Dominant Jazz Blues Chords

Dominant jazz blues chords have the same function as regular dominant 7th chords, and can be used as substitutions.

The dominant 9th and 13th chords have the same triad structure at the bottom end of the chord, as the dominant 7th for a particular key, but the added ninth or thirteenth notes give the chord a more complex “flavor”, which can be used to lead or resolve a progression.

The 9th and 13th are the two dominant compound chords used in jazz. Compound chords have extra notes that span more than one octave.

There are many other compound chords used in jazz, each with its own special use and tonal characteristics. Very often the dissonance of some of the more complex intervals, creates a desired tension in the piece of music being played.

To form a dominant jazz blues chord, find the root of the scale you are playing. From there, form a triad that contains the root, major third, flat seventh and added compound note, which will either be the ninth or thirteenth note. The third and seventh are the defining dominant seventh chord notes, so they have to be included. The fifth does not.

How you finger the individual notes depends on what kind of style you are playing in. Using one finger per fret, allows you to sharpen or flatten the ninth or thirteenth note, which lends itself to Jazz. Barring the upper notes is more suited to playing Blues and Funk, due to the repetitive, fast riffs and use of Wah-pedal techniques.

When the 9th and 13th chords are indicated in music notation, the composer might include optional chord extensions, these will be written in brackets after the chord. These extensions will add a particular “flavor” to the chord, but are not critical to the structure of the music. The voicings of the chord can make subtle changes to how they sound.

In jazz, the lower notes of the chord are considered to be more important than the upper notes, so the basic dominant chord structure is always played, and the extended ninth or thirteenth notes are an “extra”, and can be left out or altered as the chords are played. This gives a guitar player a lot of leeway for improvising and “coloring” the dominant chords that feature in a given piece of music, or song.

Usually, for dominant jazz blues chords, the notes are played in order, starting with the root, then the third, optional fifth, flattened seventh, followed by the seventh or thirteenth. This does not always have to be the case. You can vary the order of the notes and leave out the fifth note.

As long as the important tritone between the third and flattened seventh is present, you can voice the chord any way you like. The result could be that the ninth note is played an octave higher than normal, or that one of the notes, such as the root, is repeated. This is known as doubling. 

The dominant 9th and 13th chords aren't only used in Jazz or Blues, but can be integrated into any modern music, including Rock and Pop. They can be used to create levity or suspense in a music piece, which breaks up the monotony of power chords, or basic minor or major chords.

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