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It's been a looong time since I updated this chord list. Sorry for the huge delay!
It was a pain to learn how to do this sort of thing efficiently in finale, but I've learned to do things a bit better now and I still think this list could become a nice resource.
The content is still essentially the chords that Ricardo posted way back, in tab-format. Anyway, here's the latest draft. Now containing all the chords from A to G#.
As usual, I'm happy for opinions, suggestions on formatting, grouping, chord naming and errors. Help me out to make this a useful chart.
I would still like to add some rondeña chords (DADF#BE tuning) and would be grateful if you guys would post some in this thread, in tab format.
Big thanks to Ricardo and Hemeola.
(Just made a small update with numberings for all chords, removed a misplaced D minor chord and sorted out some bugs in the chord scale charts on the first page)
this is made in finale 2006. i had to wrestle it to do this the way i want. you can't get rid of the whole staff-oriented system, but you can make invisible staff that only shows chord diagrams.
I'm happy for any opinions, suggestions on formatting, chord naming conventions or if you spot any errors.
I wish you numbered them or something so I could help pinpoint corrections.
First line, 2.A(no 5th). 5. Just "A", the lowest bass note is open, not A/C#. 6.A7/G the fingering should be 201110. 7.A7/G 231110. 8. A/Bb. 10.Am(b9) 11. Em7b5/A.
Second line: 1. A7b9, 2.A(b9)/G (Sometimes I finger 201310), 3.A(b9), 4. A(b9), 5.A(b9 no 3rd), 6.A(b9 no 3rd) 7. A(b9). Instead of "add 9-" it is easier (b9) IMO.
Third line: 4. Am(b9)/E.
Seems there are some flamenco A chords missing. Am(9)? Not sure off hand, I dont' have time to check. Rather than re formatting, I was always hoping folks would simply add their own chords to the original thread...not any old chord, but "special" ones that come from flamenco guitar specifically.
Oh yeah, 4th line, "A#" chords:1. Not a classical "chord". A chord must have 3 or more different notes. This is just an interval, minor second plus octave. I think of it as "A(b9) no 3rd or 5th". So pretty silly to name it even. 2. A(b9)sus4 or Asus4(b9), which ever you like better, 3. YIKES! Sure you want that E bass note? There are many ways to name this, but all proper names would be pointless. Basically the harmony is Bb, and the bass line is moving either from D up to this E on the D string, or F down to E. Either way I would just describe as "Bb(#11)/E" in context, 4. Sure you DON'T want the top E string to ring? If it is ok, then C9 (no 5th). 5. hmm, very "modal" sounding phrygian chord. Bb(#11)/A is best IMO.
The proper naming of these things will get more complex than the litteral function is meant to sound. In most cases you can just refer to "por medio" or "flamenco A chord" or "Flamenco Bb" or "si bemol" etc...
I'll look trough the stuff you pointed out. I just pulled the fingerings out of my hat so treat them with suspicion. :)
i agree we ought to simplify the naming. i'll post an update tomorrow. i'll place temporary numbering so you can refer to the chords directly and then we can work out some fitting names and stamp out weird stuff.
this is made in finale 2006. i had to wrestle it to do this the way i want. you can't get rid of the whole staff-oriented system, but you can make invisible staff that only shows chord diagrams.
Shame on me. I work with finale a lot. I managed to get rid of the staffs, but never succeeded in making such a nice line-up of chord diagrams. I'll try again.
koella. i made a single line staff system with all it's visible attributes ticked out, and i put one wholenote on each measure, each measure holds one diagram. the measures and staff can be spaced out with the measure and the page formatting tool. the default diagram style looks pretty nasty, so i tweaked it as best i could. the notes were made invisible by applying a staff style (blank) in the staff tool.
i realize this is kind of alot to ask, is there any way you could arrange them so they form kind of a square?? that would be great, but if you can't no worries =)
i can do squares (i'm a sex god remember ). any special logic to the square, besides aesthetical? i think there will be some deal of moving around, addittions and stuff before all the chords are in place though.
Here is a new version with ricardos fixes. I changed the naming convention too, i'm not sure about writing in the omissions though (no 3rd/5th etc).
the C9 is a weird chord to have in this list.. perhaps something got wrong along the way?
So, do i make a category called A#/Bb chords, with chords written to be A# or Bb according to what makes sense? Or should we name all of them either A sharp or B flat?
So, do i make a category called A#/Bb chords, with chords written to be A# or Bb according to what makes sense? Or should we name all of them either A sharp or B flat?
use Bb instead of A#. Always lower common denominator. A# occurs in keys with 5# or more, where as Bb occurs in keys with one flat or more.
The revisions look better. The last 3 chords have things. The first one I finger 341110 typically that is the flamenco way, the C9 needs the open e string or else it is not really a C9, the fingering of the last chord is typically x01234, and often the index can move up to F# on the first string making a good ol D+, but I think I cover those in the "D chords" post.
ok, ricardo i made a second update. :D I'll have the latest version up in the first post. now i'm waiting for hemeola to serve me some more chords. in the mean time i'm happy for any addittional A chords.
Looks better. Bb chords: 12 use #11 even though there is no 5th. 14 is also #11, you have the 5th in the chord too. 16. is same chord as 14 but in 5th position????Dmaj7(#11).
How come this chord is missing:Bb9(#11)/F?
110110 Also x13230 which was Bbmaj7#11. I think there may be others missing. Check the orginal thread with all the chords (which I can never find )
Becarefull with "B11" as a chord. It implies the other intervals under it, 7 and 9. Best to use B(11) or B(b9,11)
Thanks again Ricardo! You're providing the meat here. I hope more people will join in with material. As I'm charting and trying some of these chords out i'm stumbling across a whole lot of interesting chords, but i don't want to add just any old chord to the chart, so i'm writing them down and if they won't appear in the list, i'll present them to you.
I'll do an update tomorrow.
Thanks Hemeola, i'm happy you're liking it. Do you want to keep feeding me the chords, or should i chart them directly from the old tab collection? i have them collected in a text file, i'll be using it to see if some chords have gone missing in the process
wouldn't a sus2 would have a major second, b9 is equal to a minor second right? but that's not the problem. the only thing is that wherever i write E#, finale puts F. but i think there must be a way to turn that off, if not then it's easy enough to do a simple workaround with a regular text field
Ricardo, just curious, how come we don't call the C#s Dbs in this case? C# has 7 sharps while Db has 5 flats.
You have to think MODAL. C# PHRYGIAN has 3 sharps, related to F# minor, the third is raised sometimes (E becomes E# or both notes used) and written as an accidental. (C#DEE#F#G#AB)
Music writing software tends to be ignorant in terms of music theory. You can let it read as "F", but understand it is supposed to be a raised 3rd not a lowered 4th. Hopefully using the correct key sig will let you do it?
This Vicente chord is tricky: X46760 What you have is both thirds in the chord, major and minor. The piece it comes from "Mandaito" makes a lot of use of the natural phrygian sound (E natural). "10" is not an extension so you can't say "#10" or something. In jazz/pop etc they use "#9", but you have a broken rule there if you use #9 AND b9 in the same chord. But you can I guess.
Honestly in that case, for staff reading purpose, it would look nice if the chord spelled C#G#DEF, and that is how you spelled it (b11). But that is not really correct. Here you have the problem where flamenco is eastern and you are doing the western system to define it. THe scale (I wrote above) really has 8 notes, not 7, and one should be allowed to used all 8 notes. The intervals in the chord are re numbered for the sake of that extra note, and of course a new letter or symbol could be used to describe the extra note. But that is getting really pointless and crazy.
I would just call it C#(b9)add#9, recognizing the only reason that extra note is added is because of the open string. But what you have is fine too (b9,b11). Later on you will find an even harder to name chord used in modern flamenco:
343533. In the key of A phyrgian, again you have no "out of the scale" notes. GC#FCDG is the chord. A "tone cluster" using notes from the mode. The actual function of that in flamenco music is usually a brief "minor third" modulation sound (Cphrygian, using the above chord as Dbmaj7#11 sound) without actually leaving the orginal scale. I guess if I HAD to name it, I would call it Dbmaj7(b9,#11)/G. So go ahead and include that with the other C# chords!
Ricardo OH, under C# chords, number 4 should be C#7(b9), that is the only correction I have for you.