Oh my God...what are you guys doing?:DD Counting all the permutations of that poor chord? It is interesting mathematically, but I think as a bassist it is more useful to know (and hear) the four types of inversion, depending on your bass notes.
The voicings are coming in case you are playing chords on the piano (or your guitar), or arranging for orchestras...your countings might be correct, but don't forget how many octaves you have on the piano! You can put each note to many places determined by the sound of the instrument you are writing for. And you can also double some of the notes...or leave the 5th or the root (e.g. in piano accompaniments): it will be still an Am7 chord. The oppurtunities are countless!

Your answer was quite LOVELY RITA !

The focus of my original post was
more Piano related, rather than
intending on having anything to do
with Bass Guitar.

If we take a simple 'C Major' triad
(on the piano), C _ E _ G, and move
the finger on the "G" key to an "A"
key ... we have C _ E _ _A .

To 'cut to the chase', the C _ E _ _A
is nothing more than an 'A minor' triad
INVERTED. I know this now, but at first
I thought it might get its name from the
"C" family of chords ... like CMaj6 no G
or CMaj6 (no 5th) ... shame on me LOL !

it would.
C-E-A could be C6 or AMI/C or C13 or CMA13 or C6/9....if those are the three notes you want explicitly performed, AMI/C is the nomenclature you want. BUT, those three notes would also work as a "voicing" for the aforementioned chords.

The only stupid question is the one not asked.

"C-E-A could be C6"

I thought C6 was C,E,G,A
or
Am7 = A,C,E,G
inverted.

Thanks again for your help Adam,

Wayne

C6 "can be up to" CEGA. AMI7 can be up to ACEG.

In tonal music chords don't mean only groups of tones, but they mean functions. They have a concrete role in the chord progression. For example let's see triad C-E-A:
1) you play dm7 - G7 - then the triad: you will hear it as a C6 chord (without 5th). It's a simple jazz II-V-I, where it is a tonic chord.
2) play the triad, then E7 and Am. You'll hear it as an Am/C. A chord progression frequently used in classical music: I6 - V - I. Your chord is now subdominant!

did you mean sub mediant? are you using figured bass or "jazz nomenclature?

1 - tonic C
2 - super tonic D
3 - mediant E
4 - subdominant F
5 - dominant G
6 - submediant A
7 - leading tone B

1) you play dm7 - G7 - then the triad:

dm7 -- 2 - super tonic
G7 -- 5 - dominant
C-E_A 1 - tonic
a simple jazz II-V-I, where it is a tonic chord

I think I understand this one.

######################

1 - tonic A
2 - super tonic B
3 - mediant C
4 - subdominant D
5 - dominant E
6 - submediant F
7 - leading tone G

2) play the triad, then E7 and Am

I6 - V - I. Your chord is now subdominant!

If the E7 is the 5 - dominant and
the Am is the 1 - tonic

At this point I have no idea
what I'm talking about.

Please help me and others who
don't understand.

Thanks Wayne

6 - submediant F


F - A - C - E
minus the "F"

Oooopss...I might have been unclear!
What I was talking about is very simple. I mentioned only the three main functions (S-D-T).
In my first example - as you wrote - the triad was I (the main tonic). In my second example the same triad was the 1st inversion of a Am triad, which is - using the classical nomenclature - is I6. (Number 6 has to be in index, but I don't know how how type it now.:))
In this progression I feel it subdominant or maybe a weak tonic chord...I can't really explain it theoretically, maybe because it reminds me of a I65 chord, which is subdominant.
(I meant I65 with 65 in the index, like a classical harmony!)

...sorry I wanted to write I64 instead of I65...mehh...I confuse everything!:)))

i think we may be experienceing a terminology barrier here. KEY of C: C/G or I6/4, I would conisder to be "pre"-dominant. Sub-dominant, at least the way I understand it, would be a chord functioning as a IV chord.

I know I have read it somewhere,
I don't recall where. :(

But from a "JAZZ perspective"
there are really only 3 'families'
of CHORDS!

PLEASE NOTE: 'families' is MY word,
not the authors.


2 family
5 family
1 family


Where "2" would include 2,4,6
"5" an only child
"1" would include 1,3,7

Now as I say, I don't know where I read that
but if that makes sense to either of you,
ADAM or RITA, ... could you share a little
light on the matter, please!

Thanks Wayne

that is about as obtuse of a generalization as i can imagain...BUT....i see what you are getting at. The only adjustment I would make to this very narrow perspective would be grouping 5 and 7 together. The VII chord is really just the V7 chord with a missing root, and their functions are similar.

2 family 2,4,6
5 family 5,7
1 family 1,3

That would seem to make a
little more sense I imagine,
though even with my limited
music knowledge, it seemed
to be to simplistic ... but
what do I know. LOL

2 family: let's name it Subdominant. (In my school we don't really use term 'predominant'...we refer to each chord leading to a dominant as subdominant.)
5 family: it is Dominant.
1 family: these are the Tonic degrees.

(Sometimes VI degree can behave as tonic as well.)
These three categories can be tightened to altered chords, too.

WOW !
How long has the band been together?

Oooops...it is not really a constant band...we had worked together on a ferry ship in last September and after the job we made some vids for getting gigs in Budapest. (That's why we dressed like this.)

I used to dress like that,
but I got tired of shaving
my legs.

"three main functions (S-D-T)."

When you spoke of this,(S-D-T)
do I understand you to mean
subdominant
dominant &
tonic ?

Thanks Wayne

p.s.
You gals should record a CD,if
you have not already done so!

Haha...you're getting a bit off-topic, I think.:)
The other girls from the band are back on the ship now, but with an other bassist as I'm having my final exams and the diploma concert this month.

Anyway, the 3 letters stand for the 3 functions, Subdominant, Dominant and the Tonic. Our teacher always used this abbreviation...

1 - tonic
2 - super tonic
3 - mediant
4 - subdominant
5 - dominant
6 - submediant
7 - leading tone


I just want to make sure I've
understood what you've said.

"(S-D-T)"
So, working backwardly ...

'T' = 1 - tonic
'D' = 5 - dominant
and the
'S' = (everything else)
4 - subdominant,
as well as the (2,3,6,7)

Thanks Wayne

p.s.
Good luck with your
Diploma Concert & exams,
I'm sure you'll do fine in both.

Very cool !! :)

This isn't where I remembered it from,
but at least I know I wasn't halucinating.