jazclass - jazz theory 19 _ chord substitutions

Jazz Theory 19CHORD SUBSTITUTIONS

and Skeleton Chords

The Essential Chord tones1.Skeleton Chords2.Chord Plurality3.Tritone Chord Substitution4.Chromatic Chord Progressions5.The IIm7 - bII7 - Imaj7 Progressions6.Quiz - Quiz Answers7.Ear test 24 - Answers8.Lesson Material - General filesDouble Tritone Chord Substitution (Appendix)

Jazz Theory lessons online

9.

Rhythm Class - In Focus - Learn to Read Music - Jazclass Links

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JT 19.1 - The Essential Chord tonesThe three most common 7th chords are the major 7th chord, the dominant 7th chord and the minor7th chord.

Comparing these three chords side by side you see that they all have the root and the 5th in common.The differences occur in the 3rd and the 7th of each chord.

Audio 1

These are the essential chord tones that reflect the quality of each chord.

The essential chord tones for the three most common chord qualities are :

3 and 7 for the major 7th chord

3 and b7 for the dominant 7th chord

b3 and b7 for the minor 7th chord

These two notes do not spell out the chord quality by themselves. They must be played (and heard)in the right musical context.

E and B, heard on their own could just as well be the root and 5th of an E chord. But as

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Jazclass - Jazz Theory 19 : CHORD SUBSTITUTIONS http://www.jazclass.aust.com/lessons/jt/jt19.htm

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The essential chord tones are not only important for keyboard players and guitarists, but for all Jazzperformers.The essential chord tones are the most powerful tones in any improvisation, because they firmlyanchor the improvised line onto the underlying chord progression.

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JT 19.2 - Skeleton ChordsThe 3rd and 7th are also the essential notes to form a skeleton chord (a chord in which one or morechord tones are missing).

The two notes can form a skeleton chord by themselves, or an additional note is added. Such as theroot, the 5th, the 9th or the 13th.

Audio 2

When a skeleton chord contains only one of the two essential chord tones the chord quality becomesambiguous.To define the chord quality the missing tone (3rd or 7th) must be played in the melody or theimprovisation (in the right hand for keyboard players).

Audio 3


JT 19.3 - Chord PluralityThrough previous lessons it has become clear that a scale (or mode) and the scale-tone chord builton the tonic of that scale are closely related.They are in fact two different expressions of the same tonality.

The scale is a horizontal expression, the chord a vertical expression of that tonality.


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the vertical expression of the tonality is the 7-note Cmaj13#11 chord.

Audio 4

As shown above any chord can be extended upwards by stacking alternate notes of therelated scale on top of the chord.

It is important to understand that these additional notes do not alter the chord qualitybut merely add more colour to the chord.The quality of the chord, once set by the essential chord tones (3 and 7), remains thesame!

This means that keyboard players and guitarists can always substitute 7th chords bytheir equivalent 9th, 11th or 13th chords.

Within the complete chord a variety of smaller chords with different roots are present.

Audio 5

This is called plurality.

For the three important chord qualities the complete 7-note chords are :

Audio 6

To achieve a better, more open (Lydian) sound the 11th is always sharpened in the major chord andmost of the time in the dominant chord.

To construct chords that extend beyond the 9th use therefore these scales :

major chords : the Lydian mode = 1 2 3 #4 5 6 71.

dominant chords : the Lydian Dominant scale = 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7 (see Lesson 20)2.


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Omitting the chord root gives the music a less predictable and contemporary quality.The root of the chord (C in the example below) is either played by another instrument (e.g. the bassin a small Jazz ensemble), or inferred by the melody or improvisation in the right hand.Note the switch in chord quality :

the E minor 7th chord for example is perceived as C major 9th, andthe Eb major 7th chord becomes C minor 9th

( In Audio 7 I play the E chord first with an underlying low E bass note, and then with a low C bassnote.)

Audio 7

In two handed accompaniment (comping) the keyboard player usually plays 3 and 7 in the lefthand and any other notes of the chord or related scale in the right hand.

Plurality is also used by composers to connect two chords in a chord progression.

In this segment at the end of All of Me for example :

- E7 - A7 - Dm7 - Fmaj7 - Fm7 - Cmaj7 - Em7 - A7 - Dm7 - G7 - C

Fmaj7 is a plurality of the D minor chord, and Em7 is a plurality of the C major chord. The twoskips connect different Circle of Fifths chord segments.

In many chord progressions the plurality concept is taken even one stepfurther.For example the song All of Me starts with :

Cmaj7 - E7 - A7 - Dm7 -

Em7 chord is a plurality of Cmaj7, but E7 is not!However this association of the E root note is enough to produce an agreeableand to the ear 'logical' chord transition.The unexpected different quality of the E chord becomes an interestingsurprise in the progression and represents a temporary shift (modulation) to anew key.

This is the reason why chord movements in steps of M3 and m3 intervals, upor down, are common in the chord progressions of numerous songs.


JT 19.4 - Tritone Chord Substitution


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(But each essential chord tone combination serves both one minor chord and one majorchord.)

However the essential tones of the dominant 7th chord are a tritone (3 whole tones) apart. Thisinterval is symmetric : when inverted the interval remains the same.

Audio 8

This means that the 3 and b7 of one dominant chord are the same as the b7 and 3 of anotherdominant chord.In other words there are two chords with the same dominant chord quality that share the same twoessential tones.This relationship between the two chords is so strong that they can be interchanged, substituted, forone another.This is called Tritone Substitution.

The essential tones for C7 for example, are also theessential tones for another dominant chord : Gb7, a tritoneaway from C.

E is the 3rd of the C7 chord and is the 7th of the Gb7chord

Bb is the 7th of C7 and the 3rd of Gb7

Note that the two dominant chords which can substituteeach other are exactly opposite each other on the Circle ofFifths

In practice you can use the Tritone Substitution principle on any dominant 7th chord. Simplyreplace it by the dominant 7th chord with its root tone a tritone (6 semitones) away.

C7 can become Gb7, or vice versa

G7 can become Db7, or vice versa

Eb7 can become A7, or vice versa

and so on.

Whether the chord substitution in a given musical context is appropriate or not should be judged byyour own musical ear.



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Audio 9 : Circle of Fifths (starts on C7)Audio 9a : Chromatic Circle (starts on C7)

This manipulation transforms the Circle of Fifths into a Circle of Semitones, a Chromatic Circle.

Chord progressions that move stepwise down in semitones are therefore tritone variations of chordprogressions that follow the Circle of Fifths.This is why chromatic chord movements always sound good.

Two examples :

In Satin Doll (bars 7 and 8) : C7 - B7 - Bb7 - A71.

In Autumn Leaves (6 bars before the end) : Em7 - Eb7 - Dm7- Db72.


JT 19.6 : The IIm7 - bII7 - Imaj7 ProgressionsAn obvious target for Tritone Substitution is of course the IIm7 - V7 - Imaj7 chord progression.

Audio 10

Substituting the V7 chord (G7 above) for the bII7 chord (Db7) produces the progression :

IIm7 - bII7 - Imaj7This substitution also requires a new improvisation scale for the substitute chord, the bIIMixolydian mode.


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The new scale gives a nice contemporary sound to the improvisation (but also requires more practiceto improve your improvisation skills).

Keyboard players note that in a IIm7 - bII7 - Imaj7 chord progression all three chords can beplayed in root position (as above) or in the same inversion.

Summing up : an understanding of chord substitutions has three major benefits.

It helps you to understand and analyse the chord progression of any song much better.1.

It provides keyboard players and guitarists with a much wider selection of chords to use foraccompaniment.

2.

It enables you to change boring chord progressions by adding some spice.(When playing in a band always discuss and agree on such changes with all band members).

3.


JT 19.7 - Quiz

A.Name the essential chord tones for each of these chords.

1. Amaj7 2. Bbm7 3. G7 4. Fm7 5. Dmaj7

6. Eb7 7. A7 8.Emaj7 9. A 10. F#m7

B.Identify the chords which belong to these essential chord tone combinations.

1. A + E 2. Bb + E 3. B + F# 4. E + B 5. D + A

6. D + Ab 7. A + Eb 8. C + G 9. F + B 10. Eb + Bb

C.What are the pluralities contained within these chords.1. Gm13


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5. G13#11

6. Fmaj13#11

D.What are the Tritone substitutes for these chords.1. D7

2. B7

3. C7

4. Eb7

5. A7

E.Below the first 8 bars of Georgia on my Mind, a beautiful ballad by Hoagy Carmichael.This Jazz version of the chord progression is quite complex but very interesting.

1. Analyse the chord progression (bar numbers shown underneath the staff for reference).

2. Experiment with and select some suitable tritone substitutions.

Audio 12

F.Write out the progression IIm7 - IIb7 - Imaj7 on Manuscript paper for all keys. Write the correctchord symbol above each chords.

G.Mark the essential chord tones (b3, 3, b7 and 7) in all keys on the Keyboard Diagrams.Like this for the E chords :


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I. (for keyboard players)Commonly used (left hand or right hand) keyboard voicings use the essential chord tones (3 and 7)plus either the root or the fifths.

Mark these 1 - 3 - 7 and 5 - 7 - 3 'skeleton chords' for the major 7th, dominant 7th and minor 7th inall keys on the Chord Inversion Diagrams.

Example for the C chords.

J. (for keyboard players)Popular contemporary chord voicings combine the essential chord tones (3 and 7) with either the9th or the 13th. (The 9th and 13th are one octave above the 2nd and 6th.)

Mark these 3 - 7 - 9 and 7 - 3 - 13 voicings for the major 7th, dominant 7th and minor 7th in all keyson the Chord Inversion Diagrams.

Example for the C chords.

Quiz Answers


JT 19.8 - Ear test 24The Audio Demo plays the following chord progressions (in the key of F) :

IIm7 - V7 - Imaj71.


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Ear test 24 - Chord progressions.Each Progression is played twice. Chords are played in various inversions.

Ear test 24 : 12 II-V-I Chord Progressions

Major - minor - major with tritone substitution

Ear test Answers


JT 19.9 - Lesson Material

File Name Contents

jt19fac.gif Jazz Theory 19 - Facts sheet

jtx101.gif

jtx102.gif

jtx103.gif

jtx105.gif

Keyboard Diagrams

Manuscript paper

Scale Letters Diagrams

Chord Inversion Diagrams

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1998 - 2008 Michael Furstner (Jazclass)

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jazclass - jazz theory 19 _ chord substitutions

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