A useful relationship to understand, is that when we play this exact voicing. Tritone substitutions refer to changing a dominant chord for another dominant chord a tritone away. But you dont often hear as much about those as you do extended chords such as 7ths, 9ths, ths, etc. Tritone flat 5 substitute chords taming the saxophone. The tritone is a very common device used in the jazz and great american songbook repertoire. About the only thing i would use in a standards format might be a iim7 for the iv chord and maybe a iiim7 for the i, none of which really move harmony away. Using scales to approach tritone substitution learn jazz. With a seemingly infinite palette of chords available to you at every turn, knowing which one to choose can seem like a combination of instinct and good fortune. Just as you cant build a tenstory building on a foundation meant for three stories, you cant progress as a piano player any further than what. Spicing up the i chord two ways to add 7ths to your music changing triads into 7th chords using the major 7th in your music. The following chord substitutions work in a variety of. Because the db is a tritone, or 3 tones away from the g. In fact, you can omit any note except for the 3rd and 7th guide tones of the chord and still retain the general sound or feel of the original chord.
Using a minor 6th chord on the piano substitution concept. For now, lets assume the melody is going to stay the same. One of the most common chord substitutions in jazz is the tritone substitution. The chord substitution just described above 3rd above or 3rd below is called the diatonic substitution. In blues and jazz turnarounds, its common practice to use harmonic substitutions for any of the chords. In my series on piano chords, i cover these sub v7 chords and how to create them in more detail. Jun, 2012 calling it a tritone substitution might be a bit misleading if you dont understand the full theory of it. An introduction to chord substitutions for piano players. Explanation of the tritone jazz chord substitution that adds so much colour to the sound by way of musical examples charlie parker, clifford brown. Were only talking about dominant 7th chords, not major or minor chords.
In practice, a tritone sub in jazz is most commonly a dominant 7 chord. Chord substitution works when the substitute chord contains the 3rd and 7th of the original chord. The tritone substitution the tritone substitution is very common in jazz, and it is the substitution of a dominant 7 chord with the dominant 7 chord three whole tones above the root. The reason that this substitution works is that dominant 7 chords with a bass note a tritone apart share the same 3rd and 7th. This technique can add some great color to your jazz solos. For example, a g7 chord can be substituted with the db7 chord. You can really substitute any chord for any other chord, but just plugging in chords willy nilly doesnt work so well. Notice that the i chord is pushed further along in the bar. As you will see i a moment, this is incredibly easy to do. These chords are interchangeable because the tritone interval pitches are identical in each.
Calling it a tritone substitution might be a bit misleading if you dont understand the full theory of it. Chord substitution chord substitution refers to the art of changing andor adding chords to a progression in order to create harmony that is different and more interesting. Group 2 are used to replace minor 7s and are most common on ii of a minor key vii of major. Today we are going to discuss some scales that you can use to approach various tritone substitutions when you improvise. A minor 6 th chord on the piano isnt what you would necessarily call an exotic chord. We can use iiv substitution to make a progression more interesting. Tritone substitution tutorial what is tritone substitution. See the following explanation of the chords before viewing the free pdf sheet of this chord substitution. Tritone substitution the tritone, and the v chord that it is part of, are very unstable and want very much to resolve, as in figure 66. Today, i want to share with you a few concepts about using a minor 6 th chord on the piano. Figure 1 in the notes on proving arithmetic equations pdf listed a formal proof consisting of a sequence of.
Note we still maintain a progression of 5ths, starting with the bbmaj7. We use chord substitutions to create a different sound in the music. A tritone is simply a musical interval equal to six semitones. By visualising the dominant th voicing a tritone away, we can quickly access the altered tensions of any dominant chord. Harmony free lessons these lessons deal with the process of improving and replacing harmony in songs. Diatonic chord substitution of the many ways to add color and variety to a composition, harmony can be one of the more elusive. You should already be familiar with the regular dominant voicings that we have covered in the lesson on rootless voicings. In this case, its replacing one chord with another chord. There are usually at least two parts to any song performance. Group 1 can all usually be used to replace any minor or minor 7 chord.
A tritone substitution is the substitution of one dominant seventh chord possibly altered or extended with another that is three whole steps a tritone from the original chord. Jazz comping instruments piano, guitar, organ, vibes often use chord substitution to add harmonic interest. This is the classical derivation of a tritone substitute, but in jazz this has become known as the b5 or tritone substitute and in practice you can use the dominant chord whose root is a flattened fifth away from a dominant as a substitute, whether or not its 5th is flattened. Whether you are just starting with keyboard or you have been playing for a while, the diligence to focus on your foundation will pay off. How to use a tritone substitution in your progressions. Tritone chord substitution introduction 101 youtube. How to play tritone substitutions and why you should care.
The use of a chord three whole steps away to replace or follow the original chord. This substitution is made by replacing a dominant chord with a new dominant chord whose root is a diminished fifth interval above the original chordos root. In order for a particular piano voicing to qualify as a tritone substitution it must exclude the root from the bass. You may also be aware that different chords can sometimes be substituted for each other. This doesnt mean you cant substitute other chord qualities, but a dominant 7 is most often the chord being used to replace. Click here to subscribe to my personal email group.
The substitution of one chord for another, that is a tritone away from the one being substituted. Many chord substitutions are available suspended, diminished 7 th, etc. The tritone substitution is a dominant 7th chord whose root is a tritone 3 whole steps away from the original dominant 7th chord. Though examples of the tritone substitution, known in the classical world as an augmented sixth chord, can be found.
Another kind of chord substitution which is often used in pop and jazz music is know as flatfive substitution. Download this free pdf containing rootless 251 progressions in all 12 keys. Kiwi kid also mentioned diminished chords, which are great approach chords. Feb 18, 2014 this video gives you a more advanced explanation about what are tritone substitutions and how to use them in a jazz piano chord progression. Chord substitution often results from an attempt to provide smooth voice leading. Improving the chord by adding complexity such as turning triads into 7th chords. For example, in the key of c major, a gdom7 g7 could be replaced with a. Substituting chords by karen daniels simply put, chord substitution is the use of one chord in place of another chord and using them is one way to give your music interest and a change in sound. A diatonic chord substitution occurs when using different notes within a scale. Mar 24, 2017 an important technique that jazz musicians use to create harmonic movement is tritone substitution. Tritone substitutions are sometimes used in improvisationoften to create tension during a solo.
Check out this article that shows how the tritone sub can be applied to the i vi ii v progression. In this video i am going to show you one of the scariest substitutions. If you play a tritone ten times in a row before you go to bed tonight figure 67, you probably wont be able to fall asleepyoull have to get up, run to the piano, and resolve it to a i chord figure. Lets look at the next two measures for another trick and continue the principles. This is where the confusion usually begins for students. Tritone chord substitution in bass lines doug ross. When a i chord is leading into a iv chordadd a minor 7th to the i chord. In other words, when we play simultaneously two notes that have three tones of distance between them, we are playing a tritone. Mark watkins received his degrees from brigham young university and indiana university and has studied with eugene rousseau, daniel deffayet, ray smith, and yushi ishiwata and jazz with david baker. In this next example ive utilized anticipating v chords in three examples. Again, if youre playing in the key of c, the v chord is g7 and the v of g is d7, so instead of playing cfg7, play cd7g7 instead. A tritone substitution is a great way to make a typical iii7v sound more interesting.
The tritone substitution is a great way to quickly get altered sounds into jazz guitar playing, be it simply just using the triad a b5 above the dominant 7 th chord in content or using full scales. How to use a tritone substitution in your progressions the. This is by far the most common tritone substitution. This video gives you a more advanced explanation about what are tritone substitutions and how to use them in a jazz piano chord progression. Its easier to call it a b2 sub or something similar. The tritone substitution is a dominant, or secondary dominant 7th chord whose root is a tritone 3 whole steps away from the original chord. The general chord substitution rule holds that chords that share two or more notes in common can be readily substituted for each other money chords. Heres a piano chord chart of iiiiivv7 in all major scales. Tritone substitutions are also knows as substitute dominants or sub 5s so be aware that these 3 terms refer to the same thing. Dm7 g7 cmaj7 can have the g7 chord replaced to a db7, so the progression would become.
So lets jump right into some different kinds of tritone substitutions. Substitute the expression from step 1 into the other equation. This is far and away the easiest and most common substitution, and in fact its the standard turnaround in jazz. We simply replace one chord with another one, and we have a chord substitution. I also show you how you can switch between the dominant 7th and its tritone to create some interesting chords. Flatfive substitution tritone another kind of chord substitution which is often used in pop and jazz music is know as flatfive substitution. Tritone substitution used in jazz chord progressions.
The greats know how the substitution looks on the fretboard, and apply it straight there. I also i want to cover an interesting characteristic about the minor 6 th chord that you may have. A tritone substitution is the process of replacing one dominant 7th chord with another dominant 7th chord located a tritone away from the original. Again, rather than start with the traditional g chord, were going to start preparing for the final g by inserting our dominant prep chord am. Theres a chord substitution from the first degree to the third degree with only one note changing in c major c major the c is changing to b.
This example is quite similar to iviivv only instead of going down harmonically we go up. Substitution proofs of arithmetic equations we describe an alternative notion of proof, called a substitution proof, for arithmetic equations. Volume 98 cd antonio carlos enclosed jobim bossa nova corcovado wave so banco samba 0 grande qrnor one samba how insensihive the girl from ipanema. In the previous lesson on shell chords, we learned that you dont always have to play every single note in a chord. In this lesson, im going to talk about tritone substitution, what it is, and 3 different types you should be aware of. Chord substitution possibilities part 1 chord substitution possibilities part 2 choosing a diminished 7th over a secondary dominant. Ive also subbed the last d7 chord for its tritone cousin, which is ab7. The tritone substitution is one of the most common chord substitutions found in jazz and was the precursor to more complex substitution patterns like coltrane changes. Its responsible for some of those very interesting, authentic jazz harmony sounds that. Yesterday i gave some detailed examples of common places you can use a tritone substitution, including some tunes that use tritone substitution in different ways. Tritone substitution part 1 of 2 cocktail piano lessons. Chord substitution is for the harmony dude or dudette. A tritone is an interval of 3 whole steps or 6 half steps on the piano. May 15, 2017 explanation of the tritone jazz chord substitution that adds so much colour to the sound by way of musical examples charlie parker, clifford brown.
Chord substitution part 2 ted greene 1973, november 16 i. In music theory, chord substitution is the technique of using a chord in place of another in a. The power of chord substitutions chord substitutions are one of the most powerful concepts in harmony, be it pop, jazz or any other. Changing 3note chords to 4note chords video lesson. Handbook of chord substitutions paperback may 1, 1987 by andy laverne author 4. Heres an easy chord substitution for church pianists to use. Tritone is the interval of three whole tones between two notes. As said in the article harmonic function, the dominant chord has tension sonority. A substitution is just replacing one thing with another thing. Tritone substitution is a reharmonisation technique that can be used to add harmonic interest.
Mark watkins received his degrees from brigham young university and indiana university and has studied with eugene rousseau, daniel deffayet, ray. In other words, tritone substitution involves replacing v 7 with. Its the most natural form of chord substitution because no note alterations take place. In this lesson, were going to explore an important tritone relationship for altered dominant chord voicings. Just creating a chord of the same quality as the previous one a tritone up does not a tritone substitution make. The minor 7th note is located a 7th above the root bottom note of the chord. Apr 01, 2015 yesterday i gave some detailed examples of common places you can use a tritone substitution, including some tunes that use tritone substitution in different ways. The chords are interchangeable because the tritone interval pitches are identical in each. This lesson, however, will focus on substitution of minor and major chords. A iivi is the most commonly use chord progression in jazz, it is thus a bit boring. Tritone substitution is a reharmonisation technique that can be used to add harmonic interest and variety to a chord progression.
An important technique that jazz musicians use to create harmonic movement is tritone substitution. Most bassists are familiar with basic chord types, since we use basic r357 chord tones for building bass lines all the time. Iiv substitution by cycles of hybrid chords g7 c7 7 d7 g7 c7 ab7db7gb7b7 c7 eb7ab7d7db7c7 60 iiv substitution by cycles of hybrid chords different quality d7 g7 c7 d7 g7 c7 bb7ab7d7db7c7 eb7eb7ab7co. Its called a tritone substitution because the root of db7 is an augmented 4th nicknamed a tritone away from g7.
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