... I think by then we've gone right through the list and it's back to the Maj7 again, though I accept that's a weak argument on my part.
No, it's pretty good, I just thought the same thing myself! But then I wondered about the "mismatch cases" without such octave doubling. Maybe at that point you just get weird names, like the "Frankfurt Heliotrope".
I think 13 is enough to keep track of. And yes, Gordon, add X means only that is X added to a triad, and other normally implied notes are not there. So I would expect Gadd9 to not have the seventh of the chord. Likewise, I expect, as you do, that a 13th chord can have, but may not have, a 7, 9 and / or 11 in it. But it almost certainly will sound the seventh, to give it that "flavor".
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Now I'm working on something in the Charles Ives tradition called the "New England Octave", where you have two notes that are an octave apart but played in different towns.
But couldn't chords greater than n13 be called poly chords? Like CMaj7:DMaj7b9, i.e. C-E-G-B-D-A-C#-Eb. This would make a good cluster chord.
Oh, man, this is so interesting, it raises deep philosophical issues about the nature of musical reality (and I am not being facetious.)
My chord pictured above can be regarded as a C Major with a Bb Major sitting on top of it.
Does that mean that's what it is, really?
Yes that chord could be called a C:Bb poly chord.
Music theory for a guitarist can be very frustrating at times. We can only play up to six notes at a time while mostly we play only 3 to 5 notes, at least in jazz. So your your C:Bb poly chord I could play C-E-Bb-D-G, which is really a C9! Or I could play a Bb-D-F-C, a Bb add9.
I run into this"conflict" a lot when I jam with JonD. JonD is a pianist/keyboardist with lots of theory. Thus what I would call a chord's name he usually adds a number of other chords that contain those 3-5 notes I played on my guitar. We do have fun together trying to find the right chord for our progression. This is where BiaB is a God sent piece of software, i.e. playing around with chords and chord progressions.
As I have told my students learn music theory but don't let it get in the way of your playing. If you ain't playing from the heart then what good is it? YMMV
OK, a random thought; Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
As I have told my students learn music theory but don't let it get in the way of your playing. If you ain't playing from the heart then what good is it?
Nothing wrong with playing from your head.
If I look at that chord as a polychord comprising a C Major and a Bb Major, it may give me ideas. If I'm playing a guitar solo, I may play along with it as if it were a plain Bb Major instead of a crazy C Something. If I'm writing parts, I may break it up into a C Major for the piano and a Bb Major for the horns.
That kind of idea comes straight out of my cognitive head, in response to the acquisition of an interesting piece of abstract theoretical knowledge. Some might find this cold and cerebral – it sure isn't watching a sunset from the door of a moving freight train – but it warms my own heart, and I'm sure someone could put it to good musical use.
As I have told my students learn music theory but don't let it get in the way of your playing. If you ain't playing from the heart then what good is it?
Nothing wrong with playing from your head.
If I look at that chord as a polychord comprising a C Major and a Bb Major, it may give me ideas. If I'm playing a guitar solo, I may play along with it as if it were a plain Bb Major instead of a crazy C Something. If I'm writing parts, I may break it up into a C Major for the piano and a Bb Major for the horns.
That kind of idea comes straight out of my cognitive head, in response to the acquisition of an interesting piece of abstract theoretical knowledge. Some might find this cold and cerebral – it sure isn't watching a sunset from the door of a moving freight train – but it warms my own heart, and I'm sure someone could put it to good musical use.
I agree with you in that there is nothing wrong with your approach and in fact I do the same thing. My point to my students was when learning theory it is OK to practice it but don't let it get in the way. For instance if they learn a C Dorian mode or an Am Pentatonic scale don't just run the scales while playing a song. IMHO there is nothing worse then having a musician rapidly playing a bunch of scales or arpeggios and not having any melody or feeling (heart) in the lead. YMMV
OK, a random thought; Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
IMHO there is nothing worse then having a musician rapidly playing a bunch of scales or arpeggios and not having any melody or feeling (heart) in the lead.
I read somewhere that John McLaughlin of Mahavishnu Orchestra played guitar using 3 minor pentatonic modes bolted together. He tried to offset the often vacant intellectuality of this by blaming it on The Music (supposedly a spiritual force channelling itself through him) and choking out a lot of screaming dissonant notes. But even as a youth I was not fooled.
Wow, not sure the C9 was ever clarified? This tread really took off.
As a guitarist this is a very popular jazz chord and it is played as a dominate chord, R, 3, b7, 9. Like Mario said, for us guitar players we generally use only 3 note chords except when its Jazz and we use 4 note chords like C9 .
Otherwise, I would consider the voicing for Cadd9 or C2 to be ambiguous unless further clarified. On piano, I would likly play a C triad and add the D as the high note and then look around to see if I get any strange looks. But thats just me.
I reckon a C major triad with a Bb major triad stacked on top is C11.
As I mentioned earlier, though, all those extensions could be flattened or sharpened. Each of them can then be written in a way that someone else could play them, but even then, the voicing can vary.
I once heard someone say "so we're adding extra noteds to the chord and that can only make it better, right?" Erm, well, I see his point, but I think I don't entirely agree :-)
But then one persons tension is another's dissonance. We're balancing arguably boring against comfortable against surprising against shocking.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Wow, not sure the C9 was ever clarified? This tread really took off.
As a guitarist this is a very popular jazz chord and it is played as a dominate chord, R, 3, b7, 9. Like Mario said, for us guitar players we generally use only 3 note chords except when its Jazz and we use 4 note chords like C9 .
Here is what this old man was taught many years ago, from the lowest to the highest note: Cadd9 = C-E-G-D C2 = C-D-E-G Csus2 = C-D-G
The confusion comes in when the Cadd9 and the C2 chords are in different inversions, then you might not be able to tell which is which.
YMMV
Last edited by MarioD; 12/28/2105:01 PM.
OK, a random thought; Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
But thats just me. 
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean