What Are Basic Jazz Chords — and How Can They Support Your Melodic Ideas?
- Diana Mascari
- Dec 27, 2025
- 4 min read
If you’ve been creating your own pieces — whether at the piano or in notation software — you may sometimes reach a moment when you think:
“This section needs more color… more movement… more depth.”
That’s where jazz chords come in.
You don’t need to be a jazz musician to use them. Basic jazz chords are simply expanded versions of chords you already know, and they can instantly enrich your harmonic palette.
Just as importantly, they support melodies beautifully — offering new ways to shape phrases, sustain moments, and add emotional nuance to your music.
Let’s explore a few foundational ideas that will help you
begin using jazz chords creatively.
What Makes a Chord “Jazz”?
If you’ve played music from the Great American Songbook — works by Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Jerome Kern, or Cole Porter — you’ve already encountered these sounds:
Major 7th chords
Minor 7th chords
Dominant 7th chords
Diminished 7th chords
These four-note chords add warmth, color, and harmonic richness that simple triads can’t provide.
For example:
C major → Cmaj7
D minor → Dm7
A diminished → Adim7
G major → G7
They deepen your sound without requiring advanced theory.
How Jazz Chords Support Melodic Writing
When composing, you may reach a point where:
A melody needs a sustained harmony underneath
A chord feels emotionally flat
A phrase sounds too predictable
You want a warmer sound than triads alone can give
Jazz chords — especially 7ths, 9ths, and 13ths — can open new expressive possibilities immediately. See below for examples of these.
Moving Beyond Traditional Progressions
For centuries, Western harmony relied on functional chord progressions. Then composers like Debussy challenged that idea.
Debussy believed chords didn’t always need to “resolve” — they could exist for color and atmosphere alone.
Try this progression:
Cmaj7 – Amaj7 – E♭maj7 – Bmaj7 – Cmaj7
Even though it breaks classical rules, it sounds cohesive because each chord shares the same quality. This approach opens an entirely new world for composers.
Spend a few minutes experimenting at the piano or in notation software. Copy, paste, listen, adjust. Let your ear guide you.
Expanding Basic Jazz Chords for More Color
You can enrich any jazz chord simply by adding scale tones.
Examples:
Cmaj7 → Cmaj9 or Cmaj9(#11) C – E – G – B – D – F♯ – A (Choose only the notes you want — you don’t need them all.)
Cm7 → Cm9 or Cm11 C – E♭ – G – B♭ – D – F – A
C7 → C9 or C9(#11,13) C – E – G – B♭ – D – F♯ – A
C7 → C7(♭9) C – E – G – B♭ – D♭
Each variation offers a different shade of color. These are the the notes used in the upper structure triads (see next section)
Upper-Structure Triads: A Powerful Shortcut
This may become one of your favorite tools.
Add a triad a whole step above the root:
Cmaj7 + D major = Cmaj9(#11,13)
C7 + D major = C9(#11,13)
Cm7 + D minor = Cm9(11,13)
It’s fast, intuitive, and musically satisfying.
Two More Chords Worth Exploring
C13 LH plays C & RH plays B♭ – E – A The sound is warm, rich, and full of motion.
C7#9 LH: plays C & RH plays: E – B♭ – E♭ The sound is expressive and energetic — common in blues, rock, and jazz.
Both chords can be played without root by the left hand. This leaves the right hand free to improvise or compose melodies.
A Musical Example to Study
In Gershwin’s Prelude No. 1 (from Three Preludes), measures 20 and 29 feature:
a C13 chord (Bb-E-A) in a pattern that follows the notes of a diminished seventh chord The 13th chords are played with the right hand above left hand notes C-Eb-Gb-A (these are the notes of the diminished chord.) The chord progression is C13-Eb13-Gb13-A13
It’s a powerful example worth studying — and adapting.
Key Takeaways
Jazz chords add warmth, color, and expressive depth
Major 7ths, minor 7ths, and dominant 7ths are a perfect starting point
Expanding chords into 9ths, #11s, and 13ths increases expressive range
Upper-structure triads offer a simple, elegant shortcut
Listen to Gershwin, Debussy, and the Great American Songbook
The goal is not complexity — it’s imagination and musical freedom
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About Diana Mascari
Diana Mascari is a composer, author, jazz pianist, and teacher of piano and composition. For more than 47 years, she has helped adults reconnect with their musical voice — whether returning to the piano after decades away or learning to compose for the first time.
Her teaching is warm, encouraging, and practical.
Your music matters — and it’s never too late to grow.
Piano keyboard illustrating basic jazz chords for composition
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