Guitar Knowledge

Latin Jazz includes jazz music that is written in a Jazz style. These pieces usually take the form of Bossa Novas, Sambas, Cha-Chas, Mambos, and more.

Here are some common jazz chords found in Latin Jazz Guitar Pieces.

Minor 7

This minor 7 chord is part of the Minor Chord Family (there are 5 chord families). It consists of these note degrees:

1 – b3 – 5 – b7 (of the major scale) for example A min 7 = A – C – E – G . Here are 2 positions you can play this chord with note names and scale degrees.

6-9 Chords

This 69chord is part of the Major Chord Family). It consists of these note degrees:

1 – 3 – 5 – 6 – 9 (of the major scale) for example C 69 = C – E – G – A – D. We can omit the 5th degree if we don’t have enough space for all the notes. Here are 2 positions you can play this chord with note names and scale degrees.

Dominant 7 b9

The 7b9 chord is part of the Dominant Chord Family and consists of these note degrees:

1 – 3 – 5 – b7 – b9 (of the major scale) for example E 7b9 = E – G# – B – F. We can omit the 5th degree if we don’t have enough space for all the notes. Here are 2 positions you can play this chord with note names and scale degrees.

Augmented 7th chords (+7 or 7#5)

The Augmented Seventh chord is part of the Augmented Chord Family and consists of these note degrees:

1 – 3 – #5 -b7 (of the major scale) for example G+ = G – B – D# – F. We can’t omit the 5th degree because it is the embellished part of the chord. Here are 2 positions you can play this chord with note names and scale degrees. This chord can also be called G7b13.

Half Diminished (minor 7b5)

The Hand diminished chord is part of the Diminished Chord Family and consists of these note degrees:

1 – b3 – b5 -b7 (of the major scale) for example B half dim = B – D – F – A. Here are 3 positions you can play this chord with note names and scale degrees.