major ninth. A Cm9 chord has the notes: C - E♭ - G - B♭ - D, i.e. the tonic note, the minor third, the fifth, the minor seventh and the major ninth.

Maj9 Chords

If the name of a chord contains "maj9" or "^9", it signifies that the chord has a major seventh and a major ninth.

For example, a Cmaj9 (C^9) chord has the notes: C - E - G - B - D, i.e. the tonic note, the major third, the fifth, the major seventh and the major ninth. A Cm-maj9 (Cm^9) chord has the notes: C - E♭ - G - B - D, i.e. the tonic note, the minor third, the fifth, the major seventh and the major ninth. This particular chord, the Cm^9, is not heard often in popular music, but it is often used as the final chord in James Bond theme songs.

6/9 Chords

The 6/9 chord (Sometimes written as simply 69) is very popular in funk and jazz, particularly in its major variation. The minor variation is mostly used in bossa nova and other types of latin music. The name signifies that the chord includes both a major sixth and a major ninth, but no seventh of any kind.

For example, a C6/9 chord has the notes: C - E - G - A - D, i.e. the tonic note, the major third, the fifth, the major sixth and the major ninth. The Cm6/9 chord has the notes: C - E♭ - G - A - D, i.e. the tonic note, the minor third, the fifth, the major sixth and the major ninth.

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If you thought this article was useful, you might also find the following interesting…

• Learn how to construct six- and seven-note chords
• Learn the seven diatonic scales as well as two alternative diatonic scales
• Learn how to substitute chords in songs to make them more interesting
• Learn the basics of modal harmony - the basis of jazz music!
• Learn the basics of functional harmony
• Season Plan - Save 15% on music lessons

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