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A9 sounds too much like Em


black cobra

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Posted

Hi. There's a particular voicing of A9 I like without the root because it's easy:

Starting on the lowest, 5th string: C#, G, B, E. The problem is it's hard to establish the key of A with this I chord; it sounds like the key of Em.

 

Is this a problem I have to live with? Is there anything I can do?

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Posted

Even so, with the G and B so prominent in that chord it inhabits the nebulous world between A and the key of G or Em. In fact, you could play the G minor pent scale or G major scale over the A9 chord. It's an odd chord, as much the chord one step down.

Posted

I use that chord a lot, but usually when I am playing with a full band. Usually the Bassist will be hitting the root on the first beat of the measure or playing enough of the chord tones that everyone together sounds like a big A9 chord...otherwise what the chord really sounds like is a C#m7b5....

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Posted

Yes, as already pointed out, this is what bass players are for. I play an elelctric balalajka, I have only three strings to mess with. If I want to play extensions I need someone to at least give me the root but even the full triad is often nice.

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Posted

Add 9 chords do tend to sound harmonically nebulous, which is why I use them frequently, especially in rock ensemble situations-it sounds more "modern" to me. Here's a voicing I use a lot in both major and minor situations because there's no third.
E--0---
B--0--
G--2--
D--2--
A--0--
E--X--

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Posted

Once again some of you are misreading the chord symbol.
A9 implies the presence of the dominant 7 (G). A BLUES chord.
A add9 (or Asus2) is the cluster of A,B,and C# sounded together.

  • Members
Posted

Once again some of you are misreading the chord symbol.

A9 implies the presence of the dominant 7 (G). A BLUES chord.

A add9 (or Asus2) is the cluster of A,B,and C# sounded together.

 

 

Thanks for the correction, although I don't know if I'd call A9 a "blues" chord. Dominant chords with extensions have been in use since the mid-19th century.

  • Moderators
Posted

Once again some of you are misreading the chord symbol.

A9 implies the presence of the dominant 7 (G). A BLUES chord.

A add9 (or Asus2) is the cluster of A,B,and C# sounded together.

 

 

A add9 - might imply the A B C# cluster or it cound be voiced A C# E B (among other voicings).

 

A9 - definately implies the presence of C# E G & B (in any order) over an A in the bass.

 

A sus2 - implies that the C# is displaced by a B (such that the C# is not present. A "sus chord" replaces the 3rd with either a 4th in the case of a sus4 or with the 2nd in the case of a sus2).

 

cheers,

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