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What chord is 1 3 6 M7? i.e. C E A B

The simplest name for the notes is Amadd9.

But it functions as a C chord, with a C bass. And it's not a suspension as such, in that the 6 doesn't resolve to the 5. What I'm looking for in a name, if there is one, is a name which will enable people sight-reading jazz/pop chord slash charts at tempo to get the chord correct. The guitar version is x 3 2 2 0 x in first position, 8 x 9 9 10 x with the root on the low E string.

Emsus4/C? CM7sus6? Something else? Nothing?

KFW
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    If it is acting as a C chord, probably CM13 is best. –  Nov 27 '21 at 01:37
  • I’m voting to close this question because the answer is a duplicate of that to the more general question what is the method behind naming jazz chords?. – Aaron Nov 27 '21 at 01:55
  • Except that it's not a JAZZ chord. Jazz theory has their own assumptions about what's acceptable (i.e. lots of substitutions and altered notes), which the chord and the music it belongs to don't share. Altering this chord isn't acceptable.

    After reading that article, I think the answer is that Western music theory doesn't have a common name for that chord - CM13(no5)(no9)(no11) is more functional than CM13, but not as readable. In jazz, I'd write C6M7 and trust they'd leave the 5 out, because they do that, but as I said, it isn't jazz.

     – KFW Nov 27 '21 at 02:09
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    @KFW The answer doesn't really depend on whether it's jazz or any other genre; but since it's not jazz, you might do well to take the reference to it out of your post. As written, your post suggests that jazz musicians may be reading your chart: i.e., bringing their own knowledge, experience, and assumptions about chord symbols to reading your piece. Same would be true for pop musicians, who generally follow the same conventions as jazz. – Aaron Nov 27 '21 at 02:59
  • Another clarification you might consider: you start out by saying the chord root is C but later say the root is E. – Aaron Nov 27 '21 at 03:01
  • It functions as a C chord. There isn't a simple name for it. Sometimes it's easier to use a "wrong" name that gets the musicians to play the right notes. – KFW Nov 27 '21 at 03:39
  • In my experience, jazz and pop players use quite different conventions, one being that in pop you don't, in general, add arbitrary sevenths or higher intervals, especially chromatic ones, or you'll be told to quit playing jazz..

    The answer I wanted is "everyone calls it XXXXX. Everyone who sees that name plays the same chord." That answer doesn't exist.

    Sometimes it's easier to use a "wrong" name that gets the musicians to play the right notes.

     – KFW Nov 27 '21 at 03:49
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    Chord symbols are interpreted within a given style, which can even vary from an artist to another. It's not really something characteristic to "jazz theory". If you need musicians to play the exact notes you want, perhaps better to notate it in the staff. – user1079505 Nov 27 '21 at 06:19
  • All very well closing it as a dupe for another closed question that can't accept any more than the existing one. Not sure, though, what to do with it. Ad why the 'jazz' label? – Tim Nov 27 '21 at 11:07
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    Having a bit more of a context might help, if not by "naming" the chord, at least understanding its function. You claim it's a "C" chord, but considering that the notes for the guitar have 3 E (with the first on the bass) and just one C, and that it's not similar to any "standard" transposed C chord, that seems unlikely. When does this chord happen? At what point of the progression? What follows it? What is the key of the piece? – musicamante Nov 27 '21 at 14:08

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If you write Am(add9)/C you’ll probably get the right notes played. If you want a functional harmonic analysis you’ll need to show us the context.

Laurence
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I'm closing the question with the answer "there isn't a simple name for that - you have to name it note by note, one way or another." I can find names for chords with AT LEAST these notes in them, but not JUST these notes. The missing fifth seems to rule out any common name without "no 5" in it. And while seconds are fairly common intervals in complex chords, 6 and major 7 together aren't common enough to have a name other than 13, which too often implies 9 and/or 11 as well.

I'm settling for Csus6maj7. Ugly as sin, but more or less correct. It's the way it lays on a piano keyboard and the way it's fingered on guitar.

KFW
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    Uh, I don't think "sus6" would be understood the way you want. I think people would read "sus" and "6" separately, i.e. "replace 3 (most likely with 4)" and "add6", which is quite different from what the notes you requested. – user1079505 Nov 27 '21 at 06:27