To hear the Mu major chord in action, listen to songs like Reelin in the Years (the intro) from the album Can’t Buy a Thrill or Deacon Blues (also the intro) and Aja from the album Aja. This interval has to be present because it is the essence of this chord’s appeal (Donald Fagen’s own words). The main sound characteristic of the chord is the major 2 interval between the 2 and the 3. The name ‘Mu major’ itself started as a joke, the exact reasons for calling it that way are forgotten. The manner and frequency Steely Dan has been using the chord in their music made the mu major chord a part of Steely Dan’s signature sound. The add 2 chord is not invented by Steely Dan and many artists (notably Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers) have been using this chord long before them. (This type of chord is not the same as a sus2 chord because sus2 chords do not contain a 3rd.) Mu major is another name for an add 2 chord and is nothing more than a major triad with an added 2: This short lesson is about a type of chord that occurs frequently in Steely Dan songs and that is known to Steely Dan fans as the ‘mu major chord’ or the ‘ µ chord‘.
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