Reading Chord Progressions for Improvisation

[DavidX]

Hi! I'm new here and I hope I have a great time here!

I have a few questions about reading chord progressions. I know many people use "fake books" or lead sheets to play their songs and now I'm trying to learn how.

1) Let's say the song is in the key signature of D major. In the song, there is a part that says "C" above the melody. It asks for a C major chord. Someone else told me that chords are always based on the key signature. So does that mean that you play Csharp-E-G? Or do you make the C naturnal and go C-E-G? If so, what does it mean when someone says "chords are always based on the key signature"?

2) This questions is similar to the one above. Let's say the song is in C major and the composer specifies C7. Do you play the seventh key in flat (C-E-G-Bflat) even though there are no flats in C major? If not, do you play C-E-G-B? Do you always play whatever the chord specifies no matter what the key signature is?

3) This questions is also similar to the one above. Let's say the song is in F major and there is a chord "G." Do you play G chord with B flat? Or do you naturalize the B?

4) How do you play 9th, 11th, and 13th chords (i.e. C9, C11, C13)? What do they mean?

5) What does it mean when a chord says "F#0"?

I'm sorry if the questions seem stupid. My piano teacher told me weird things that really threw me off and got me confused especially when I read some books on it. It would be greatly appreciated if someone can answer all my questions. Thanks!

[pseudopianist]

Hi! I'm new here and I hope I have a great time here!

I have a few questions about reading chord progressions. I know many people use "fake books" or lead sheets to play their songs and now I'm trying to learn how.

1) Let's say the song is in the key signature of D major. In the song, there is a part that says "C" above the melody. It asks for a C major chord. Someone else told me that chords are always based on the key signature. So does that mean that you play Csharp-E-G? Or do you make the C naturnal and go C-E-G? If so, what does it mean when someone says "chords are always based on the key signature"?

2) This questions is similar to the one above. Let's say the song is in C major and the composer specifies C7. Do you play the seventh key in flat (C-E-G-Bflat) even though there are no flats in C major? If not, do you play C-E-G-B? Do you always play whatever the chord specifies no matter what the key signature is?

3) This questions is also similar to the one above. Let's say the song is in F major and there is a chord "G." Do you play G chord with B flat? Or do you naturalize the B?

4) How do you play 9th, 11th, and 13th chords (i.e. C9, C11, C13)? What do they mean?

5) What does it mean when a chord says "F#0"?

I'm sorry if the questions seem stupid. My piano teacher told me weird things that really threw me off and got me confused especially when I read some books on it. It would be greatly appreciated if someone can answer all my questions. Thanks!

1. With some exceptions, the signature doesn't have anything to do with it. If it says C and you are in C# you play a C... otherwise it would have said C#.

2. If it says 7 you should ALWAYS lower the 7th even tho there is none in the key. So in C major you would lower the B to a Bb. Otherwise you would have gotten a C maj7

3. Netrualize it. Otherwise it should have read G minor

4. 9 = Add the 2nd note in the scale (or 9th which is the same thing you could say)
   10 = 3rd
   11 = 4rth
   13 = 16

etc


If a chord reads C 13 the chord contains the notes: C E G Bb D F A
If it was a C maj 13 it would be: C E G B D F A
If it was a C add13 it would be C E G A
5. Dim chord. F# A C Gb

[DavidX]

I saw somewhere that in 11th chord, you omit the 9th and play the 11th chord along with the dominant 7th. In 13th chord, you omit the 9th and the 11th and play the 13th along with the dominant 7th chord. But I wasn't sure if this was right.

#0 means diminishing the chord?

[pseudopianist]

I saw somewhere that in 11th chord, you omit the 9th and play the 11th chord along with the dominant 7th. In 13th chord, you omit the 9th and the 11th and play the 13th along with the dominant 7th chord. But I wasn't sure if this was right.

#0 means diminishing the chord?

Depends if you want to play all the notes, you don't have to. What I wrote was just in theory how the chord should look like.

A small circle (if that is what you meant) means Dim.