this has been digging at my mind since yesterday. but i figure it's really geeky when you think of it. it's a simple question actually.

take a 7#9 chord. it has 1 3 5 b7 #9.

#9 = the minor third.

logically, wouldn't you be refer to the intervals as 1 b3 5 b7 b11 ? so it would become a min7b11 chord. which is just a bit more complicated even though it has the same notes and same root.. (unless i got lost somewhere)

and it's really strange when you switch the intervals so it goes (example )

E G D G# in order instead of E G# D G

it sounds HORRIBLE.

obviously in the proper context it would work (even then, doubtful). i'd say that it's a strictly major type chord and that since the major third is an important tone in there, you just can't picture the #9 as a minor third since it'll mess up the entire voicing.

I think this is appropriate:

Damn, I thought this track was going to be about this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RI0dU3RbSw&search=army%20of%20lovers

...track... I've been recording all day as you can tell.

Nobody ever refers to a chord as a 'flat 11' because that makes no sense - like you said, it's the same as a major third. Generally with voicings you want to keep the higher extensions on top.



I don't think it's that bad. The tritone sound is very easy to hear...still sounds like a dominant chord, but it's a little pointless because the #9 is buried.

yes the more i thought of it the more i thought "wtf b11 is just useless" but it still doesn't have that distinctive #9 sound when you play it the opposite way. it just feels like it has alot more tension to resolve. i guess a second will always sound wierd in the lower range of notes, when so close to the root. except in the right voice leading maybe...

The reason that voicing doesn't sound as good is because there's a minor ninth interval in there (G and G# one octave higher)... which is a very dissonant interval, and usually sounds very bad unless the lower note of the ninth is the bass (as in say, C7b9, C/B).
But as you said, with proper voice leading it can be pulled off.