I just recently became a little more active on these forums. If this has been asked before, please for give me. I looked around for a while but didn't see a post that addressed my question here, which is: Major6th chords are among the most important in Jazz compositions, yet I see no way to enter one. When I attempt to do so, it simply ignores my input and leaves the chord that was previously there.

Am I overlooking something or, possible entering it wrong (I've tried typing in "BbMaj6" and "BbMajor6" - minus the quotes) but the entries are ignored? I'd really appreciate a suggestion or explanation. If it's a BIAB issue, would love to see that addressed. Thanks in advance!

Alan

Alan

Isn't a 6th considered the same for either Bb6 or BbMaj6?

Certainly you can have a BbMaj7 and a Bb7 and a Bbmin7.

But when it comes to 6th's I'm not aware of the same rule applying. I thought that essentially Bb6 was the same as BbMaj6. There should be 9 semitones between the root and the 6th (except for a minor 6th, which has an interval of 8 semitones).

Does a Bb6 give you what you need? I think it's the same in your case.

Incidentally, for a list of available chords in BiaB, right-click on the chord cell and choose Chord Builder (Control-Shift-B)

HTH

Trev

Hi Alan,

Like Trevor, I've always used X6 for sixth chords, too. For example, C6 (C E G A).

Another one that you might like in this family is X69 (the sixth chord with an added 9th)... say, C69 (C E G A D).

Try them out and see what you think.

Regards,
Noel

Noel and Trevor,

Thanks for your replies. I'll make a video and send you a link to it some time this week. And I'll show you what I mean. The B6 and B69 don't work for my needs, although they are nice chords I use at various times. It will much easier to show you rather than tell you.

Alan

I'd like to see that.

A chord like C6 in BIAB is spelled as explained above and should be giving you a major third. So, the next question is, how do you spell a maj6 chord?

Some folks think of a major 6th as a diminished seventh (not me) as contrasted to a minor 6th that they call an augmented fifth.

In some classical circles, the fifth is omitted, and the 6th is played, to indicate an inversion (example: C6 = Am). There is also some strange stuff out there, such as augmented sixth and Neapolitan sixth, but I believe as above that "major sixth" means a chord with a major triad to which the sixth is added. BIAB plays that by typing it simply with a 6, like D6.

So, we need to know what your understanding of major sixth is. Spell the chord, and we can help.

ps I love a 69 chord; used all the time in Brazilian music. There is also one of my favorites in jazz, the 13 chord. C13 includes both the sixth and minor seventh, with the sixth voiced on top as the thirteenth. But that's likely not what you want...

Hi Folks,

I've not forgotten about making that video. My wife is very seriously ill and I've been attending to her. But I promise the video in the next few days. Thanks for your patience. Plus, I'm very anxious to get your feedback.

Alan

Best wishes to Di for a speedy recovery.

Sorry for your difficulty. Could you just spell the notes you want in the chord? One of three things will happen: BIAB plays it correctly, BIAB should play it but there is an error somewhere, or BIAB doesn't support it.

Yes, Di is in our prayers.