Songs that use 9th, 11th and 13th chords

Upper chord extensions are notes we add to a chord which stretch beyond the octave, so for example, 9ths, 11ths and 13ths. Chords like these can often seem somewhat intimidating if you've not been introduced to them as they come with a whole range of "rules" and conventions on how to play them. So hopefully today I can break down some of the mystery surrounding these lush, beautiful chords!

And, an extra special thanks goes to Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇

0:00 Introduction
0:23 dominant 11th chord
1:36 9th chords
4:02 how to to stack upper chord extensions
6:49 slash chords
10:27 Altered upper chord extensions
12:45 6/9 chord
13:33 how upper chord extensions in practice
14:19 piano outro

[jjpelham]

Ive studied music theory to some extent for years but chord names/voicings always seem to go a bit over my head past the basic triads and seventh extensions.
I cant explain how much of an "aha" moment these videos really are. Everything really does click in place

[monovision]

Your piece at the end is absolutely beautiful.

[IrnBruNYC]

The minute you played that C9, my brain said "Rocket Man!" Specifically, "pre-flight."

[DylanJakobsenMusic]

As an artist, I love watching your content not only to gain more understanding of what I’m doing and expanding my horizons, but also to strengthen my love and ever growing appreciation for the music that’s defined our generations! Thanks for being awesome David! 🎸🤘🏼

[mimikal]

I have long loved the sound of C/D, Ab/Bb, etc. chords. I never knew that they were 11ths! Thank you

[coloaten]

I've just started delving into Neo-Soul in my piano learning, and the 'secret' seems to be the m9 chord. It uses them a lot, along with M9 and dim chords to a lesser extent.

[Swisspaynie]

As always your Beatles references give excellent context for the lesson. I often wonder about Paul McCartney’s writing on the piano. I believe that, as a bass player, he was often thinking about how the bass aspects of his piano compositions would ‘move’ behind the primary chords (rather than thinking of the chord in its technical entirety).

[saturnuria]

Just wanted to say thanks for the video. As a long time guitarist who started playing piano a couple of years ago, videos like this are now making much more sense to me than they did before. As much as I love guitar, I always felt limited by which chords it was actually possible for me to finger. Learning piano has made music theory so much more understandable to me.

[piccipicci]

This is maybe the most clarifying explanation on the subject I’ve ever heard. Thank you so much for letting us go that deep into the secrets of music.

[bigstanky]

i got an ad with david bennett in it and it took me a while to realize it wasnt the video

[tezeta]

That piece you did at the end was so beautiful! Definitely some Radiohead vibes

[franc]

6:20 the concept of not playing the 5th or 3rd has helped me to undestand how to use these chords, nice!!

[jacobjallen]

I've played guitar in the pit for a few musicals, where you'll quite often get sheet music with slash chords marked that seem weirdly written (F#/Ab for example). Can't begin to put into words how much easier the process is when you can think of it as just playing the high notes of an F# chord (let the bassist/pianist take care of the Ab) instead of trying to figure out how to play an Ab11 chord that doesn't sound muddy make everyone give you a funny look

[jeffgoblue]

Thank you, this was terrific! It also makes me feel better — I frequently find myself re-writing complex chords as slash chords, and this showed me it’s not just a shortcut, but a truly legitimate (and sensible) way to look at them.

It doesn’t just have to be extended chords either. The gorgeous A#m7b5 in the bar before the chorus of “God Only Knows” can be re-written as C#m/A#, which perfectly matches what the left and right hands are actually doing.

[DākuOngaku]

My brain still can't get over how good the Hedrix Chord sounds despite having both a major and minor 3rd

[jacobevanoski]

As always, a great job. I appreciate how much effort you put into these videos and it really does help me as an amateur musician.

[davidtaylor]

I studied music at university - back in the early '80s - and did a module on Afro-American music where we were told about Charlie Parker's use of chord extensions...only nobody actually explained WHAT chord extensions were. Thanks so much for this. I've learned more about music theory on Youtube in the last few years than I ever learned in three years at university!

[MindsEyeVisualGuitarJourney]

One of the most informative lessons I've watched so far.
And I was instantly mesmerized by that piano jam at the end.
That was so cool and inspiring.
Thanks.

[WavePotter]

I really appreciate your videos man. They make chord structures and voicings so much easier to understand and recognize. Thanks for all the work you put into these!

[hans_____]

I wish the internet existed when I was in high school jazz band when no one felt like telling me what all these things meant. Thanks, glad I finally got around to learning this.