major 6th chords

[edeltorus]

Just wondering:

 

Why are major 6th (1,3,5,6) chords so uncommon?

 

I've learned a bunch of major sixth arpeggios while I tried to get a better understanding of the major scale box (cool 'cause you can arpeggiate I6, IV6 and V6 without moving out of the box).

 

I like them, they sound different to the usual seventh chords. A bit to pentatonic at times, but it's relative easy to improv over major progressions with them.

 

I know that these chords are just enharmonic equivalents of the minor seventh chords, but I've never seen much 6th chords in action.

 

Nils

[Terje]

You see them in jazz at times. If you want to play a major chord, add a little color yet not make it a major 7th chord, then the major 6th chord would be your first choice (over the add 9th chord which just sounds silly).

 

I like it too, the major 6th chord is a very good, solid chord.

[thliu]

maj6/9 = nice bossa nova chord

[bassmantele]

 

Originally posted by edeltorus Just wondering: Why are major 6th (1,3,5,6) chords so uncommon? Nils

 

 

 

 

The Beatles used them plenty. To the post-Stones/Hendrix/Zeppelin ears they sound kind of "old-fashioned".

[Joe Merlino]

Major 6 chords are great for jazz because they're the same as the relative minor 7th chord. In other words, C6 has the same notes as A-7. If you were so inclined, you could get through a lot of jazz tunes just by knowing the voicings of major 6 and dominant 7th chords.

[edeltorus]

Thanks for the replies folks.

 

I did some more research, and what I found is, that the 6th chords are all considerd to sound old fashioned.

 

That's really funny, because I don't feel like this. I like them, they sound fresh to me. Seventh chords sound old to me, but you can't do without them

 

Since I learned and played only the arpeggios of them, can someone please give me one or two some good sounding chord voicings for 6th chords?

 

I have a book full of voicings, but it's useless since 80% of them sound like {censored}.

[Poparad]

Along with just plain maj6 voicings, I commonly add the 9th to make it a Major6/9.

 

You start delving into quartal territory with these as the 3rd, 6th, and 9th are all perfect 4ths apart, and you can keep going on from there to the 5th, 7th, and #11; all of which are perfect 4ths ascending.

 

 

Cmaj6

x3221x

 

xx5555 *

 

xx7988 * ^

 

x-x-10-12-10-12 * #

 

xx2213 *

 

x-12-14-12-13-x

 

8x798x ^

 

12-x-10-12-10-x #

 

 

*These are all the same voicing, just inverted

# Same voicing, but the top note is moved to the bottom

^ Same voicing, but the top note is moved to the bottom

 

Cmaj6/9

x3223x

 

x32233

 

877788

 

8777xx

 

87778x

 

xx7788

 

xx2233

 

 

Cmaj7/6/9 (or Cmaj13)

877787

 

Cmaj6/9/#11

x32232

 

877777

[edeltorus]

Thanks, Poparad,

 

I'll take a look at them..

 

I personally don't like the 6/9 voicing. It sounds to "pentatonic" to me. That's something I want to avoid in my playing.

 

Played pentatonics for so many years that my ears are tired to hear them

 

But maybe your voicings are different. You'll never know before you played them ...

 

Nils

[Poparad]

Yeah, 6/9 voicings, quartal harmony, and pentatonics are all pretty much the same package of sounds.

 

If you're sick of those sounds, you could try something on the opposide end of the spectrum: Polychords and Slash chords. Sometimes it's fun just to experiment what these different things sound like. I find it easier to toy with these at a piano first and then figure them out on the fretboard.

[TubeAddict]

Originally posted by edeltorus I did some more research, and what I found is, that the 6th chords are all considerd to sound old fashioned. That's really funny, because I don't feel like this. I like them, they sound fresh to me. Seventh chords sound old to me, but you can't do without them

 

It probably depends on how much jazz from the 20's and 30's you listen to.

[edeltorus]

> It probably depends on how much jazz

 

Not much I must admit. The only kind of jazz that I consider to be old fashioned is my Benny Goodman collection.

 

I'm more into Scofield, Joe Pass and the so called "smooth jazz" stuff like Jeff Lorber.

 

Anyways,

[Poparad]

A polychord is a triad on top of another traid. For example, C E G Bb D F would be Bbmajor/Cmajor. You can get pretty outside with various combinations of major and minor triads on top of one another.

[skatom]

Maj 6 (69, 69#11) chords are commonly used as substitutes for tonic major 7 chords where the melody note is the root of the chord, so as to avoid the clash between the maj7th and the melody. This especially comes in handy when playing with singers.

 

I never thought of them as old-fashioned as such, more that 6th voicings are not explicitly stated on most modern lead sheets, because they really are just an alternative to maj7 chords.

 

- tommy

[HamsterSandwich]

They also work on the I of a I - IV - V blues progression. On kind of an up tempo shuffle beat try I6 - IV9 - V7. You can also add a little mid-bar movement by sliding from I6 to I7.