Major 7 extensions

Axe_meister

Obviously when you extend dominate 7 chords, you just write them as 9/11/13.
Is there a naming convention for stacking extension onto M7 chords (not that I have seen many), or do you just just write add9 add11 add13?

Keefy

I’d write maj9 or maj13. I don’t think I’ve ever seen maj11 written, but I’ve seen (and love the sound of) maj7#11.

AntonHunter

Cmaj9 = C E G B D

so the same convention really, write the chord out as you would if it were whichever flavour of 7th chord, then replace the 7 with the extension of choice.

Cadd9 implies the C major triad (C E G) with the added 9th (D), and specifically not the 7th, of either flavour.

Tannin

It's exactly the same as a minor (aka dominant, flat) 7. 

C9 = a C triad with a (flat)7 and a 9 (2).
F11 = an F triad with a (flat)7 and an 11 (4). It can optionally also include the 9, and in practice, especially on guitar where you tend to run out of strings and fingers, often leaves a note or two out, typically the 5, sometimes the root.

Cmaj9 = a C triad with a major 7 and a 9 (2).
Fmaj11 = an F triad with a major and an 11 (4).

And so on. That is the convention. 

viz

Maj11’s well odd. 

Stuckfast

Thinking out lout here, but if you start stacking extensions on top of a major 7 chord, do you not quite quickly end up with something that is functionally more like a dominant seventh? The notes in Cmaj11 for example would be C, E, G, B, D, F. That feels to me less like any sort of C chord and more like a G7 with a couple of extra notes thrown in.

AntonHunter

Yeah, and if you continue on that theme, a Cmaj13 would be every note from the C major scale. Which is why you don't see those very often I guess. And also @Tannin's point above about in practice leaving out some of the notes.

viz

Keefy said:

I’d write maj9 or maj13. I don’t think I’ve ever seen maj11 written, but I’ve seen (and love the sound of) maj7#11.

Btw the shite Cmaj11 is actually a nice Fmaj7#11 if voiced properly (no 3 but you still get the juice)

Roland

AntonHunter said:

Yeah, and if you continue on that theme, a Cmaj13 would be every note from the C major scale. Which is why you don't see those very often I guess. And also @Tannin's point above about in practice leaving out some of the notes.

One of the nice thing about the guitar is that it leads you to play the important notes because you haven’t got fingers or stretch for the others. A lot of the time you can let the bass player, or the listener’s ears, put in the root and fifth.