January 31, 2008
Beautiful E Sansula Tuning:
The C#m9 Chord

There is some rule in nomenclature of chords that says: if the chord is named 9, it also includes the 7th (and the 5th and 3rd and 1st or root). You can also do 11th chords of 13th chords, but that is getting way too jazzy and full for the poor little Sansula.

However, there is a great 9th chord. The 1st defines the root of the chord. The 5th and the root make the backbone. The 3rd defines the color (major - happy or minor - sad). The 7th can twist the basic feeling a bit, and the 9th twists it even more. In fact, the 5th, 7th, and 9th make a 1-3-5 chord, if you redefine the 5th note as the new root.

This is the sort of complexity and ambiguity that a 9th chord gives you - it is really two different chords sewn together at the chest, and can have multiple listener interpretations. It is rich and jazzy - too sophisticated to just be sad.

So, when you experiment with this chord, you should change the order of the notes. Just do 1-3-5, then do 5-7-9. Then do them all. Then find other subsets of 3 or 4 notes and see how they sound. Experiment, run, play.

Watch How to Change Sansula Tunings to Beautiful E

You can purchase a Sansula at the Kalimba Shop.