Kristi, that piano page is cool because it also shows the inversions that Jack mentioned above. Inversions give the same chord a different feel. A normal C major (C E G) has a naturally bright sound, to me. Now try it inverted this way: G C E. Somehow that feels more vibrant, to me. And when you play that inversion with your right hand, and use your left hand to hit two lower C's in an octave, all at once...Boom, that's powerful!

Jack talked about how the usual 7th chord is confusing, because you play a major triad and stack a minor third on top of it. So you have a major chord with a minor 7th topping it. Well, a minor triad with a minor 7th on top also sounds very cool. Try a couple of those and you might find yourself writing something...

Remember Chicago's early 70's hit "Colour My World"? That piano riff that opens it is playing a major triad with a major 7th on top of it. It walks up and down a major 7th chord, one note at a time, like this: F A C E C A (repeat 4 times)...

Last edited by Mark Kaufman; 02/08/08 12:52 AM.
http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman