Need help with jazz chords

[Dave Zirbel]

No wonder I couldn't play it!

thanks Bro!

[David L. Donald]

For me this is the simplest way.
9th is octave over 2nd in C6 D
11 is octave over 4th in C6 F
13 is octave over 6th in C6 A

So just play those notes above the b7 of your chord
C E G Bb then add F# (#11)and/or A (13) above.
If those notes are played by others below, just play the 5th then extra tension notes above.

If you can find a position in C to do it, then transposing to any other root is easy enough.

Dave, take the Ab Major scale in 2 octaves:

Ab-- 1
Bb-- 2
C--- 3
Db-- 4
Eb-- 5
F--- 6
G--- 7
Ab-- 8
Bb-- 9
C--- 10
Db-- 11
Eb-- 12
F--- 13
G
Ab

An Ab13 chord is a dominant chord, so we know there is a b7 (Gb), so we build a tertian chord (stacked in 3rds)- 1 3 5 b7 9 11 13
Now, it's a #11, so we need to factor that in-
1 3 5 b7 9 #11 13

OK, now take a look above at the scale in 2 octaves. Find the corresponding notes with the degrees of our chord:
1= Ab, 3= C, 5=Eb, b7=Gb, 9=Bb, #11=D, 13=F

You don't need to play the whole chord. The notes (from low to high) Gb Bb D F over Ab bass sound nice. There is a nice major 7 interval between the Gb and the F on top. That is a real important component of the 13th chord. So does
D Gb C F (the equivalent of D7#9)--again that interval exists between those notes. Experiment.


Do the same thing in the key of Eb for your other chord.