what chord is this?

[George McLellan]

I accidently hit the 9th string when I was intending to play only 8, 6, 5 (w/A pedal and F knee) and the result was a really nice chord. What is it?

Geo

[Olli Haavisto]

Open it could be called a D dim Maj7, other explations may exist...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminished ... enth_chord

[chris ivey]

if you played the 9th string 'instead' of the 8th string, your f lever wasn't affecting anything.

[George McLellan]

Thanks Olli, I happened to do that while on the 8th fret, so would it be a Bb dim Maj7th?...oooooffffffdaaaaaaaa.

You are missing some mighty cold weather here. The last time you were here it was rainy and foggy, it's -21ºF today and Lake Superior is frozen over as far as the eye can see.

Geo

[Olli Haavisto]

It`s rainy and foggy here now, + 2 centigrade. Go figure
Happy New Year to you and yours!

[George McLellan]

Chris, I did play the 8th string so the F lever does come into play, I just hit the 9th at the same time I hit the 8th with my thumb and 5 & 6 with my fingers (I was playing an A chord), that's how it happened.

Thanks for your input.

Geo

[Dick Sexton]

[Tucker Jackson]

Dick, in your first example, when the A-pedal goes down, it becomes a partial 13th chord -- the 13th tone being an octave above the 6th, so yes, it's a 6th-sounding chord.

[George McLellan]

I've used the 9th string with 5 & 6 for a 7th chord many times as well as the tabs Dick demonstrated. It's the 9, 8F, 5A & 6 that made that nice chord I was inquiring about.

Geo

[Brint Hannay]

I use 9-8F-6-5A as a 13b9 chord (no root): 7-b9-3-13.

[Dick Sexton]

Misunderstood.

[Herb Steiner]

Not to be redundant but merely de-mystify things for those not familiar with extended dominant chords, strings 9, 6, and 5 with pedal A down is a 13th chord, plain and simple.

Very common voicing, I use it all the time. To the point of cliché-ness, in fact.

[Tucker Jackson]

I use 9-8F-6-5A as a 13b9 chord (no root): 7-b9-3-13.

Yes, for the 4-note voicing, a 13b9 is it. Olli's chord is legit too, but I think you're more likely to run into somebody telling you to play a 13b9 than a diminished major 7.

[Joey Ace]

Couldn't this be simply an A add b9 chord?

My reasoning is George said he intended to only play strings 8, 6, and 5 at the 8th fret using pedals/levers AF. This is a common A major triad. (C#, A, E low to high)

He then added the 9th string, Bb, which is the flat ninth tone of an A major scale.

You can't just call it an Ab9 because that implies there is also a dominant seventh tone.

A add b9 is the correct term.

[Roger Rettig]

With 9,8, 6 and 5 (with A pedal and 'F' lever)? I'd also call that a 13b9 chord. Use it to lead yourself into the A chord (with pedals down in the open position - E13b9 to A major).

Herb: I bet I overuse that three-string 13th chord more than you do!!

[Olli Haavisto]

I overuse it the most, guys. I`ve been heckled on the street by strangers for overusing it...
The 13b9 no root.Yes for any practical purposes...
But George asked what the nice sounding chord he accidentally played is.
If you play just those notes with the two stacked minor thirds the flavor is decidedly diminished, to my ear anyway.....
Add the root and it`s a different beast
edit. I`m not arguing, I just like these brain twisters....

[Brint Hannay]

I agree that the same four-note voicing has more of a diminished function in some contexts.

A good example would be the second chord in "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (on the word "home"). At that point in the song in the key of C, this same stack of intervals with D as the top note gives the effect of E flat dim against the D melody note. Analyzing it as a 13b9 would put its root at F, which if added in the bass would definitely not work.

[Olli Haavisto]

A diminished chord wants to resolve, add the maj 7th and it`s DYING to resolve

[Gary Preston]

I often use those notes and go up two frets (open) and use 6/7/9 with the (B) pedal and slide back . Pretty neat licks for me .

[Stuart Legg]

if you hit all 4 of those notes (9 8F 6 5A) it was not pretty so I'm assuming you hit the 9 6 5A which is a beautiful C13th chord or F7#9 or Gm6/9 etc. etc..

[Billy Carr]

At the 5th fret, play 5,6 & 9 with a half pedal that raises 5 & 10. While that's still ringing, simply pick the 4th string and use the F lever to raise it half a tone. Yep, it's lick from the "Black Album" of Big E's, used on Danny Boy in the 60's. This particular phrasing opens lots of doors all over the E9th neck. I also use a closing or ending chord with 5,6, 7 & 9, with pedals A & B up two frets from the one chord. Listen to "Color My World" sometime. 5,6,7 & 9 with A/B pedals is all over it.

[George McLellan]

Stuart, read my initial post, I was using 8F, 5A & 6 for an A chord in a song I was working on and accidently hit the 9th string at the same time.

I guess what I find "nice" and what you find "not pretty" is a lot different. To my ears, I like it, what you play is up to you.

I want to thank everyone for their information and explanations of this chord.

Geo

[Roger Rettig]

With all respect, George didn't mention an A chord in his OP. Context is everything, isn't it?

Stuart: Try George's 'mistake' and arpeggiate it (9, 8, 6 & 5 with the A pedal and F lever engaged - 9th string first); I'm really surprised to hear you say that's not pretty!

The possibility of stumbling upon something and learning from it is one of the joys of spending lots of time sitting at our guitars, surely? This is a perfect example.

[Jon Light (deceased)]

Couldn't this be simply an A add b9 chord?

My reasoning is George said he intended to only play strings 8, 6, and 5 at the 8th fret using pedals/levers AF. This is a common A major triad. (C#, A, E low to high)

He then added the 9th string, Bb, which is the flat ninth tone of an A major scale.

You can't just call it an Ab9 because that implies there is also a dominant seventh tone.

A add b9 is the correct term.

This whole thread is all over the place because of how piecemeal the exact data have been accumuilated.

Assuming we are in the 8th fret with an A+F voicing of an A chord with the addition of the 9th string, yes, Joey Ace's take is what I've got.
A very common jazz construct with an open ended sound that can be moved around to excellent effect. Great sound. As with anything, use it wrong and it sounds bad. Use it in the right place and it has excellent color.

[Greg Cutshaw]

I've got a bunch of examples of this chord on my web site. Here's a really simple one:


Hear Tab 518


Tab in pdf format