Cadd2 E Piano

[Lilliana Adames]

C add chords for piano with keyboard diagram.
Explanation: The Cadd9 and Cadd2 are four-note chords. Cadd2 is sometimes written as C2.
Theory: Both chords contain the same notes, but the added notes belong to different octaves which are the ninth and the second notes in the scale.

[C, D, G] unfortunately is not a proper triad based chord and is a perfect example of the zone where the chord symbol system starts to break down. The only way of stating it clearly would be [C(add2, no 3rd)] which is a mouthful, but its the only clear way.

I remember reading big band charts where the arranger would write every alteration for every chord (with four chords per measure) and it would be so tiring to read. (If the band covered the parts, I would not play and just follow along. They didn't pay me per note or per chord fortunately.)

Yea, C add2, omit3 or no3 ... takes up a lot of real estate. Maybe we need a symbol to indicate a note that is omitted. The minus symbol would not work since it flats a note and would only add to the confusion. I have no suggestions unless everyone can agree on a symbol for omission.

I use the "add 2 no 3rd" chords to voice parallel under melodies with, like with parallel 4th chords. A lot of fusion guys use these in parallel. It's like voicing in parallel 5ths with a whole step inserted above the root.

5. The Suspended 4th triad (built from either the major or 3 minor scales) contains root - fourth - and fifth. C - F - G. I prefer the chord symbol "Csus or Csus4". In this case, remember that the fourth (F) functions as chord tone 2 and not as tension eleven. Tension eleven is not possible on a Sus4 chord. Remember that the sus4 chord can easily resolve to either major or minor because the only difference between the first five notes of any major or minor scale (based on the same root) is the third. The same holds true for the next triad.

6. The Suspended 2nd triad (built from either the major or 3 minor scales) contains root - second - and fifth. C - D - G. I prefer the chord symbol "Csus2". (The chord symbol Csus usually assumes you mean sus4.) In this case, remember that the second (D) functions as chord tone 2 and not as tension nine. Tension nine is not possible on a Sus 2 chord.

The original chord mentioned in this thread (C9) is based on the C7 chord. This type of seventh chord is also known as a "dominant seventh chord" because it is the diatonic 7th chord based on the fifth note of the major - harmonic minor or melodic minor scales. It's expected resolution produces the most "dominantly" used chord progression - V7 to I major or I minor.

I call the suspended 2nd triad the 'Official Praise and Worship' chord, especially when played on a 12 string guitar... Rich, lovely, full of body, but lacking in tonality (unless you want to get into 2nd and 3rd harmonic-influenced "implied tonality"... )

In a harmonic setting, the ninth can also certainly exist within the final resolution chord of any classical, pop and/or jazz piece. Lots of Jazz recordings end on dominant seven with the 9th - #11 and 13 within the final resolution chord!

Byrd man also writes: When you play it as a 2 there is much less desire for a resolution. To my ears, if you play C7(add2) as C D E G B9, its the C that wants to descend to Bb, while the ninth remains where it is. Bb D E G is a standard piano voicing for a C9 chord.

BTW - Your Bb - D - E - G is a nice voicing. It assumes (as good jazz piano voicings should) that the bass player is playing the root or at least the brain is filling the root in. You could also expand the voicing by substituting the 13th or flat 13 as a replacement for the 5th. The decision of using 13 or flat 13 depends on the derivative scale of the moment you have chosen to improvise with.

In any good jazz left hand voicing, the 3rd and the 7th are absolutely necessary to guide the ear as to the chord quality. (That's why Berklee further defines these chord tones as the "Guide Tones". The only time that the 5th is absolutely necessary within a voicing is on a triad or seventh chord that contains flat five or sharp five as a chord tone (i.e. C dim. triad - C aug triad - Cmin7(b5) - C dimn7 - C+7 and Cmaj7(#5).

The voicing that you had as C D E G Bb is not a common jazz one hand voicing because (as I previously stated) the root is best left to the bass player or to be left out completely. When the root is not played by a bass player, the listener's brain will still fill in the root without you playing it! I don't honestly think that the root feels the need to move. After all, if you move the root, you have a completely different chord, right?

The tone center is defined by the "root" of the diatonic key of the moment. So if you are playing C(sus2) in the key of C, then there is no weakness of that root as being the key center. However, when no third is present, the expected resolution of C(sus2) in the key of C is just about to any other chord which could be diatonic or non-diatonic to the key. This is why it also can be the perfect chord for a direct modulation!

I hope everyone feels that it's important to be clear about how we notate chords.. If the session player wants to deliberately place his own substitute chord or voicing in place of the composer's intention, then he "might" come up with something better. It just depends on the situation and the composer. Some composers are laidback about it and let the rhythm section handle it. Other are real note for note sticklers.

If you see a Cmin7 on the chart and you add a flat five to the voicing right when the french horn play natural five, then (or course) you probably will turn a few heads. This is why it's a good idea to rehearse a cue even though everyone may the killer sight readers of all time. If the players are trained enough, they will hear the derivative diatonic scale that the melody and chords came from the first time out. Many players that I work with can actually do that!

I'm sure Mark would probably agree with me that the voicings he suggests require listeners that can not only fill in the root with their tonal memory, but also can fill in the third and the flat seventh.

In the context that Mark Levine suggests, I'm sure the voicing would be better understood somewhere within the middle of a chord progression so that the established tonal center and the previous chord could suggest C7 (#11). Right?

Don't ge me wrong. I completely understand that Bb D F# A would suggest flat 7 - 9th - #11 - 13th of C7 in the right context. However, all by itself it's a common seventh chord based on the third tone of the melodic minor scale. Try it with the G melodic minor scale. Play the diatonic seventh chord based on the third note of the G melodic minor and you get Bb D F# A which functions as III maj7 (#5).

I have a book called Music Notation by Mark McGrain, published by Berklee Press. This is the standard taught by Berklee School in Boston. There's a section on chord symbols. I agree with his method about 90% of the way, but I disagree with some of his theory.

I think that in chord symbol notation, the root part (C for example) should be written in a large font, and that things relating to triads (m, aug) and extensions (7, maj7, 9, 11, 13, etc), should be written in a font half the size of the root font. Triad-related stuff should be on the 'lower half', and extension-related stuff should be on the 'upper half'. This makes both logical and visual sense and helps to avoid ambiguity.

I agree with Henry Robinett that a C minor triad should be called Cm, and not Cmin. On charts, real estate can become an issue, so the shorter, the better. (Except for major 7th chords, which need to be written out as maj7, for reasons that would take too long to explain right now).

I have a major disagreement with the use of capital M to signify major vs lower-case m to signify minor (I think you mentioned in your post that you also never use capital M). It's just not necessary. I like lower-case m for minor, but upper-case M for major is not needed. If there's no lower-case m, then it's a major triad.

I disagree with your notation for CMaj7 and CMin7, because it's ambiguous whether the Maj and Min are referring to the 7th or the triad. I think Cmaj7 should be written Cmaj7 (where the 'maj7' is in a smaller font, on the 'upper level') and Cm7 should be written Cm7, where the m is on the lower level, and the 7 is on the upper level. To distinguish between Cm7 and Cm maj7, m (signifying a minor triad) should be on the lower level, and 7 or maj7 should be on the upper level, then there's no ambiguity.

I agree that Csus2 works for the CDG chord, but I think that C2 also works, and should become the standard notation for that voicing (as proposed by Donald Fagen). It takes up less real estate. And since it's an unusual voicing, it's ok for it to have an unusual notation.

Suspended chords always have a sense of leaning. When I play CFG on the piano, it sounds really unresolved, like that 4th note desperately wants to move to the 3rd. The sus4 is tense, but when we move to the 3rd and play a regular C chord, it feels very relaxing. Even if we move from a sus4 to a C minor chord, it still feels like tension and release, even though the release chord is more somber.

Diagram 1: The string arrangement for the featured extract from 'Truenorth' is based on a sequence of eight chords, with each of the 'F' chords played for two bars. The third chord contains a melodic movement from B up to G, shown as green dots; the sharp symbol in the name 'F #4' refers to the B note, which in the key of F-major constitutes a sharpened fourth interval. Middle C is marked in blue.

Having settled on the eight basic chords for the instrumental passage, I began to consider where such movements might be beneficial. An obvious starting point was to make the bass part move more fluidly, first by inserting an intermediate G note between the F-major-7 and A-minor chords, and secondly by tacking a simple rising line of B and C onto some of the A-minors. These movements are marked in red in diagram 2. Some of them sounded like they needed harmonic support, so in the second bar I added an F above the low G. That seventh harmony sounds rather odd and unsatisfying on its own, but when you factor in the sustained notes of A and C over the top, it forms a temporary 'F over G' chord, which (IMHO) has quite an interesting, unconventional effect.

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