To understand substitutions in Jazz ,
We first want to think about our 3 functions in tonal music .
Tonic/ Subdominant/ Dominant

Our substitutions will exist in 1 of these 3 categories .
Tonic is relaxed or still.
Subdominant is little tense or some motion.
Dominant is very tense or lots of motion far from home.

Any substitution , will exist in one of these functions. But to understand how that works
We have to look first at our Diatonic key to begin.

Let's look at the key of C major A relative minor first.
CDEFGABC

1.CEGB
2.DFAC
3EGBD
4.FACE
5GBDF
6.ACEG
7BDFA.

Now, 7 chords in the key which fit in 3 functions or categories.

Tonic
1.CEGB Cmaj ( but used C6 (CEGA
3.EGBD Emin7
6.ACEG Amin7

These are the Diatonic tonic substitutions .
We can use any of these 3 chords in place of each other in the I spot as substitutions .

Subdominant
2.DFAC ( Dminor7
4.FACE (Fmajor7 this is when we use a major7

These are the Diatonic Subdominant chords which can be swapped out for each other .

Dominant
5.GBDF G7
7.BDFA Bhalf Dim

These are the Diatonic Dominant chords substitution.

This covers the 7 chords in the key.

Before we get to see non Diatonic substitutions for this key in these 3 categories, we need to see the structure of chords progressions which the Diatonic chords make sense in .
( Because it is these structure of the progressions with the 3 functions turned into chord Progressions which serves as a blueprint for non Diatonic substitutions )

 

Diatonic Chord Progressions in the KEY of C major.

First we start with I Cmajor6
( Note: we use a major 6 chord on I or our tonic more on this later)

A KEY is. Center point for which our attention is focused . Even though there are 7 Diatonic chords
Within 3 functions, everything is based on a Cmajor CEG center focus.( The relationships are compared to Cmajor )
So CEG Cmajor is tonic or relaxed at home stillness no motion no clashing no tension .
This is the starting point from which progressions come in this KEY.

The first progression is a natural outgrowth of our single chord C Maj CEG .

It is V7 to I
Dominant/ to Tonic/

Tension to release .
Motion to stillness .
Clashing to relaxing .

Our Diatonic Dominant chord is G7 GBDF.

So our V to I is.

GBDF/ CEGA/
G7.........C6

Now we see here we are using C6 CEGA Cmajor six
This can be C CEGC or CEG also.

( Note we don't use a major7 here because that B note is an important part of our tritone in G7
B resolves up to C
F resolves down to E )

So our first progression is
Dominant/ to Tonic/

G7 to C6

We can " turn around " our progression also.

This means

Tonic /. Dominant/ Tonic

Home, away ,home.

C6/ G7/ C6/

Just a simple modification , the turn around makes it so we don't begin simply with G7 to C6

Because of the way you may want to build your melody in a song you would choose one or another
Either
V7 to I
Or
I V I
( Of course you can chain them in faster pace as well if the melody calls for it.)
I V I V I V I V I
Dominant / tonic/
Is our first progression.
( A natural outgrowth of the I tonic chord.)

Next our next progression is also a natural outgrowth of C CEG as well
It is
Subdominant / Tonic /

IV to I

FACE Fmajor7 to CEGA C6

( Note: the four chord is where you use the major 7

This progression is
Some tension to relaxed .
Some motion to still.

The slight tension of Subdominant resolved to tonic .
It is the weaker version of the first progression .
Instead of very tense going to relaxed as in V7 to I6
( Where the V7 resolves downward to Cmajor harmonically )
With IV to I
The IV resolves up to Cmajor

Just as before this can be " turned around"
I IV I

Relaxed , little tension , relaxed

It is a way to introduce some harmonic motion .

Subdominant/ to Tonic/


Here is an example of connecting our first 2 progressions .
I IV I V I

C6/ Fmaj7/ C6/ G7/ C6........

So we have 2 progressions so far.

Dominant/ to Tonic/

And

Subdominant/ to Tonic/

( Each of these can be turned around also )

Our next progression is a variation of combining these 2 progressions .

It is

Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic/

Little tension, very tense, relaxed
Some motion , lots motion, still
Leaving home, far from home, Home

iimin7/ V7/ I6

Dmin7/ G7/ Cmajor

2 chord to 5 chord to 1 chord.

A variation is
IV V I

Fmaj7/ G7/ C6/

This is a Cadence .

ii V I

It is building up slower than just IV to I or V to I
It gives you more time with your melody.


As before this progression can be "turned around"

I ii V I

But we do a modification to this to arrive at a
" turn around "
Which is the name given to this .

I vi ii V I

What is happening is we start with .

I ii V I
Make the I in the beginning twice as long
I I ii V I

Then swap that second I For it's substitution

I vi ii V I

C6/ Amin7/ Dmin7 G7/ C6/

Tonic/ Tonic/ Subdom/ Dominant/ Tonic/

With this progression
We have simply spread out the motion over time

It's a more detailed version of ii V I
You will see this one as

I vi ii V I

1.Cmaj
6.Amin7
2.Dmin7
5.G7
1.Cmaj

These are the main Diatonic progressions used like building blocks in a song .

 

Love this subject! This is what makes jazz.

 

Before looking at our Diatonic substitutions in this KEY, let's quickly look again at our main progressions in terms of functions.

1. Dominant/ Tonic ( or added tonic in front
2. Subdominant/ Tonic ( or added tonic in front
3. Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic
4. Tonic/ Tonic / Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic


We always want to think of a chord progression in terms of what functions they are.


Let's now look at Diatonic substitutions

Tonic.
1.CEG..Cmajor
3.EGBD..Eminor7
6.ACEG.. Aminor7

Subdominant
2.DFAC..Dminor7
4.FACE..Fmaj7

Dominant
5.GBDF..G7
7.BDFA..Bmin7b5


Let's take our first progression

Dominant/ to Tonic/

Let's turn it around .

Tonic/ to Dominant/

But finish it off with a proper resolution .

Tonic / Dominant/ Tonic

Taking this progression, lets
use our Diatonic substitutions.

First is our standard V7 to I

G7 GBDF to Cmajor CEGC

We can make our 1 chord C6 CEGA

G7 to C6

We can substitute Cmajor with Emin7

GBDF/ to EGBD

We can also swap our V7 with vii %(7.BDFA

BDFA/ to EGBD

And we can swap Emin7 with Aminor7

BDFA / to ACEG/



Diatonic substitutions for first progression
Tonic/ Dominant/ Tonic/

Cmaj/ G7/ C6
Cmaj/ G7/ Emin7
Emin7/ G7/ C6
Amin7/ Bmin7b5/ Emin7
Cmaj/ Bmin7b5/ Emin7
Cmaj/ Bmin7b5/ Amin7
Emin7/ G7/ C6
Amin7/ Bmin7b5/ Cmajor

You can see that with our first form
Dominant/ Tonic/

We already have a lot of " flavors"
In terms of Diatonic substitutions .

 

Let's look now at our second progression .

Subdominant/ Tonic/

And as before turn it around

Tonic/ Subdominant/

But resolve it at the end
Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic/

Let's see what our Diatonic substitutions are now.


Tonic
I.C6 ..CEGA
III Emin7...EGBD
vi.Aminor7..ACEG

Subdominant
ii.Dmin7..DFAC
IV Fmaj7..FACE



........................

First of all let's take a quick note about the connection between any
major6 chord and any minor7 chord.

Fmaj7 FACE
F6. ......FACD
Dmin7..DFAC

Cmaj7 CEGB
C6.......CEGA
Amin7..ACEG

We can see here that F6 FACD is same as
Dmin7..DFAC
And that
C6..CEGA is same as Amin7..ACEG

And that connection between our substitutions .
Fmaj7 sub with Dmin7
Cmaj7 sub with Amin7
F6 is same Dmin7
C6 is same as Aminor7
..................................



First we have

Cmaj/ Fmaj7/ C6

We can make it
C6/ F6/ Cmaj/

Cmaj/ Dmin7/ C6
Emin7/ F6/ C6/
Emin7/ Dmin7/ C6
Amin7/ Dmin7/ Emin7
Emin7/ Fmaj7/ Amin7

As with our first progression we have a number
Of " flavors" available using our
Diatonic substitutions.

 

Now look at our 3 rd progression

Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic

Here we are stretching the progression
Out a little bit more compared to the first two

Dmin7/ G7/ C6

( Note. We use the ii chord here as the standard approach because it nicely follows descending fifths pattern D down G down to C the cycle of fourths or circle of fifths)

Dmin7/ G7/ Cmajor
Fmaj7/ G7/ C6
F6/ Bmin7b5/ Emin7
F6/ G7/ Amin7
Fmaj7/ Bmin7b5/ Amin7
F6/ G7/ Emin7

There are a few Diatonic substitutions
You can see as the progression becomes larger you get more variety of " flavors"
( Especially chaining progressions like Legos to create a whole song form section )

Now looking at our next progression

Tonic/ Tonic/ Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic

Takes on 3 standard versions

I vi ii V I
iii vi ii V I

I vi ii V iii vi ii V I


Cmaj/ Amin7/ Dmin7/ G7/ C6 ......
Emin7/ Amin7/ Dmin7/ G7/ Cmajor


( The Diatonic substitutions are the same as before)

 

Before we look at the Diatonic progressions for the
Relative A minor .

Let's first look at chaining together our progressions in C major to create a simple song form.

( Note: each chord shown lasts for 1234


C6/ C6/ Fmaj7/ C6/. Dmin7/ G7/ C6/ C6/

1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234

Emin7/ Amin7/ Dmin7/ G7/C6/ Emin7/Fmaj7/C6
1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234


Let's look at how this Chorus is constructed.

We take our
Subdominant/ Tonic /

Make it a turn around
Tonic/ Subdominant/
Then resolve it
Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic
Finally we add another Tonic in front in order
Even the measure.

Tonic/ Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic

Then at the end of this we take our ii V I
And extend the one at the end to even out the measure .

Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic/ Tonic

Now we make sure the ends and the beginnings of the progression match up correctly.

So we can see our first part
I I IV I

Ends with I
Then our next part
ii V I I
That I goes into ii V I I just fine .
Next

We have a " turn around"
iii vi ii V I
We start with a 3.Emin7 iii chord
Because the chord which came before it was I

Finally for our last section .

We have

Subdominant/ Tonic/

And like before turn it around and resolve it

Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic

Then to even out the measure We add another Tonic

Tonic/ Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic

This gives us

C6/ C6/ Fmaj7/ C6

However 1 last change is to make the second tonic a Emin7 for more variety .

C6/ Emin7/ Fmaj7/ C6


Now let's look at the whole thing.

A song form A section using our progressions like Lego building blocks .

C6/ C6/ Fmaj7/ C6/. Dmin7/ G7/ C6/ C6/

1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234

Emin7/ Amin7/ Dmin7/ G7/C6/ Emin7/Fmaj7/C6
1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234

 

The first place in Jazz , where we introduce other notes besides the 7 notes in our KEY
Is the V7 chord our Dominant chord.
The tension function has a strong pull to our tonic .
In the KEY of C major
G7 GBDF is our V7 chord dominant .
The B pulls to resolve to C .
The F pulls to resolve to E

These half step motion is the strongest resolution.

There are alterations that can be made to the dominant chord which create tension that resolves to C major CEG.

GBDFA..C..E..
135791113

The 3rd B And the 7th B are the strongest.
However we can alter other notes to have this strong half step resolution as well.

C# resolves To C strong

C# is flat 5th
GBD
135

D# resolves to E strong
D# is #5th
GBD
135

G# resolves to G strong ( CEG
G# is flat 9th
GBDFA
13579

A# resolves to A strong ( CEGA
A# is #9th
GBDFA
13579

Because of modifications available for any dominant chord we get different dominant chords.

Ex.
G7 altered
( Flat 5, sharp 5 ( but no natural 5
Flat 9 sharp 9 ( but no natural nine

GBD#FG#C#
For example has #5, b9th, #11th
No natural 5 or 9 or 11

.

The dominant chord first Substitution
Is called the Tritone substitution .
We take the 3rd B and 7th F
Of G7

Flip them around other way ( because a Tritone is symmetrical)

Which dominant chord has 3rd F and 7th of B?

It is C#7 ( or Db7

C#FG#B
1.35.7
Db F Ab Cb
1..3..5...7

C#7 is the Tritone substitute of G7.
It can be used any instance a dominant chord exists. ( And the notes in the chord fit with your melody of the song )

Let's look at the progression

Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic/

Dmin7/ G7/ C6/

DFAC/ GBDF/ CEGA

Now let's substitute the G7 with it's
"Tritone substitute"
C#7 ....C#FG#B

Dmin7/ C#7/ C6

DFAC/ C#FG#B/ CEGA/

Here we can see a chromatic descending motion in the Bass. This is a powerful sound to work with .

 

Non Diatonic substitutions for the Dominant function .


The very first substitutions in Jazz is for the dominant function .

The way that this works is to take our progressions from before

Dominant/ to Tonic/

And


Subdominant/ Dominant/ tonic


Let's look at " Secondary dominants"

First.

In the KEY of C major .
You have a secondary dominant for every single chord in the KEY of C major .
( This is staying in the key of C major you never leave the Key using these)

Let's see this structure

Dominant/ Tonic/

Applied to each Diatonic chord.

1.Cmaj7..CEG...(...G7..GBDF/ to Cmajor
2.Dmin7..DFAC..( A7.. AC#EG/ to Dmin7
3.Emin7..EGBD..(B7..BD#F#A/ to Emin7
4.Fmaj7..FACE..(C7..CEGA#/ to Fmaj7
5.G7.....GBDF.... (D7.. DF#AC/ to G7
6.Amin7..ACEG..(E7..EG#BD/ to Aminor7
7.Bmin7b5.BDFA(F#7..F#A#C#EtoBhalfdim

This is called "Secondary Dominants"
The very first non Diatonic substitution in Jazz.

Let's look at the first place you encounter and use this.

First in the KEY of C major let's look at a Diatonic progression

Cmajor/ Cmajor/ Fmaj7/ C6

Tonic/ Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic/

If we look at the Cmaj right before Fmaj7

Cmaj/ Cmaj7/ Fmaj7 Cmaj/

We turn this into a secondary dominant .

Cmaj7/ C7/ Fmaj7/ Cmaj

By doing this we create that strong resolution to Fmajor7 the 4th degree of C major KEY.

Let's look at the next place you will encounter and use secondary Dominants.

In this " turn around"

CMaj/ Amin7/ Dmin7/ G7/ C6

I vi ii V I

Look at the portion Amin7/ to Dmin7/

We turn this into a " secondary dominant"
To get the strong resolution to the Dmin7

Cmaj/ A7/ Dmin7/ G7/ C6

 

The next non Diatonic substitution

Is to take

Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic/

This progression is a " Cadence"

We have a cadence for each chord in the KEY of
C major ( without ever leaving the key at all )

Let's see this for each Diatonic chord .
1.Cmaj7.. ( Dmin7, G7, Cmajor.. DFAC, GBDF, CEGA
2.Dmin7..(Emin7b5,A7,Dmin7..EGA#D,AC#EG,DFAC
3.Emin7.(F#min7b5,B7, Emin7. F#ACE,BD#F#A,EGB
4.Fmaj7.(Gmin7,C7,Fmaj7...GA#DF,CEGA#,FACE
5.G7.......(Amin7,D7,G7......ACEG,DF#AC,GBDF
6.Amin7.. (Bmin7b5, E7, Amin7.BDFA,EG#BD,ACEG
7.Bmin7b5(C#min7b5,F#7,Bmin7b5,C#EGB,F#A#C


Let's look at where we use this substitution
Secondary cadence .


First in key of C major our
Subdominant/ Tonic/
Diatonic progression .

Turn around

Cmaj/ Cmaj/ Cmaj/ Cmaj/ Fmaj7/ Fmaj7/ C6/C6/

And we focus on the Fmaj7 make it a secondary
Cadence.

C6/ C6/ Gmin7/ C7/ Fmaj7/ Fmaj7/ C6/ C6/


Let's look at another place you will encounter this.


C6/ C6/ G7/ G7/ C6/ C6/

C6/ C6/ Amin7/ D7/ Dmin7/ G7/ C6

So when it comes to a secondary cadence of the V7 of the key, you structure it as just the ii V of V7 then right into the ii V I of your KEY.

 

The relative Minor KEY progressions .
A relative minor to C major is
ABCDEFG

This is A natural minor
We use 3 different minors in specific places in Jazz

A natural minor ABCDEFG
A harmonic minor ABCDEFG#
A melodic minor ABCDEF#G#

The minor version of

Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic/

Is Bmin7b5/ E7/ Amin6/

iimin7b5/ V7/ imin6

We use the Bmin7b5 from natural minor
We use the E7 from A harmonic minor
We use the Amin6 from A melodic minor.

BMin7b5 BDFA/ E7.EG#BD Amin6.ACEF#/

This usage is the form of ii V I we use as secondary cadences for C major A relative minor shown before .

1.AMin6..( Bmin7b5,E7,Amin6,BDFA,EG#BD,ACEF#
2 Bmin7b5..(C#Min7b5,F#7,Bmin7b5)
3.Cmaj6..(Dmin7,G7,Cmajor
4.Dmin7..(Emin7b5,A7,Dmin6)
5.Emin7..(F#min7b5,B7,Emin6
6.Fmaj7.(Gmin7,C7,F6)
7.G7.....(Amin7,D7,Dmin7,G7,C6

 

Now we have come for enough with our substitutions to see symmetrical objects play a important part in jazz with substitutions and form.

In the KEY of C major we have G7 GBDF as the Diatonic Dominant function.

We seen before that we can alterations to the notes in G7 dominant chord.
One alteration is the most important to understand because it ties into several chord substitutions .

B diminished 7th chord
Is BDFG#

This is same as G7 except the G is G#.
G# is the b9th of G7

GBDFA
13579

BDim7 BDFG#
Is a symmetrical chord.

It is a chord where all the notes same distance apart from each other ( a minor 3rd

So B dim7 is BDFG#
D dim7 is DFG#B
Fdim7 is FG#BD
G#dim7 is G#BDF

All these chords are all those names .
It means it is a chord that many different things can be used on .
Symmetrical objects have the most usages in jazz but they also make strong connections .

If we take Bdim7
BDFG#
Flatted the last note we get
G7 GBDF
If we take same Bdim7 but different inversions .
BDFG#
DFG#B
FG#BD
G#BDF

Ddim7 flatted last note is DFG#A#
( Bb7 Tritone of E7 for Amin relative to C major

Fdim7 flatted last note is FG#BC#
( C#7 Tritone sub of G7

G#dim7 G#BDF flatten last note G#BDE
( E7 V7 of Amin relative of c Maj


What this means is that this one chord
Bdim7
Is literally
G7 V7 of C Maj
C#7 tritone sub of Cmaj
Bb7 Tritone sub of A rel minor
E7 V7 of A rel minor.

Now the dim7 chord is equal spaced minor 3rds
This means 3 dim7 chords ( 4 notes peice)
Equals all 12 notes in the chromatic scale .

This is game changing .

Let's think of it like this
Take
Bdiminished7 7th

BDFG#

Now picture each note of it simply having the note right before and right after in your minds eye.

Like this

A#
B
C

But for each note in B dim7

A#C#E.G
B..D..F..G#
C..D#F#A

Right there you have all 12 notes that exist
Next you have a way to create any chord that exists in music .

Think of it like a bicycle lick combination .
You can change the value of a note inside the dim7
By lower a semi tone or raiding a semitone.


A#C#E.G
B..D..F..G#
C..D#F#A

Let's say start Bdim7 BDFG#
Raise last note semitone
BDFA that's Bmin7b5
Or
Take C dim7 chord
CD#F#A
Raise the 2nd and 3rd notes by semitone

CEGA Cmajor6

What you'll find is with 3 dim7 chords
Any chord in existence can be made by sliding up or down by a semitone.

Because of this symmetrical properties
Dim7 chords can be used in song forms and progressions in all kinds of places and substitutions

 

Using the Dim7 as a substitution for a dominant function .

Still in the key of C major

Let's look at this progression .

Dominant/ Tonic/

G7/ C6/

GBDF/ CEGA

We seen before that we can substitute

G7 with Bdim7

Let's do this here.

BDFG# / CEGA/

Now turn it around

CEGA/ BDFG#

Now let's take these 2 sets of 8 notes and order then in a row together as a scale .

CDEFGG#AB

The bold notes are the Cmajor6
The others are the Bdim7

However we now have something amazing .
Look at the notes in a row .
C
D
E
F
G
G#
A
B

Picture in your mind juggling these notes around to create some type of melody .

Next attach the chord inversion to each note
CEGA
DFG#B
EGAC
FG#BD
GACE
G#BDF
ACEG
BDFG#
CEGA

What we now have is
V7 to I
Or
Dominant/ to Tonic/

In a way that folds over into a scale .

Each note in the scale can be harmonized with a chord
Whether you use it in chord form or melody form it harmony form.
You can take these inversions okay forward to backward, backward to forward or zigzag patterns
The whole time following the progression
Tonic Dominant tonic dominant etc.

CEGA C6
DFG#B Bdim7
EGAC C6
FG#BD Bdim7
GACE C6
G#BDF Bdim7
ACEG C6
BDFG# Bdim7
CEGA C6

 

Non Diatonic Subdominant substitutions


Let's look at our second progression at the start

Subdominant/ Tonic

Turn it around and resolve it

Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic

In the KEY of C major

This is

C6/ Fmaj7/ Cmaj

We also have non Diatonic substitutions for the Subdominant function in C major .

The first is called #IV diminished

We seen before how a Dim7 works as a dominant
Ex. G7 GBDF is Bdim7 BDFG#

We also have this #IV dim7
F#dim7
F#ACD#

Cmajor/ F#dim7/ Cmajor

It works as a Subdominant chord.

Some places you will see this in the KEY of C major

Cmajor/ F#dim7/ Fmaj7/ Cmajor/

( Note the inversions of the same chord have these names
F#dim7 F#ACD#
Adim7 ACD#F#
Cdim7 CD#F#A
D#dim7 D#F#AC
)

Here is how the inversions appear in the key of C

C6/ D#dim7/ Dmin7/ G7/

Cmaj/ Cdim7/ Cmaj/

F#dim7/ Fmaj7/ Emin7/ D#dim7/ Dmin7/ G7/ C6/

The Next nondiatonic Subdominant substitution
Is a category called IVminor

In the KEY of C major these are

Fminor7
Bb7 ( A#7
G#maj7 ( Abmaj7
Dmin7b5
Dbmaj7

Here is how they appear in C major

Subdominant/ Tonic/

Turn around and resolve

Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic/

Cmaj/ Fminor7/ Cmaj

Cmajor/ C7/ Fmajor7/ Bb7/ Cmajor/

Cmaj / Dmin7b5/C6/

Cmaj/ Abmajor/ Cmaj/

C6/ C#Maj7/ Cmajor/

Cmajor/ Fmaj7/ Fmin7/ Bb7/ Cmajor/

 

Now that we have covered our non Diatonic substitutions , we can think of it like this.
First our KEY
C major / Aminor

Then our 3 functions

Tonic
1.Cmaj C6
3.Emin7
6.Amin7 ( Amin6 for rel minor

F#min7b5 F#ACE same as Amin6 ACEF#






Dominant
V7 G7 GBDF
7.Bmin7b5 BDFA

Tritone sub
C#7 to Cmaj
V7 rel minor E7 to Amin6
Minor Tritone sub
Bb7 to Amin6

Bdim7 BDFG#
G7
A#7
C#7
E7

G7 alt
GBDF G#..A#..C#..D#..
1357.. b9..#9.. b5.. b13

E7 alt ( rel minor
EG#BD. F...G......A#...C
13..57.. b9.. #9.. b5.. #5

Secondary Dominants and cadences.

As well as circle of fifths descending V7
Ex
B7 E7 A7 D7 G7 Cmajor



Subdominant

2.Dmin7
4.Fmaj7

#IV dim7 F#dim7

IV minor
Fmin6 Fmin7
Bb7 A#7
Dmin7b5 Dhalfdiminished
AbMaj7 G#maj7
Dbmaj7 C#maj7





Circle of fifths Diatonic .

Bmin7b5,E7,Amin6,,Dmin7,G7,C6,Fmaj7

Circle of fifths dominant

B7/ E7/ A7/ D7/ G7/ C6/

 

Last edited: Oct 17, 2019

Excersizes to help and assist getting used to using all this in different keys.

First let's take Key of C Maj A rel min
Next
Do our circle of fifths cycle of fourths

Diatonic resolutions.

Bmin7b5/E7/Amin6/Dmin7/G7/Cmaj/Fmaj7
iimin7b5,V7,Imin6,iimin7,V7,Imaj6,IV,
Look at the root and the type of chord.

BEADGCFBbEbAbDbGbBEADGCFBbEbAbDbGb

This is the pattern which we apply to any key.

In the KEY of C major We start with
iimin7b5 of A relative minor

Say the Key of F major we simply move one down

So C was BEADGCFBbEbAbDbGb

F major is

EADGCFBbEbAbDbGbB

Emin7b5,A7,Dmin6,Gmin7,C7,Fmaj6,Bbmaj7

The pattern is whatever the major KEY is
Begin a half step below with a
Rel Minor ii V I, major ii,V,I,IV

Let's say Ab major key.
So start on G

GCFBbEbAbDbGbBEAD

Gmin7b5,C7,Fmin6,Bbmin7,Eb7,Abmaj6,Dbmaj7

How about B major key?
Start on Bb

BbEbAbDbGbBEADGCFBb

Bbmin7b5,Eb7,Abmin6,Dbmin7,Gb7,Bmaj6,Emaj7

How about A major KEY?
Start on Ab

AbDbGbBEADGCFBbEbAb

Abmin7b5,Db7,Gbmin6,Bmin7,E7,Amaj6,Dmaj7


The major KEYs number of sharps and flats

C in center with zero sharps or flats


C
0

The left is flats the right is sharps

FCG
101

Fmajor 1 flat
Gmajor 1 sharp

B.Gb.Db.Ab.Eb.Bb.F.C.G.D.A.E.B.F#..C#
.7...6...5...4..3...2...1.0.1.2..3.4.5.. 6.. 7


Fmaj has 1 flat it's Bb
Bbmajor has 2 flat it's Bb Eb
Ebmaj has 3 flats it's Bb Eb Ab
Abmaj has 4 flats it's Bb Eb Ab Db
Dbmaj has 5 flats it Bb Eb Ab Db Gb
Gbmaj has 6 flats Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb
Cbmaj has 7 flats Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb Fb



G major has 1 sharp and it's F#
Dmajor has 2 sharps it's F# C#
Amajor has 3 sharps it's F# C# G#
Emajor has 4 sharps F# C# G# D#
Bmajor has 5 # ,F#C#G#D#A#
F#maj has 6# F#C#G#D#A#E#
C#maj has 7 # F#C#G#D#A#E#B#

 

Last edited: Oct 17, 2019

Now we are going to look at our main progression types again.

Dominant/ Tonic/
Subdominant/ Tonic
Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic

Looking at these how they appear in Jazz standards.

Let's begin with a very simple standard
" Take the A train"
By Billy Strayhorn
Written for the Duke Ellington orchestra in the
Early 1940s

The Form is A A B A

In the KEY of C major

With mostly Diatonic progressions.

Let's take a closer look


C6/ x2/. D7#11/ x2
Dmin7/ G7/ C6/ {Dmin7G7}

C6/ x2/. D7#11/x2
Dmin7/ G7/C6/ {Gmin7C7}

Fmaj7/ x4
D7/ x2... Dmin7/G7/ Bdim7/

A section once more.


Let's break it down to see the functional harmony .

First section we have
C6 ( remember C6 =Amin7). D7#11

This is a Cadence of the V7

Subdominant / Dominant
( Remember when making a ii V I of V
You leave out the I and make a Cadence to the KEY
Tonic.

This is what that looks like.

{iimin7/ V7/ } ( iimin7, V7)
.......of V7............of I

This in the KEY of C major gives us

Amin7,D7,. ( Dmin7,G7)

Because C6 and Amin7 are the same chord
C6 CEGA Amin7 ACEG

C6/. X2 D7#11 ( remember if we use a 11th on a dominant function we sharpen it.)

Dmin7/ G7/ C6

So we have
Subdominant/ Dominant/(cadence of Gmaj)

Subdominant/ Dominant/ Tonic ( cadence of C Maj

Then in the last measure a quick iimin7 V7 before repeating the A section from the top .

The second A section is the same except at the very end where we had 1 measure of ii V of Cmaj
This time through this becomes a measure
Of ii V of Fmaj7 .( This because the first chord of the B section is the 4th degree of C major (Fmaj7)
The preceding cadence of ii V in the last bar of the A section right before starting the B section gives us a strong resolution To the F major7 x4

B section
Fmaj7 X 4
This is the function

Tonic/ Subdominant/
Just turned around like we discussed before.

Next we have D7 x2
This is the secondary dominant of the V7
In C major V7 is G7 GBDF
We have secondary dominant D7 to G7
Called V7 of V7
As well as each chord in C major KEY has a cadence available ( while still in key of C major)
Except one of the chords is treated different.
The secondary dominant or the secondary cadence
Of the V7 of the key is used without resolving .
This is what we see here.
Fmaj7 x4 ( cmajors IV chord
Then D7 x2 ( V7 of V7)
Then Our expected Cadence of Cmajor
It is most common to see the secondary cadence
Or ( V7 of V7) appear resolving To a cadence of I

{iimin7/ V7}..(iimin7/ V7)
Of V7................of Imajor

And this is exactly what we see here.

At the end of this B section in the last measure
We have G7,Bdim7 in one bar
Remember in the key of C major the V7 G7 GBDF
Can be substituted with Bdim7 BDFG# and here we see this. Before the B section goes right into the last A section.

Because this Jazz standard is so simple ,
Let's look at in 2 other KEYS.
F major and G major

Remember all the functions remain exactly the same .this is how you are able to switch to other keys easily .

Take the A train in the key of Fmajor .

A section x2
F6/ x2 G7#11/ x2
Gmin7/ C7/ F6/ {Gmin7C7}
F6/x2 G7#11/ x2
Gmin7/ C7/ F6 {Cmin7F7}
B section
Bbmaj7 X4
G7/ x2 Gmin7/ { C7 Edim7}
A section x 1


Here we can see everything functionally the same as described before , the only difference is the
Key itself was shifted from C major down to F major a darker sound ( even though it could have been played higher or lower in pitch )

Lastly let's see the same thing now this time in the KEY of G major .

Take the A train KEY of Gmajor.



A section x2
G6/ x2 A7#11/ x2
Amin7/ D7/ G6/ {Amin7D7}
G6/x2 A7#11/ x2
Amin7/ D7/ G6 {Dmin7G7}
B section
Cmaj7 X4
A7/ x2 Amin7/ { D7 F#dim7}
A section x 1

Here again the functions are exactly the same we just went from the KEY of C major to the key of Gmajor shifting the tonality up brighter
( Even if you played it lower in sound then the C major version )

KEYS of
G major has 1 sharp
Cmajor has zero accidentals
Fmajor has 1 flat

That is the order of brightness to darkness.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2019

Yawn...
That is the order of sucking life out of an art form.

 

I don't follow what you mean?
How is understanding " suck the life form" out of anything?
Are you implying that being ignorant of something some how makes it more exciting than to understand how it works?
I can possibly see how that view could make sense in certain situations .
However if you compare the two positions with each other .

1.gaining possibly being excited by being ignorant how how music works .
2.gaining understanding of infinite variations of possibilities of expressing yourself through understanding how it works.

99.9 percent of the time, having the knowledge demolishes anything gained by being ignorant .
When you really compare the two options in a real world context the one or 2 tiny things you get from being ignorant are vastly outweighed by the infinite more things gained by having knowledge instead of being ignorant .
In many situations in life there is a risk of certain thing like anxiety by having knowledge compared to bring ignorant .
( Due to the vast complexity of reality, and due to capacity or lack thereof to fathom picking one choice out of thousands of options )
But the alternative to that is not having the knowledge of those thousands of possibilities and therefore not truly having freedom in a moment your deciding what to choose to express yourself .

What you look at and think of as " sucking the life out of an artform"
I look at and see millions of possibilities to choose from in a single moment if time I am about to decide what to play over a chord or a progression.
Having this knowledge betters you in every way and gives you a way to always improve yourself musically.
Not only being ignorant of music, but to go as so far as to claim ignorance is better than knowledge and in anyway superior , is to not take into account all variables in the situation.
You see to not take account all variables in a situation means ignorance. Ignorance causes misunderstanding .
That which you cannot fathom ( willfully ignorant or accidentally ignorant ) causes us to misunderstand the way things really work.
If our thoughts and ideas don't match reality , we create a fictional account which gives us poor results . This holds true for every aspect of life .
If I am ignorant of automobiles , and yet create a storyline in my thoughts about why my car won't start, what is the probability that my idea matches reality?
Similarly with music , if you don't understand it you will not know what is possible for options.
Example.
Say you have a chord Cmaj CEG
How many possibilities can a ignorant person be aware of regarding how many possible Melody's you could create over it?
What about yourself?
5? 10? 100?
How many melodies can your yourself think of that represent Cmaj?
What about Dmin7/ G7/ C6?
How many melodies can you think of right now or in the next week that represent this progression?
100? 1000? 5000?
There are millions of melodies that represent this form.
Let's say a person who takes " ignorance" as s approach how many possibilities which actually exist are they going to be unaware of?
Let's say for Dmin7/ G7/ Cmajor
You come up with 8000 melodies.
If the actual number is 1 million , look at how many you were not aware of.
Now making music is about expressing yourself .
How can you make the best choice to express yourself in one moment of time if you don't even know what the possibilities are?
If you think of 5 variations and choose what you think is the best one and leave 2 million choices out how confident are you that you chose what is really inside of you? ( That your choice translates your emotions)

Essentially your argument would be like saying

"A 7 year old child can articulate what is inside them better than a 30 year old with their spoken language , because the more words and vocabulary a person knows the more it takes the magic away from speaking to people."

Reality shows that this is opposite of the truth .
The more words you know the more semantics you know the more you can articulate the exact idea you have or the exact feeling you have converted into your spoken language .

The truth is people say things like to be ignorant of music is superior than to learn knowledge, in order
To try and feel better that they haven't put the work in .many people say they " love music." Or " music is my life "
Anything you supposedly " love"
How much can you love, that which you are willfully ignorant of?

" I love cars so much that I believe not knowing how they work , what parts there are how they fit together
Is loving cars. "
That's not even knowing what a car is it how it works.
You love something you don't even know what it is how it works?
Is that what love means?

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2019

I know you're not merant to feed trolls, but after all your waffle - prove it. With your expertise I would expect you to be published, on a par with Dave Grusin, maybe with an overtone of Dave Brubek. I've known so many who 'talk the talk' just like this purile nonsense but can't 'walkj the waljk'. Have you ever actually gigged? Are you a professional musician? Where can I buy your music? You're so knowledaeable you must have dozens of fantastic CD's or published works to choose from.

Or, it could be, you are just grandising - expecting allocades about how smart you (think you) are.

I won't carry on with this, it's clear you're full of it... very eloquent, but full of it nevertheless. I look forward to seeing you at your next gig at the Royal Albert Hall..... (now holding breath).....