Why can we use IMaj7 chords, even though there is chromaticism in it?

[TheIndieKid]

Invalid Link Removed: I read this article and how so-called 'chromatic approximation' is a undesirable affect to most musicians. With notes in a chord a semitone apart being seen as bad, how come IMaj7 chords are accepted? Is it because the 7th is the leading tone next to the root?

 

[MalcolmAmos]

The Imaj7 chord is made of the Root, the 3rd, the 5th and the 7th note in I's Major scale. So there is a skip a note (semi-tone) between each of the notes of the maj7 chord.

The Cmaj7 = R-3-5-7
The Cm7 = R-b3-5-b7 The flatted b3 and b7 give it the minor sound.

This may help. Chord Formulas

Happy trails.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Invalid Link Removed: I read this article and how so-called 'chromatic approximation' is a undesirable affect to most musicians. With notes in a chord a semitone apart being seen as bad, how come IMaj7 chords are accepted? Is it because the 7th is the leading tone next to the root?

I think you are misreading the article.
From that article.
"All the notes that are not 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th degrees will be called extension notes."

And now, follow this sentence.


"We will begin analyzing the first chord (Cmaj7). See bellow the C major scale and all the possible extensions (fourth, sixth and ninth):
"The reasons to avoid some extensions are:

• Undesirable Invalid Link Removed effect
• Harmonic function mischaracterization..."

 

[Pacman]

The Imaj7 chord is made of the Root, the 3, the 5 and the 7. So there is a semi-tone between each of the notes of the maj7 chord.

This may help. Chord Formulas

No, not at all. The only semi-tone there is between the 7 and the tonic.

 

[Mushroo]

The article is discussing chord "extensions" which by definition are the 9th, 11th, and 13th.

The root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th are "chord tones." They are not "extensions" and therefore are not relevant to that article.

In any case, I can think of many commonly-used chords that contain semitones between extensions and chord tones. For example E7#9 or Cmaj7#11. So I would take that article's advice with a grain of salt.

Also remember that you don't have to voice the chords with a half step interval. You can voice them a major 7th apart.

 

[silky smoove]

No, not at all. The only semi-tone there is between the 7 and the tonic.

I believe that is exactly what the OP is describing:

Is it because the 7th is the leading tone next to the root?

 

[MalcolmAmos]

My bad. There is a skip a note between the notes of the Cmaj7 chord.
C major scale = C, D, E, F, G, A, B
Scale degree #..1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

OK to extensions -- and the ones shown being the 4th, the 6th and the 9th. Why are they OK?

My take on this; the 4th can work as a sub for the 5th as is done in a sus chord. The 6th is a neutral note in a major situation and adds color. The 9th is a 2 in the next octave giving a fuller chord sound.

What say you'all……..

 

[Nashrakh]

By the way, "chromaticism" as a term is not used to describe any form of half-step interval, but only those which result from an alteration of a specific note.

C - C# is chromatic. C - Db isn't.

 

[Groove Master]

I think the article should mention that the semi-tone is not desirable on TOP of the voicing. That creates a cluster on top which clouds the sound. The cluster is ok anywhere else in the voicing though.

 

[dreamadream99]

With notes in a chord a semitone apart being seen as bad, how come IMaj7 chords are accepted?

It is all about voicing. No pianist would play that M7 right next to a root. They'd be spread out. Many extended and altered chords have a semitone (half step) between certain chord members, but in a spread out voicing, they aren't as noticeable.

Also dissonance is more acceptable to modern listeners than their 17th, 18th, and 19th century counterparts.

 

[Mushroo]

It is all about voicing. No pianist would play that M7 right next to a root. They'd be spread out. Many extended and altered chords have a semitone (half step) between certain chord members, but in a spread out voicing, they aren't as noticeable.

Also dissonance is more acceptable to modern listeners than their 17th, 18th, and 19th century counterparts.

Oh really? Check out measure 8.

 

[Sparkl]

Invalid Link Removed: I read this article and how so-called 'chromatic approximation' is a undesirable affect to most musicians. With notes in a chord a semitone apart being seen as bad, how come IMaj7 chords are accepted? Is it because the 7th is the leading tone next to the root?

The 7th is a resolving tone and being a semi-tone away from the root is very desireable. I haven't read the article but resolving a semi tone up or down is a standard in most music nowadays. It is also (a fun fact) the sole reason why harmonic and melodic minor evolved from a standard natural minor scale for the sole purpose of achieving that semi tone resolve.

Also, leading tones and their resolving to the root aren't considered chromatic approaches. This applies to tones which are not diatonic to a certain scale yet create a solid progression, mostly used in jazz lines (especially walking bass) where the so called semi tone above or below is a very common way of playing to create tension-release moments.

So, two very different things.

As an example, you could consider a #11 in a blues pentatonic scale as a chromatic passing tone.

 

[TheIndieKid]

It appears I didn't see that key "We will be counting only chord tones above the 7th". Thanks for all the advice, people. I've always come to think of the 7th as an extension, at least to the basic triad.

 

[Sparkl]

It appears I didn't see that key "We will be counting only chord tones above the 7th". Thanks for all the advice, people. I've always come to think of the 7th as an extension, at least to the basic triad.

Well it is. And it isn't. Mostly, we classify extended chords as chords that extend ablve an octave, starting with 9s.

In a sense that you don't extend a chord by adding a leading tone in the mix, that's an i tegral part of the chord. All tones that aren't leading and are either diatonic or altered, count towards extending the chord, enriching the already defined chord quality for which you basically need the root and two leading tones, 3rd and 7th. The 7th can be sometimes avoided in favor of playing a 6th chord.

 

[TheLowDown33]

It appears I didn't see that key "We will be counting only chord tones above the 7th". Thanks for all the advice, people. I've always come to think of the 7th as an extension, at least to the basic triad.

Just like the response above, it kind of is and isn't at the same time. The reason being, the 7th of the chord defines much of the sound and function. Not saying that the other notes aren't important, but you could easily leave out the perfect 5th of most 7th chords and still understand the chord and its function in context. Remember the 3rd and the 7th define the chord in functional (and pretty much all diatonic) harmony.

 

[JTE]

To appreciate diatonic harmony you have to look at the 7th chords rather than the triads. Without the 7th of the V chord, there's not the tri-tone between the 3 and b7 that pulse the ear to wanting it to resolve to the I.

 

[InhumanResource]

It is all about voicing. No pianist would play that M7 right next to a root. They'd be spread out. Many extended and altered chords have a semitone (half step) between certain chord members, but in a spread out voicing, they aren't as noticeable.

Also dissonance is more acceptable to modern listeners than their 17th, 18th, and 19th century counterparts.

Monk did!

 

[Groove Master]

For those who know harmony there is no problem with a Major7 chord.

You can build a Major13 (#11) or D over C Maj7 to max it out . Try it, it is sounds great !!!

 

[bassliner50]

No, not at all. The only semi-tone there is between the 7 and the tonic.

That is correct. A distinction must be made between the maj7 and the dominant 7.

 

[Ekulati]

Uhhhhhggg...and another angle is just because there's a half step somewhere doesn't mean you have chromaticism. The B in a Cmaj7 chord is DIATONIC, it's in the scale...