• the concept
• book contents
• enharmonic chords
• implied chords
• substitution chords

Digging into the Details

The concept of enharmonic chords is analogous to the linguistic concept of homonyms. Consider the following sentences:

Billy rode the bus to the county fair. The weather was fair and breezy. Tommy objected, saying "It’s not fair!"

In these sentences, the word “fair” has three distinct meanings, determined by the context of the written or spoken word. In a similar manner, a certain combination of musical notes can have different “meanings” depending upon the musical context. Accordingly, a particular chord form in one context might properly be considered a 6th chord, and the same chord form in another context might properly be considered a m7th chord.

In this book, enharmonic chords are displayed side by side. At first glance, this presentation may seem somewhat trivial — with the two chord shapes being the same. However, studying enharmonic chords can be very fruitful. I recommend the following approach, as applied to the example to the right:

• Note the scale degrees associated with the E bass note – which is a major scale 6th degree relative to the G major triad and which is the root in the Em7 chord.
• Learn (if not already familiar) the location of the 6th relative to the root on the fretboard.
• Identify the particular G major triad form contained in this voicing of Em7. And, appreciate that a G major triad can sometimes be used in place of an Em7 chord, if another instrument is playing the E bass note.
• Remember also that a G major triadic arpeggio can sound very nice over an Em7 chord when the bass note is being played by another instrument.