Exploring 'Rootless' Chords

Rootless chords are an interesting concept in music theory, particularly for guitarists and pianists. These chords, which omit the root note, are often used to create richer harmonic textures and are especially common in jazz. The root is typically played by another instrument, such as the bass, allowing the chords to have a more open and less cluttered sound.

Understanding Rootless Chords

Rootless chords are chords where the root note is implied but not played. This technique is useful in ensemble settings where the root can be covered by the bass instrument, allowing the other instruments to focus on adding colour and complexity to the harmony.

For instance, consider a G13 chord. In its full form, a G13 chord would include the notes G (root), B (major 3rd), D (5th), F (flat 7th), A (9th), C (11th), and E (13th). However, in a rootless version, we omit the G, leaving the other notes to form the chord. The resulting sound is still rich and full, but with a different texture since the foundational root note is provided by the bass.

Creating Rootless Chords on Guitar

To illustrate the creation of rootless chords, let’s use the example of a G13 chord on the guitar. Normally, a G13 chord diagram would include the root note G. However, if we remove the G, we still need to understand the chord structure relative to the implied root. Here are two approaches to notate and visualise these chords:

1 - The Neat Way

Let's use a G13 chord, but we don't want to show the root note. Normally the chord would look like this:

The key to this approach is knowing that the legend only shows information for notes that are visible on the fretboard. So, let's move the root note some place where it won't be visible...

2 - A Cunning Trick

Starting with our original chord diagram:

Simply delete the root note from the diagram! In the query popup choose to not delete the root note setting:

Even though the root note is no longer shown, the fretboard still recognises the root's position, ensuring the intervals of the remaining notes are displayed correctly.