Have you ever looked at a professional’s sheet music and seen chord symbols that look more like algebra equations than music?
Db13(#11) or F7(#9#5)…
When most musicians see these, they freeze. They try to calculate every note—the root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th—one by one. By the time they find the notes, the song is over.
But here is the secret: The pros aren’t calculating. They are using an optical illusion called Polychords. They are simply playing one basic chord in the left hand and a different basic triad in the right hand.
Bypassing the Music Theory “Brain Freeze”
Upper Structures allow you to achieve terrifyingly complex sounds by stacking simple shapes. In this module, we divide the labour between your hands so you can play elite-level harmony with zero hesitation.
1. The Labour Division Strategy
To master the Neo-Soul sound, we stop trying to play “big chords” and start playing “split chords.”
- The Left Hand (The Shell): Plays the bare essentials—just the Root and the 7th. This defines the foundation.
- The Right Hand (The Upper Structure): Plays a basic Major or Minor triad. This provides the “color” and the “tension.”
2. Cheat Code #1: The “Whole Step Down” Trick
Want that “floating” Minor 11th sound used in every modern worship ballad?
- The Rule: Over a minor chord, play a Major triad a whole step below the root.
- The Result: If the song is in Eb minor, your right hand plays a Db Major triad. Instantly, you are playing an Ebm11 chord without even thinking about the 11th!
3. Cheat Code #2: The “Major 6th” Trick
Want the biting, aggressive sound of a 13(#11) chord?
- The Rule: Over a Dominant chord, play a Major triad a major 6th above the root.
- The Result: On a G7 chord, your right hand plays an E Major triad. This gives you the 13th and the #11 tension notes automatically.
4. “Slipping” the Triad
The best part about Upper Structures is that because your right hand is playing a simple triad, you can use your basic “blues slides” and grace notes on it. You can treat a complex Ab7(b5) chord like a simple E Major blues riff in your right hand. This is how the pros make fast runs sound so “outside” and sophisticated.
Simplify the Math. Multiply the Sound.
Stop being intimidated by complex chord symbols. Once you understand the “shapes” hiding inside the “math,” you unlock the ability to play in the style of Robert Glasper, PJ Morton, and the legends of modern gospel.