Herbie Hancock Minor 11th Voicing: Jazz Piano Chord Construction

A chord extension is a note added to a chord to create more color and interest. For minor 7th chords, the 11th is a common extension. To find the 11th, count in thirds: root, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and 11th. For example, an A minor 7 chord (A-C-E-G) becomes an A minor 11 by adding D (the 11th). The 11th is also the melody note in this arrangement. Minor 7th chords can also have the 9th added.

For minor chords, add the 9th by substituting the fundamental with the 2nd scale degree. For Fm7 in Bb minor, the 9th is G (the 2nd scale degree). Add the 11th by substituting the 5th with the 4th scale degree. For Fm7, the 11th is Bb (the 4th scale degree). Minor chords can be enriched by combining the 9th and 11th, creating a rich, sophisticated minor chord sound. The key is to understand which notes to substitute for each extension.

Extended chords include numbers above the seventh, specifically ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords, built by adding the second, fourth, and sixth degrees one octave higher. Minor 11th chords are minor seventh chords extended with the eleventh, typically omitting the fifth (e.g., A minor 11: A-C-E-D). Minor 9th chords are minor seventh chords extended with the ninth (e.g., D minor 9: D-F-A-E). These chords create richer sounds than basic minor seventh chords. Using minor 11th and minor 9th chords with a whole step distance creates classic R&B progressions like Am11-Dm9-Gm7-Cm7 in D minor, transforming simple progressions into sophisticated harmonic phrases.

Chord superposition is a technique where pianists stack additional chords over base chords to create sophisticated voicings: for major chords, superimpose the triad of the fifth degree (adding 7th and 9th); for minor chords, superimpose the triad of the seventh degree (adding 7th, 9th, and 11th); for dominant chords, use quartal voicings built from the third (adding 9th and 13th). This technique, commonly used in jazz and bossa nova, transforms basic chords into modern sonorities without requiring complex theory knowledge.

Minor 9th chords can be further extended by adding the 11th interval, creating even more complex harmonic structures. These extended chords add additional color and sophistication to musical compositions. The addition of the 11th to a minor 9th chord creates a rich, layered sound that is particularly common in jazz and contemporary music.

The circle of fifths arranges all twelve keys in a circle where adjacent keys are perfect fifths apart. Moving clockwise adds sharps in the order F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#. Moving counterclockwise adds flats in reverse order. To find notes in any major or minor scale: locate the key on the circle, count accidentals based on position from C, then apply accidentals in order while listing scale degrees. This systematic approach enables quick identification of key signatures and scale construction without memorization.

The circle of fifths is a foundational music theory concept that enables learning all 12 major scales. The C major scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C) has no sharps or flats and can be divided into two Tetra chords: the tonic Tetra chord (C-D-E-F) and the dominant Tetra chord (G-A-B-C). To learn the circle of fifths, identify the fifth note of each scale as the root for the next scale: C → G (one flat) → D (two sharps) → A (three sharps) → E (four sharps) → B (five sharps). This progression demonstrates how keys relate through perfect fifth intervals.

The Circle of Fifths is a circular diagram showing musical relationships based on the fifth interval (do to sol). To draw it: create a 12-position circle with do (C) at 12 o'clock. Add sharps clockwise in the order: Fa-Do-Sol-La-Mi-Si, and flats counterclockwise in the order: Si-Mi-La-Re-Sol-Do-Fa. Major keys with sharps: C (0), G (1), D (2), A (3), E (4), B (5), F# (6), C# (7). Major keys with flats: F (1), Bb (2), Eb (3), Ab (4), Db (5), Gb (6), Cb (7). Some keys have enharmonic equivalents (e.g., F# major = Gb major). To construct scales, start from the root and add sharps/flats in the specified order. This tool enables quick identification of any key's sharps/flats and construction of corresponding major and minor scales.

The circle of fifths (círculo armónico) and chord field (campo armónico) are the same concept used to understand which chords belong to a musical key. To construct the circle of fifths for any key, you must first know the scale of that key. For C major, the scale degrees are: 1st (C), 2nd (D), 3rd (E), 4th (F), 5th (G), 6th (A), 7th (B), and 8th (C). Each scale degree corresponds to a specific chord: C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor, B diminished, and C major. A chord belongs to the circle of fifths only if all its notes are within that key's scale.

The circle of fifths organizes all 12 major scales. C major uses no sharps or flats. Sharp keys are found by going up fifths: G (1 sharp, F#), D (2 sharps, F#-C#), A (3 sharps, F#-C#-G#), E (4 sharps, F#-C#-G#-D#), B (5 sharps, F#-C#-G#-D#-A#), F# (6 sharps, F#-C#-G#-D#-A#-E#), C# (7 sharps, F#-C#-G#-D#-A#-E#-B#). Flat keys are found by going down fifths: F (1 flat, Bb), Bb (2 flats, Bb-Eb), Eb (3 flats, Bb-Eb-Ab), Ab (4 flats, Bb-Eb-Ab-Db), Db (5 flats, Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb), Gb (6 flats, Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Cb), Cb (7 flats, Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Cb-Fb). The order of sharps is F-C-G-D-A-E-B (Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds). The order of flats is B-E-A-D-G-C-F (Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles's Father). Each key signature's last accidental is the leading tone (seventh note).

Quartal harmony uses perfect fourth intervals between chord members rather than thirds. For a C major 13 sharp 11 chord, this might be voiced as B E A D G C F sharp. This voicing contains mostly consonant perfect fourth intervals, with only one tritone interval between C and F sharp. This creates an open, harmonically ambiguous sound that is characteristic of modern jazz piano.

Quartal harmony involves creating chord voicings where most notes are spaced by perfect fourths (five semitones), producing an open, modern-sounding texture with harmonic ambiguity that makes it difficult to distinguish between major, minor, or dominant chords; this technique expands harmonic vocabulary by offering alternative voicings for major, minor, and dominant chords that can be transposed to all 12 keys.

Quartal harmony, developed by jazz pioneers like McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s-70s, constructs chords by stacking perfect fourths instead of traditional thirds. A perfect fourth spans four scale degrees (C to F). Chords are built by stacking these intervals, creating unique harmonic colors. Rootless voicings allow the same upper structure to imply multiple chord types based on the bass note: C6/9, Fmaj13, E7+4, or Asus4. Minor chords are formed by lowering the third by a half step. Augmented fourths (tritones) on the bottom with perfect fourths on top create more dissonant, modern sounds. A single voicing can function as Cm6/9, F13, B7♯9, or D7♭9 depending on context, demonstrating the versatility and ambiguity inherent in quartal harmony.

Quartal harmony uses fourth intervals instead of traditional thirds to create modern, distinctive chord voicings. For minor chords, find the pentatonic scale one whole tone above the root and build fourth intervals from each note. For major chords, find the pentatonic scale one whole tone below the root. The same quartal voicings work for both minor and their relative major chords, with the bass note determining the chord quality. Quartal openings can be combined with altered chords and used in chromatic bass line passages and modal endings. Musicians should select quartal voicings based on musical context rather than using all possibilities in one measure.