Transforming Dominant 7th Chords into 7#9 and 13 Chords
Demonstrated for the Twelve Bar Blues in C
(see below for a practice backing track video)
These two methods of transforming dominant 7th chords into 7#9 and 13 chords create a modern jazzy sound. They also make it easy to play a standard I7, IV7, V7 twelve bar blues progression using three voicings that are within a whole step. This makes chord movement simple.
Method One: Omit the root and fifth and add a #9 on top. It results in a 7#9 chord with the third on the bottom.
Method Two: This is slightly more complicated. Again omit the root and fifth, move the 7th down an octave, and add a 13th on top. This creates a 13th chord with the seventh on the bottom.
If you look carefully at these three chords, starting out as the I7, IV7, and V7, they end up within the distance of a whole step.
These voicings work great in solo piano work in two ways: 1), Played in the left hand, with the right hand improvising, or 2), in the right hand with the left hand playing the roots or improvising a bass line.
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