Post 290: MINOR 7ths AND FLATTENED 5ths

Don't get me wrong: I think the Minor 7th with Flattened Fifth is one of the loveliest and most luscious in the entire lexicon of chords. If you doubt me, try playing it on your keyboard.

C minor 7th with flattened fifth, for example, comprises these notes:

C   -   Eb   -  Gb  - Bb

But I always find it awkward to play. I am a poor keyboard player, so when I am trying to play a tune from a fake book or busker's book and I come across a minor 7th with flattened fifth, I'm stumped. I have to work out what the notes are; and I can't get my fingers into position before it's too late and I'm on to the next bar. It's the flattened fifth that throws me.

However, I discovered that if - instead of playing a minor 7th with flattened 5th - you play the minor 6th of the chord 3 semitones above it, you achieve virtually the same effect. You are using the same notes, but in a different inversion.

So, for example, play the Cm7(-5) above as Eb Minor 6th:

Eb  -  Gb  -  Bb  -  C

It works.

So now, when I'm asked to play Dm7(-5), I actually play Fm6; when I'm asked to play Em7(-5), I actually play Gm6; and so on.

It's a simple little trick that I stumbled on recently. If you know much about music, you may be surprised that I was unaware of something so 'basic'.

But it has been a helpful discovery to me; and I hope it may benefit some readers.

For an example of this chord in action, think of the opening line of that lovely old song from 1913 'If I had my way, dear, forever there'd be a garden of roses for you and for me....'. The word way is sung with the chord of the minor 7th with flattened fifth.

Since I wrote the above, Allen Robnett has kindly added to my musical education by sending me this very helpful comment and tip:

Are you aware that another name for the  x7-5  is  x half dim  or  xf. (The x represents any minor chord here).  That means that if you are conversant with a dim7 chord, all you have to do is raise the 7 a half step and you have the minor 7 flat 5.

And still further thoughts have been sent to me by my old friend John Burns:

My experience of the m7b5 chord is very limited; it does not feature very often in the chords given for the majority of the jazz tunes that I am familiar with. However, in any of the chord sequences in which I have come across it I think it is extremely effective, though generally not essential. It can therefore be used as a embellishment, an example being at the start of Georgia on my Mind (often played in F) where

F /A7    /Dm can be rendered as F        /Em7b5  A7 /Dm

which I think sounds really great.

It turns up as one of various possible chords in the curious downward chromatic motion in Blue Turning Grey Over You:  Bb     /A7      /Dm7b5     /G7

again with excellent effect, and a fine accompaniment to the “middle eight” of Sweet Sue is: (in F)

F    /Am   /Am7b5    /D7     /Gm     /Gm     /Gm7b5      /C7

When looking through the various chord books, I have noticed that usually, though not always, the m7b5 is followed by a dominant 7th chord with a root a fourth higher (fifth lower) than that of the m7b5 chord, as it does in all the examples above. The fingering of these chords on my banjo is not particularly easy with the tuning I use (CGBD). However one inversion (where the root is at the bottom) is infinitely easier than all the others and the move from that inversion to the dominant 7th as described is very simple, requiring the first finger to slide one fret backwards while the other fingers stay in position. The change to the new chord also sounds particularly smooth from this inversion. This simple move led me to notice that, as the first finger is actually covering two strings, the change between these two chords involves the lowering by one semitone of two of the notes of the m7b5 chord, these being the flattened 5th and the 7th , for example:

Cm7b5 to F7 consists of

C, Eb, Gb, Bb      going to   C, Eb, F, A   which is, in root position, F, A, C, Eb, in other words F7. Fascinating, isn’t it; at least, I think so!

(So do I  - ed.)

There is nothing particularly odd about this; there are many chord changes involving the movement of one or two notes by a semitone (the “Dragon chord” is an example) but it doesn’t alter the fact that I find it all very fascinating!

The other feature of the m7b5 chord, which has already been mentioned by you, is its having the same notes as a m6 chord with a root three semitones higher. This causes some confusion for me with the same “chord shapes” being involved but different inversions. A combination of that and the fact that I don’t use these chords all that often is a bit of a problem but, of course, also a challenge…………..! 

Post 165: DOES A CELLO WEIGH MORE THAN A BANJO?

My good friend John Burns, who plays a cello in classical music groups and a banjo in traditional jazz bands, has kindly sent me the following.

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I have been meaning for ages to add some further thoughts to your posting in your 'Making Music' Blog from more than 2 years ago about the lady cellist who appeared to carry her instrument and other equipment to her busking location by bicycle.

You made the comment that a cello is not as heavy as the “man in the street” might think, and I confirmed that soft cello bags frequently have straps to enable the instrument to be carried on the back – rather unwieldy when on a bike, but certainly possible. This set me pondering: well, what does a cello weigh? So here are some facts and figures:

My cello is a standard full-size instrument, measuring

4ft 1in long

1ft 5in wide and

10in deep, 4in of which constitutes the bridge.

So, quite big!

It weighs a mere 6lb.

I have (as most cellists do) a hard case for it which increases the dimensions by some 3-4in all round and which weighs more than twice the weight of the cello at 13lb giving a total of 19lb – not too bad when compared with the 20kilos allowed at the airport but still pretty heavy especially when its awkward bulk is taken into consideration, and when hanging from a strap over one shoulder as mine does!

But while we are on weights and measures, what about my banjos? Old banjos (two of my three date from the 1930s) are notoriously heavy. My plectrum banjos are fairly big instruments (NOT to be confused with the ukulele-banjo played by George Formby!)

They are some

3ft 1in long with a body of 1ft 1in diameter.

They weigh 9lb, half as heavy again than the cello. This does not seem a huge weight but almost all of it is concentrated in the circular body of the instrument so when being handled they give the impression of being very heavy. When playing standing up at a gig using a sling (I prefer to sit) it begins to put a considerable strain on the neck and shoulders after a while.

The cases for the banjos are the same weight as the banjos giving a combined weight of 18lb, similar to the cello + case but much less bulky.

My tenor banjo is some 3in shorter with the same size body, but it is a modern instrument weighing a mere 5lb!

And finally, I have a classical guitar (which I can’t play). It only weighs 4 lb!

So there you are, a lot of figures which can probably be put away in the “useless information” file, or, of course, deleted, but I hope you found them of some passing interest.

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Thanks, John. My guess about the weight of the cello would have been far from correct.
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Post 140: THE CIRCLE OF FIFTHS; AND BANJO FINGERING

Today, please welcome a guest writer.

The following article has been sent to me by my old friend John Burns. John plays the cello in classical ensembles and the banjo in traditional jazz groups.

We met a few years ago, when we both lived in Cambridgeshire; and occasionally we had a go at playing music together. John taught me a good deal, especially about chords and about the cello. Like me, John is fascinated by chords and chord patterns.

I think John's article will be of great interest, especially if you share our fascination with chord structures of the old popular songs and also if you are learning to play the banjo.

Thank you, John.

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Hello Ivan,

I am enjoying everything that appears in your blog and have been particularly struck by your series on chord accompaniments to all sorts of tunes because, as I think you will be aware, I am fascinated by chords also, especially being a "chord player". The series has made me think of how I became aware of, probably, the first of many chord progressions and accompaniments.

My first experience was being taught the "three chord trick" (in one key only) as a child by my father on the ukulele. (He also played me lots of orchestral music on an ancient gramophone and I have been fascinated by orchestras ever since.) This, and the sounds produced by these chords remained with me until I was in my teens at school and somebody decided to start a skiffle group. I didn't have an instrument but not wanting to "miss out" I borrowed a banjo-mandolin (or banjolin?) from a lad who didn't know how to play it and, having re-tuned it as a ukulele, I set off on my chord playing career!

I suppose the three chords sufficed for most of our skiffle tunes but the next year we advanced to the heady heights of a jazz band. I bought an ancient five-string banjo which I set up with four strings and joined the band. The trumpeter with the band was very musical and could work out by ear the most suitable chords for the tunes we played, and he gradually passed on this ability to me.

I had already become aware that, out of the three chords of the "trick", C, F & G7 in the key of C, almost all tunes ended in G7 followed by the key chord C. After a while I noticed that the pattern D7 - G7 - C would turn up frequently, and not long after that I found that a huge number of tunes ended with the sequence A7 - D7 - G7 - C. I began to think of these chord progressions in reverse order, so to speak, so that I would regard D7 - G7 - C as a "three chord" ending and A7 - D7 - G7 - C as a "four chord" ending or progression, regarding D7 as the third chord from "home", i.e. C, and A7 as the fourth, etc.

All the different types of chord, e.g. major, minor, seventh etc. are produced by specific "shapes" of the fingering on my banjo and these progressions became indelibly imprinted on my mind as specific sequences of these shapes, dependent on which inversions of the chords in question were being used, and could be carried out without requiring much thought as to their execution.

It was not long before another chord came to my attention which often preceded this progression. This was the chord E7 (producing in my mind a "five chord" progression) which seemed to flow naturally into the sequence I had already learned.

This five-chord sequence seemed to turn up almost ad nauseam, Basin Street Blues being a good example. However, the use of this expression is unfair, as this chord sequence, despite turning up so frequently, is in my opinion extremely satisfying on the ear, perhaps because it is so natural and "logical", and I never seem to tire of it. There are several tunes of the 32-bar A-A-B-A variety in which the sequence is used in the B or "middle eight" section as well as in the A section. Five Foot Two and Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone spring to mind, where to my ears the middle eight appears to sound completely different from the A sections, both in character and harmony, despite being based on the same chords!

I subsequently learned that this sequence of chords forms part of the Circle (or Ring) of Fifths. This (at the risk of "teaching Grandmother.......") is based on the fact that the most satisfying end to a tune i.e. G7 - C (known as a "perfect cadence") consists of a major chord with an additional note two semitones below the root note: G B D F, which falls naturally, to our ears, on to the chord C, the root of which is the interval of a fifth below (or a fourth above, just to complicate matters) the root of the previous chord. This cadence has been listened to by most of us since (probably) before we were born!

However, if the new chord, in this case C is also played in its 7th form, i.e. C7, our ear tells us that it needs to continue on and fall again on to the next chord a fifth below, i.e. F, and if instead we play F7 we feel it needs to go on to Bb.........and so on! So the sequence can in theory continue until we get back to the beginning again.

The composers use it in a clever way by beginning the sequence some way back round the Circle so that it finishes very naturally on the key chord of the tune; so I suppose my idea of calling A7 the fourth chord from home is another way of saying "four chords back round the Circle from the key chord".

A few years ago I made another discovery: the use of the chord on the seventh degree of the scale, i.e. B when we are playing in C. You mention this in one of your articles and comment how unusual it seems to use such a chord. I have always thought this also. However I noticed that sometimes it precedes the five chord Ring of Fifths sequence which I have been talking about. One example is Mister Sandman and there are others which I can't recall at the moment. It suddenly struck me one day that if we go back round the Ring sequence we get C G D A E and, lo and behold (to use an appropriate seasonal expression!) B.

So our Chord on the seventh degree is just another step back round this well-used progression......... and I only discovered it recently! No wonder this and all the other chord sequences I've learned over the years are so fascinating!

And now one final point relating to chords on my banjo. These, as I have said, are produced by specific "shapes" of the fingering for each type of chord. Consequently if I play C major, followed by D major and then Eb major, all I need to do is move this "shape" up two frets from C to D and then one further fret to reach Eb. I've often thought how much less clear this series of shapes appears to be on a keyboard, at least to a non-player such as myself. This is due I think to the dreaded "black notes" which as far as I know are only found on keyboards and related instruments such as xylophones etc.

If you play the same three chords in closed position (where the "shape" is most obvious) on the keyboard then D major appears to my eyes not very like C major and Eb major is different again from either of the other two. Furthermore if you play D minor it looks to me to be the same "shape" as C major. All very confusing!

The "shapes" idea is also lost, in my limited view, if the chords are spread over the keyboard, as they often are - but no doubt to an experienced keyboard player this is probably not the case.

On banjo or guitar the spread of the chord is not generally an option, especially on the banjo, except for certain chords which can be played using a mixture of stopped (or fingered) strings and one or more open strings, the latter usually forming the lowest part of the chord. The spread of all other “normally” fingered chords is limited by the tuning and the physical limitations of the positioning of the fingers. (On my banjo the chords have a spread of one octave plus two or three notes.)

Post 88: BEWARE THE DRAGON CHORD!

John Burns, an old buddy of mine, who is brilliant on both banjo and cello, drew my attention to The Dragon Chord. For the technically-minded, it's based on the third note of a scale, and is the basic minor triad. So, in the key of C, it is E minor.

The first chord above is C major [C E G].

The following chord is E minor [E G B].

Once you have been alerted to this and its subtle effect (bright start followed by a slight switch to the sad or nostalgic), you notice that tunes often begin in that way - on the major chord, to be followed by the Dragon Chord.

How did it get that name? Think of the tune 'Puff, the Magic Dragon' played in the key of C.

'Puff, the Magic...' is on the C chord; but as soon as you begin the word 'DRAGon', you are on E minor. Get it?

Now think of 'When You're Smiling'. It begins, 'When you're smiling, when you're' - all on the C chord; but when you hit the second 'smiling', it's the Dragon! You can hear it, can't you?

Or try the start of 'Home in Pasadena'. 'I want to be in Pasa-' is on the chord of C; but the moment you sing '-dena', it's the DRAGON!

Or 'In Apple Blossom Time': 'I'll be seeing you in.....'. As soon as you reach 'apple', you are on the dragon chord.

And in 'I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter', it comes with the word '...letter'.

For further examples, try 'I Wonder What's Become of Sally', 'The White Cliffs of Dover', 'Daddy's Little Girl', 'Happy Days and Lonely Nights', 'You Belong To Me' and 'You Always Hurt The One You Love'.

Footnote: Stan Cummings (banjo, Sacramento) has sent me the following useful additional point:

Current harmonization of this progression, C-Em, is frequently shown as C-Cmaj7.

If you add the C note to the Em chord (EGB) it is a Cmaj7 chord.   As a tenor banjo player, I 

frequently play whichever is handy or sounds better to my ear.  Of course, this works in any key.