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Membership
Instructor
Jonny May
Course
Intermediate
03:31:54

Making sense of chord extensions and alterations can be confusing when you’re first getting started. In this course, Jonny simplifies the concept by teaching the most common chord alterations used in jazz and popular music. You’ll master each altered voicing by first finding the easiest way to identify it, and then practicing the concept with helpful exercises in 2 positions.

Course Objectives
  • Understand how to find the most common chord alterations
  • Learn the dominant 7(b9), dominant 7(#9), dominant 7(#11), and dominant 7(b13) alterations
  • Discover the combinations that work best, along with tricks to finding alterations
  • Practice with exercises in 2 positions, and around the circle of fifths
Learning Focus
  • Chords
  • Exercises
  • Lead Sheets
Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Whew!
Very challenging course. My brain hurts! This is one I will (must) revisit.
Challenging but worth it
Very well organized course. Will keep working on this!
Amazing course !!
Everything is very fluid and progressive. You learn new concepts almost effortlessly and the exercises really help you out in getting familiar with all these new chords.
Expanding my pallette
This course has busted wide open my understanding of jazz chords. I was previously stuck on the “60” chord system from my years on the accordion, always wondering how jazz players achieved the wonderful colors. Now I know. Just gotta practice and put it into practice. Thanks Jonny.
Challenging and Enlightening
This course eliminates all confusion about chord symbols with alterations. While it takes time to program this into one's hands, it clears up any mystery about how to do that. The shortcuts for finding these alterations are extremely useful and any lead sheet arrangement will sound advanced applying them.

Course Lessons

1
Chord Alterations – Lesson 1
21:11

What is a chord alteration?

2
Chord Alterations – Lesson 2
43:51

Dominant 7(b9) Chords

3
Chord Alterations – Lesson 3
30:50

Dominant 7 (#9) Chords

4
Chord Alterations – Lesson 4
41:17

Dominant 7 (#11) Chords

5
Chord Alterations – Lesson 5
51:59

Dominant 7 (b13) Chords

6
Chord Alterations – Lesson 6
22:46

Alterations around the circle exercise

Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Whew!
Very challenging course. My brain hurts! This is one I will (must) revisit.
Challenging but worth it
Very well organized course. Will keep working on this!
Amazing course !!
Everything is very fluid and progressive. You learn new concepts almost effortlessly and the exercises really help you out in getting familiar with all these new chords.
Expanding my pallette
This course has busted wide open my understanding of jazz chords. I was previously stuck on the “60” chord system from my years on the accordion, always wondering how jazz players achieved the wonderful colors. Now I know. Just gotta practice and put it into practice. Thanks Jonny.
Challenging and Enlightening
This course eliminates all confusion about chord symbols with alterations. While it takes time to program this into one's hands, it clears up any mystery about how to do that. The shortcuts for finding these alterations are extremely useful and any lead sheet arrangement will sound advanced applying them.
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