From: buhr@daimi.aau.dk (Morten Buhr)
Subject: Re: Theory question
Organization: DAIMI: Computer Science Department, Aarhus University, Denmark
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 08:30:43 GMT

alberter@untadi.enet.dec.com (Ludwig Alberter) writes:


>Hi,

>I never "learned" music in a school or by a teacher - I just figured it out
>for myself, playing the guitar and reading chord-symbols. So I have a probably
>very basic problem.

>In variuos music sources I've seen different kinds of naming the chords.
>I wonder if somebody would like to clarify this to me:


>	For every mark there is a Major and a Minor, e.g. G and Gm,
>	A and Am, F# and F#m, a.s.f.

>	But what are the "maj"s and "min"s? I know that Gmaj is different
>	from G but why is it called "maj"?

A Gmaj og Gmaj7 (it's the same) is a G Major with a maj(or) 7 added.
I.e. a note which is half a note higher than the normal 7.

>	And, what is the meaning of "dim" (diminished?) and "sus"?

A dim chord fx Cdim is a chord which consists of 4 notes  - as a C7,
but only the basic note C (which also is called Tonica) is the same. 
The 3 additional notes is D#,  F# and A.
You calculate the notes which a dim chord consists of as follows:
Start with Tonica, fx C. Then you take every third half-note on the chromatic
scale (the scale which consists of every half-note, fx the chromatic C scale
is C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C).
   *      *      *       *
The stars mark the 4 notes in a Cdim chord.

You call the chord a dim because you have diminuised the second and the third 
note in an ordinary Major (and added an extra note).
Fx        G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G
    Gdim: *      *       *      *
  GMajor: *         *      *    


A Csus comes in different variants: Csus4 or Csus2. When you just sees Csus
it's a Csus4 since it's the most common.
The chord is names 'sus' because you sus(pend) the fourth note in a Major
chord (Tonica counts as zero), and replace it with the fifth note.
Fx       C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C
  CMajor *         *      *
  Csus4  *           *    *
   
>	How do the added numbers calculate? Well, the "7"s are easy, I can
>	play'em all. But how do I know how to play the 2s, 4s, and 9s?
>	I have seen "0"s - I doubt them to belong to the standard terminology.
>	

I haven't seen zeros added to a chord, but you might have seen a chord with
a small circle above following it: C(small circle above). It's another notation
for a Cdim.

You calculate the numbers as follows:

   6s: Add the  9'th note to your basic chord.
   7s: Add the 10'th note to your basic chord.
maj7s: Add the 11'th note to your basic chord.
   9s: Add the 14'th note AND the 10'th note to your basic chord.
       I.e. a C9 is a C7 with an extra note added.

Fx       C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D
  C      *         *      *
  C6     *         *      *    * 
  C7     *         *      *      *
  Cmaj7  *         *      *         *
  C9     *         *      *           *    *
                                      ^
                               Just C an octave higher

>	
>Thanks for any advice,
>	
>--

>regards,
>Ludwig

>		          ^  ^  ^ 
>		 EXTRA   / \/ \/ \ NULLA
>		BAVARIAM \ /\ /\ / VITA
>		          v  v  v 

Hope this helps....

/Morten









-- 
Morten Buhr / e-mail buhr@daimi.aau.dk
Computer Science Department 
Aarhus University
Denmark