Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Young Composers Music Forum

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

How would you name this chord?

Featured Replies

I have this jazzy chord: Ab major with both a major 7th and minor 7th added to it.

Ex: Ab-F#-C-Eb-G (from left to right on piano)

I can't find anything on what kind of chord this is or what it is called. Would it be something like Abmaj7#6? I don't know...

Well, I'm not sure, but if the F sharp was a G flat, I think it would be qualified as a major-minor 7th chord.

Tell me if I'm wrong...

GREAT chord though!

I'm not really sure either. Given your notes, it could be a German 6th chord, but with the major 7th added.

German 6th is a major triad with an augmented 6th, which can explain your Ab, C, Eb, and F#. Then just throw in the G for fun?

I would call it Abmaj7#6

Cm#4/Ab ? :P .... No Ab7#6 sounds good but I do think is Gb instead F#

and if I would always name my chords, it would look like simulated cursing A#&€Gb"%#*^¥•~$

basically that's a polychord..ab7 over cm chord

but if you really have to name it anything will do since its not conventional chord-

bryla & you spelled it right, it can also be F#sus4/6/b9 /Ab

it's rather Cm superimposed on Ab7

It's not supposed to be Gb unless you're not a good music reader. F# makes the most perfect sense. Spells out this scale: Ab Bb C D Eb F# G <- Lydian sharp 6 equals Abmaj7#6

btw: could also be Db but I prefer D :)

J: your F#-something-something doesn't contain the notes OP wrote.

rbasilio: your suggestion requires it to be in the key of C and doesn't explain the G

#11 almost always sounds cooler than natural 11. :P Unless it's a sus chord or the most major sounding piece on earth.

I would call it Abmaj7#6

It might help if we had more harmonic context (it's possible that the chord is spelled incorrectly to begin with), but on its own I'd call the chord Abmaj7#6 too.

Ditto on AbMaj7(#6).

Well, depending on the context, but if you treat the G as an inverted pedal on the dominant, the rest (Ab#6) can be resolved properly into a C minor chord as attached.

post-2641-130308066352_thumb.png

  • Author

It might help if we had more harmonic context (it's possible that the chord is spelled incorrectly to begin with), but on its own I'd call the chord Abmaj7#6 too.

Well, I am writing the melody as if it is Abmaj7. I just added the minor 7th in the piano because it sounds cool.

But then immediately after that I have supposedly Gmaj7#6 (the first chord taken down a half step), which I want to emphasize as more of a G7 than a Gmaj7. The maj7 just adds an unusual quality to it. I might even add a b13. And then you've already figured out that it resolves to Cmin9 (or Cmin11).

I hope that answers your question. You can probably tell I haven't any formal counterpoint training! Any ideas on how to write the Gmaj7#6 in order to communicate an emphasis on G7 to the performer? I'm guessing just a polychord Bm/G7 would work best. And thanks for all the responses!

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.