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Extended and altered chords

Chord structures of arbitrary complexity can be created in chord mode. The modifier string can be used to extend a chord, add or remove chord steps, raise or lower chord steps, and add a bass note or create an inversion.

The first number following the : is taken to be the extent of the chord. The chord is constructed by sequentially adding thirds to the root until the specified number has been reached. If the extent is not a third (e.g., 6), thirds are added up to the highest third below the extent, and then the step of the extent is added. The largest possible value for the extent is 13. Any larger value is interpreted as 13.

     
     \chordmode {
       c1:2 c:3 c:4 c:5
       c1:6 c:7 c:8 c:9
       c1:10 c:11 c:12 c:13
       c1:14
     }

[image of music]

Note that both c:5 and c produce a C major triad.

Since an unaltered 11 does not sound good when combined with an unaltered 13, the 11 is removed from a :13 chord (unless it is added explicitly).

     
     \chordmode {
       c1:13 c:13.11 c:m13
     }

[image of music]

Individual steps can be added to a chord. Additions follow the extent and are prefixed by a dot (.).

     
     \chordmode {
       c1:5.6 c:3.7.8 c:3.6.13
     }

[image of music]

Added steps can be as high as desired.

     
     \chordmode {
       c4:5.15 c:5.20 c:5.25 c:5.30
     }

[image of music]

Added chord steps can be altered by suffixing a - or + sign to the number. To alter a step that is automatically included as part of the basic chord structure, add it as an altered step.

     
     \chordmode {
       c1:7+ c:5+.3- c:3-.5-.7-
     }

[image of music]

Following any steps to be added, a series of steps to be removed is introduced in a modifier string with a prefix of ^. If more than one step is to be removed, the steps to be removed are separated by . following the initial ^.

     
     \chordmode {
       c1^3 c:7^5 c:9^3 c:9^3.5 c:13.11^3.7
     }

[image of music]

The modifier sus can be added to the modifier string to create suspended chords. This removes the 3rd step from the chord. Append either 2 or 4 to add the 2nd or 4th step to the chord. sus is equivalent to ^3; sus4 is equivalent to .4^3.

     
     \chordmode {
       c1:sus c:sus2 c:sus4 c:5.4^3
     }

[image of music]

Inversions (putting a pitch other than the root on the bottom of the chord) and added bass notes can be specified by appending /pitch to the chord.

     
     \chordmode {
       c1 c/g c/f
     }

[image of music]

A bass note that is part of the chord can be added, instead of moved as part of an inversion, by using /+pitch.

     
     \chordmode {
       c1 c/g c/+g
     }

[image of music]

Chord modifiers that can be used to produce a variety of standard chords are shown in Common chord modifiers.

See also

Notation Reference: Common chord modifiers.

Snippets: Chords

Known issues and warnings

Each step can only be present in a chord once. The following simply produces the augmented chord, since 5+ is interpreted last.

     
     \chordmode { c1:5.5-.5+ }

[image of music]

Only the second inversion can be created by adding a bass note. The first inversion requires changing the root of the chord.

     
     \chordmode {
       c'1: c':/g e:6-3-^5 e:m6-^5
     }

[image of music]

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