Just what is the mysterious Steely Dan mu (µ) major chord?
Read my article "The Birth of the Mu Major Chord" which describes the first documented use of the chord in 12th century Paris (article hosted on Mizar6 website).
As well as being used as a more interesting variation of the simple major chord, mu majors can also be used in chord substitutions to vary the sound of other chords. Any chord that contains a major triad can make use of a mu major substitution.
When substituting the mu major chord into other chords, it is possible to use all four notes of the mu major (1st 2nd 3rd 5th), or to use just three. In Steely Dan songs, it is more common for a triad of three notes to be substituted, and as dissonance is one of the main features of the mu major, the substituted triad is nearly always one containing a dissonant interval of a second. Typically, the root note (1st) is omitted and a triad using the 2nd, 3rd and 5th is used (as in the example below).
Example:The chord Am7 can be thought of as a C major triad with an A bass:
If we now substitute a C mu major instead of plain C major (keeping the A bass) we get a new chord that can be used in place of the original Am7:
Try out the guitar chord shapes below to compare the two chords:
What matters is not the particular chord that you end up with (in this case m7 becomes 7sus4) but the fact that you incorporate some of the dissonance of the mu major chord into the original chord. Substituting the mu major in this way is a simple way to "spice up" other chords. With any chord that contains a major triad, a mu major triad can be substituted to generate a new chord variation. Minor 7th, minor 9th and minor 11th chords can all be used for mu major substitutions, as well as major 9ths, major 11ths and major 13ths. Steely Dan songs contain many "X/Y" chords made up of a major triad with an altered bass (C/F, Bb/C, D/G etc). With any of these, the mu major can be substituted. The Michael Omartian piano parts on Katy Lied are a perfect example of how this mu major substitution idea works. Many of the chords and voicings are played in an ad lib way, with variations, triad inversions and so on being mixed in freely. |
The Steely Dan mu major chord has appeared on each of their albums, from songs such as Reelin In The Years on their first album, to Almost Gothic and Things I Miss The Most from their recent albums Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go. Katy Lied is probably the album that has the highest number of mu majors.
The list of Steely Dan songs which use the mu-major chord is a long one, and includes Deacon Blues, Dr Wu, Black Cow, Reeling in the Years, Peg, Your Gold Teeth, Razor boy, Any Major Dude ... The list below is not an exhaustive list of all songs that use mu major chords, but gives a few example songs from each Steely Dan album of the mu major chord in action. Each album is scored (1-3 stars) to give a rough idea of how often the mu major chord is used.
Can't Buy A ThrillMu major score:nearly all type I mu, basic voicing Examples:
Countdown To EcstasyMu major score:all type I Examples:
Pretzel LogicMu major score:all type I Examples:
Katy LiedMu major score:all type I Examples:
The Royal ScamMu major score:types I & II Examples:
AjaMu major score:types I & II Examples:
GauchoMu major score:nearly all type II Examples:
Alive In AmericaMu major score:types I & II Examples:
Two Against NatureMu major score:types I & II Examples:
Everything Must GoMu major score:mostly type II Examples:
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Last updated: February 2017
Contents of this page © copyright Howard Wright 2002-2020, except Steely Dan song excerpts.