Yes, absolutely. When part of a series like that, it is much clearer (static F chord with descending bass line; Cm chord with ascending chromatic on top)
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Steely Dan uses this type of voicing in the tune below: @ 0:08 - 0:11.
B/E - A/D...A/D - G/C...B/E - A/D, A/D - G/C...
A very beautiful voicing that I was taught to write and analyze as "Xmaj9, omit 3" ( a major9 chord with NO Third.) Yes, I will write "B/E" and put in parenthesis "Emaj9, no3", as this takes some of the mystery out of the cryptic "slash-chord", paint-by-number, nomenclature that IS useful for getting the keyboard/guitar to "press the right notes", but is "functionally speaking", useless....(Unless you've seen and heard this sonority before.)
I love how the ear "fills in" the maj 3rd that ISN'T there. Psycho-Acoustics?
Thanks.
John Goldsby
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Thanks, @Don Kasper
Another Steely Dan innovation is the mu (µ) major chord. It's a major triad with the 2nd (or 9th) added. It's sometimes written as C(add2) or something similar. They will often use C(add2)/E — or a similar chord symbol — to indicate the beautiful inversion of the chord.
That's where a lot of the pop and modern jazz chords are created: play the C2(omit 3), which is just this cluster: C, D, G. Then you can put all kinds of bass notes under that for a world of great modal sounds:
C2(omit3)/Ab
C2(omit3)/Bb
C2(omit3)/E
C2(omit3)/Eb
and on and on.
There's a very good description of the Steely Dan mu (µ) major chord on Howard Wright's page here. Excellent material with lots of audio examples.
Thanks John - that link is great! Coincidentally, while I wasn't thinking of the mu chord specifically when I wrote the tune, the 4th-voicing version of the bolded bit above describes the exact sound I was after in m. 29 in of the little tune excerpt I posted in post 43. It's even notated the same way you describe. It's a great sound!
John Goldsby
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Yes! I actually thought of that when I first saw your tune . . . the mu major chord . . .in a David Baker tribute!!! I wonder if David ever thought about that chord? It's not very bebop-y — more pop-py than bebop-y
Maria Schneider use voicings like that a lot. Like here, in the solo section of the beautiful "The Pretty Road".
Yes, and....
C2(omit3)/Ab = Abmaj7 add#11
C2(omit3)/Bb = Bbmaj6/9
C2(omit3)/E = Cmaj add2 in 1st inversion
C2(omit3)/Eb = Ebmaj7 add6
I think it is always helpful to "Harmonically Distill" (tm) slash chord symbols to see and hear them as tonalities based upon the Bass Note, whenever possible.
"C2(omit3)/Ab" for example, most likely has nothing to do with the tonality of "Cmaj" - it just happens to share those 3 notes (C,D,G) with the voicing for "Abmaj7 add#11".
It is more valuable in the overall "Harmonic Landscape"(tm) to listen and hear from the "Bottom/Up" (tm).
IMFO. (tm)
Thank Y'all.(tm)
Yes.
Maria S. was at Eastman (a bit after the time I was there), and studied Comp & Arranging with (the great) Rayburn Wright - who had a very logical and thorough system of chord nomenclature (AND analysis, whenever possible.)
I guess her subsequent study and work with Gil Evans didn't hurt, either.
I'm always shocked when people claim "Melody is King" - I've always considered the ideal Melody/Harmony relationship as Symbiotic.
Thanks for your time and interest.
Absolutely. One detail with Maria is that she often use the 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the bass, and let the harmony revolve around that. It gives it a fresh sound, even if the harmony itself can be quite standard.
John Goldsby will stop by and share his working experience with Maria Schneider.
Actually, I got to play some bird flute with Ensemble Denada and Maria Schneider in Oslo a couple of years ago. I went to hear the rehearsals, and got to talk with her during one of the breaks. She was the nicest, humblest person ever, and truly appreciated that people were interested in her music and writing. She's gonna be artist in residence at the Molde festival this summer, got my tickets ready.
And: great playing by John Goldsby, as always.
Off topic: Speaking of WDR Big Band, great clip here with Michel Camilo. Lincoln Goines on bass, and a killer trombone solo by Shannon Barnett.
John Goldsby
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- Bassist @ WDR Big Band Cologne, Discover Double Bass, Conservatorium Maastricht, NL
Perfect!
This is true . . . listen to chords from the bottom up. In the case of the chords above: If a pianist saw those C2(omit3)/over-a-bass-note symbols, they would know to play CDG, or GCD, or DGC on top of the chord, plus the added bass note in the bottom. Only those notes. The other symbols would suggest the pianist was free to add other options outside of that specific voicing. I see both ways, depending on what the composer was thinking.
The slash chord voicings reflect what Wayne Naus, in his book "Beyond Functional Harmony," calls "ambiguous," "hybrid," or "incomplete" voicings. Sometimes those specific sounds are what the composer wants.
Thanks, @Whousedtoplay, and @Fredrik E. Nilsen — Maria is a very down-to-earth person, generous and supportive with the musicians who work with her. Great composer and bandleader. I played in her band a couple of times in NYC when she was first getting her big band together. She's worked with us at the WDR a handful of times over the years—always fantastic! That video you posted was from quite a few years ago
Seriously talented and self confident musicians should be humble, relaxed, and nice to others because they know where they going, what they doing, how long IT takes to get there, what’s required, etc...Perfect!
This is true . . . listen to chords from the bottom up. In the case of the chords above: If a pianist saw those C2(omit3)/over-a-bass-note symbols, they would know to play CDG, or GCD, or DGC on top of the chord, plus the added bass note in the bottom. Only those notes. The other symbols would suggest the pianist was free to add other options outside of that specific voicing. I see both ways, depending on what the composer was thinking.
The slash chord voicings reflect what Wayne Naus, in his book "Beyond Functional Harmony," calls "ambiguous," "hybrid," or "incomplete" voicings. Sometimes those specific sounds are what the composer wants.
Thanks, @Whousedtoplay, and @Fredrik E. Nilsen — Maria is a very down-to-earth person, generous and supportive with the musicians who work with her. Great composer and bandleader. I played in her band a couple of times in NYC when she was first getting her big band together. She's worked with us at the WDR a handful of times over the years—always fantastic! That video you posted was from quite a few years ago
And of course - those “blessed” ones have a solid foundation of personal knowledge that there is always some “room” for improvement.
P.S. WDR Big(!) Band with, probably, the best articulated “tightness” of a small(!) group!
Then, maybe we don't need to write C2(omit3)?
It does not show any inversions anyway with different aural shades, like D - G - C
