Re: 7b5, or 7#11?

"Steve Latham" <llatham@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:GSj7k.167$cv5.29@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>C E Gb Bb
>
> C E Bb F#
>
> See the problem?

It is im****tant to realise that chord names are not really designed to
tell 
you anything about inversions,.  If you attempt to make them do so, then 
you'll run into this sort of problem.

If you write C7#11 for a tenor banjo player (4 strings) then he may play 
these notes (I haven't checked the fingering).   But on the whole you'd 
probably choose the "simpler" alternative of C7b5 for both as choosing a 
name involving "#11" tends to imply that the 11th is sounding against the 
5th.    A #11 chord intended to have a missing 5 would be written b5.

> Are these normally named by voicing in much the same way that "add2" and

> "add 9" are?
>
> C add 2  C D E G
> C add 9  C E G D

Again the more standard convention is "add 9".    The only extra
information 
you're giving by changing it to "add 2" is something vaguely about the D 
being lowish in the inversion.  But where?  A tone above the root or a
tone 
below the third?   Both?   In the last case your guitar player may have 
difficulties fingering CDE simultaneously in the range of a third.

Traditionally, 2 and 4 in chord names tend only to appear in sus2 and sus4

chords wjhere they replace the third.

Dave
-- 
David Webber
Author of 'Mozart the Music Processor'
http://www.mozart.co.uk
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