Jazzy seventh chords
Jazzy seventh chords add the seventh and ninth notes on top of an ordinary chord, so Am becomes Am9 and F becomes Fmaj9. Played slowly on an electric piano, they are the soft, wistful harmony of lo-fi hip hop and neo-soul.
Also called lo-fi chords, ninth chords, jazz chords.
Play it
- Bar 1Am9
- Bar 2Fmaj9
- Bar 3Cmaj9
- Bar 4G9
Faded lanes are a guide: they are there so the pattern has something to sit against. The loop runs over four chords, Am9, Fmaj9, Cmaj9, G9, one bar each. Tap any box to change it.
Try this
Try this · change one box
Add a chord on step 15 for a lazy push into the next bar.
Hear it without the grid
A short recording of the loop above at 82 BPM, made with Swung’s own sounds.
How it works
An ordinary chord stacks three notes, every other note of the scale. Keep stacking and you get the seventh, then the ninth. Those extra notes soften the chord and make it sound less finished.
The progression underneath is the same as everywhere else on Swung: A, F, C, G. Only the colour changes.
The pattern in words
- Chords: steps 1 and 11 of 16, notes held for 6 and 10 steps.
| Part | Steps, 1 to 16 | Plays on |
|---|---|---|
| Chords | x–––––––––x––––– | steps 1 and 11 of 16, notes held for 6 and 10 steps |
x a hit, o a quiet hit, 2 or 3 a quick roll inside one step, – a note held on, · nothing.
Variations
Plain triads
The same chords with the colour notes taken out.
Sevenths only
Four notes per chord instead of five.
Short stabs
The ninth chords played short.
Where it’s used
Also common in Neo-soul, R&B and Jazz.
Learn this pattern step by step
The course builds up to it from Unit 1, which is free. Sign up with Google and start with the first lesson; it plays in your browser, like this page.
Pick up where you left off
Carry on with Unit 1, then Jazzy seventh chords comes in Unit 4: Harmony.