BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
4934 / 18210 · Workshop 32 — “Naima”: Pedal Points, Slash Chords, Upper-Structure Harmony, and Hearing Vertical Color Over a Stable Bass← prev⊞ allnext →

32.42Level 15 — the melody may determine the “chord symbol”

In music like this, sometimes the best chord symbol is almost a summary after the fact.

The actual musical event is:

bass E♭

melody F

inner notes D♭ and A♭.

Calling it:

E♭9sus

or:

D♭/E♭

describes the same approximate vertical object from different perspectives.