The Dominant 7♭9♯11 Chord is Your Shortcut to Better Jazz

Watch The Dominant 7♭9♯11 Chord is Your Shortcut to Better Jazz - Rizzle on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00The dominant 7b9-sharp-11 chord is your shortcut to better jazz.

00:06The dominant 7b9-sharp-11 chord condenses intense harmonic tension into one structure,

00:12making it effective across jazz, gospel, fusion, and modern R and B.

00:18Built on 1, 3, 5, b7 with altered extensions,

00:22it adds expressive depth, ambiguity, and forward motion to progressions.

00:26Chord extensions enrich basic triads with added tension and color.

00:31The b9 creates sharp dissonance, while the sharp-11 adds brightness.

00:36These extensions come from stacking scale degrees beyond the octave.

00:40For example, G7b9-sharp-11 commonly draws from the half-whole diminished scale.

00:46This voicing pairs the root with a dominant 7th built on its tritone.

00:50For G7b9-sharp-11, combining G with Db7 creates strong tension and smooth voice leading.

00:58The result delivers maximum harmonic impact with minimal movement,

01:02making it a favorite among arrangers and improvisers.

01:05Inversions improve voice leading and melodic flow.

01:09Placing the 3rd or 7th in the bass allows altered extensions like b9 and sharp-11

01:14to sit naturally above the harmony.

01:16Jazz musicians rely on inversions to keep progressions fluid and expressive.

01:21Start with a shell voicing, then add a tritone major triad on top.

01:26This efficiently supplies multiple extensions in one shape,

01:29producing clarity and balance across registers.

01:33This variation adds richer color by modifying the tritone triad

01:36and optionally including the 13th.

01:39Each note serves a harmonic purpose, creating depth without clutter.

01:43Modern R&B uses altered dominance to define its polished sound.

01:48Keeping the bass grounded while highlighting upper alterations

01:51creates smooth, expressive tension.

01:54Altered dominance act as pivots and substitutions in this standard.

01:58Gradually adding b9 and sharp-11 enhances color while preserving melodic integrity.

02:03In gospel, dominant 7b9 sharp-11 chords heighten emotional impact,

02:09especially in 2-5 progressions resolving to major chords.

02:13They transform harmony into a vehicle for transcendence rather than theory alone.