SUB SUBSTIT STITU UTION ION
TEAC EACHER
Superimpos Superimposing ing substi substitut tutee chord chord changes changes over a pedal tone I introduced introduced you to the concept cept of using using chord chord substi substitut tution ionss when when soloing soloing over a pedal tone, detailing detailing specifspecifically ically the the incorporati incorporation on of the implied V (five) into one's one's improv improvise ised d phrase phrases. s. As you chord into recal], recal], a pedal pedal tone.is tone.is defined defined as "a sustained sustained or continu continuously ously repeated repeated tone" and is also the the term term used used to describ describee the one-cho one-chord rd vamps vamps heard heard common commonly ly in a great great variet variety y of funk, funk, rock rock,, blue bluess and and jazz jazz.. The The styl stylee know known n as spearhead eaded ed by Miles Miles Davis Davis and modal jazz, spearh John Coltrane Coltrane in the the late Fifties Fifties and early Sixties, ties, is charac character terize ized d by simp simple le oneone- or twotwochord vamps that offer the soloist a wide harmon monic environmen ment within which to improv improvise ise and "color "color"" the basic basic underl underlyin ying g tonali tonality. ty. With With the arrival arrival ofjazz fusion fusion in the the late late Sixties, Sixties, one-ch one-chord ord groove groovess became became the standa standard rd for the improvi improvisin sing g musici musician, an, and harmon harmonic/ ic/mel melodi odicc advent adventuro urousn usness ess was the orde orderr of the the day. day. This This appr approa oach ch is wid widel ely y employ employed ed by many many of the the groups groups on today's today's ja'm-band ja'm-band circuit. circuit. Usin Using g an F domi domina nant nt tona tonali lity ty (F7) (F7) as a pedal pedal point, point, 1provided 1provided exampl examples es in my my last last column column of lines lines thatimply anF7 anF7 C7 F7 (I7V (I7V7 7 17 [one [one domina dominant nt seven, seven, five domin dominant ant sevseven, one domina dominant nt seven]) seven]) chord progression progression.. Within Within the lexicon lexicon of standa standard rd jazz/b jazz/blue luess harm harmon ony, y, the the V (fiv (five) e) chor chord, d, C7, C7, can can be expa expand nded ed to C7 "alte "altere red" d" (C7a (C7alt lt), ), alte altere red d mean meanin ing g b5, b5, #5, #5, b9 and and/o /orr #9. #9. For For line liness based based on F7, F7, we used used the F Mixoly Mixolydia dian n mode mode (F G A Bb Bb C DEb) DEb),, and and for for line liness base based d on C7alt, C7alt, we used the C diminished diminished whole-ton whole-tonee scale (C Db Eb E Gb Ab Ab Bb), which contains contains the b5, b5, #5, b9 and #9 altere altered d tones, tones, relati relative ve to C (Gb, Ab, Db and Eb, respectively). I'd now like to show you how to use this implied implied V (five) chord concept concept as ajumping ajumping-off point for the incorporat incorporation ion of chordal chordal substitutions stitutions.. A typical typical substitutio substitution n for an altered altered domina dominant nt chord chord is the domina dominant nt chord chord a tritone away, away, which which is a chord chord whose whose root root note note is three three whol wholee tone toness abov abovee (or bel below ow)) the the origin original al chord. chord. In the the key of F we can replace replace the implied V (five) chord, C7alt, C7alt, withF#7; withF#7; FIGURE FIGURE la shows shows the C dimini diminishe shed d wholewholetone tone scal scalee in two two octav octaves es and and how how the the F# domina dominant nt pentat pentatoni onicc scale scale (F# G# A# C# E) we learn learned ed last last month month can be be extra extracte cted d from it. (Play only only the standard standard-siz -sizee tab numbers numbers not enclosed in parenthe parenthesis.) sis.) FIGURE 1 b shows one way to use a tritone substitution to add a feeli feeling ng of harmo harmonic nic tentension and release to a line line played played over a Croot. What I'm doing doing here is taking taking a four-no four-note te idea
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AST MONTH
_ _ ( 8 ) 9 1 1 8 ( 1 0 )1 1
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FIGURE 1c F7
FIGURE 2
Funk Groove F 7# 9
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92 * (F # 7 )
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8 " = '-1 2-9 8 1 0 8 1 0 1 1 1 9 '< 8 1 0 1 1 8
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based based on the the C domina dominant nt pentat pentatoni onicc scale scale (C DE G [Bb]) [Bb]) and and alternat alternating ing it withth withthee same same idea idea transp transpose osed d up a triton tritonee to F# domina dominant nt pentat pentatoni onic. c. The resul resultt is an inter interest esting ing line line that that has a strong strong sense sense of harm harmoni onicc motion motion.. Our Our next next exam exampl plee take takess a I V I (one (one five five one) one) progre progressi ssion on in F (F7 C7 F7) F7) and applie appliess a tritone tritone substitUtio substitUtion n to the V chord (C7alt), (C7alt), resulting resulting in an implied implied chord progression progression ofF7 F#7 F7, or I bII bII I (one, flat two, two, one). one). We can can now play play lines lines that alternately alternately suggest suggest F7 and F#7 tonalities tonalities,, as demonstrate demonstrated d in FIGURElc. The phrase phrase in bar bar 2 of of this this exampl examplee implie impliess F#7, F#7, but it can also be analyz analyzed ed in relat relation ion to
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C7alt. C7alt. It's interesting interesting to try "hearing "hearing"" the line in bar 2 in in refere reference nce to either either F#7 or C7alt. C7alt. FIGURE 2 demonst demonstrates rates how this concept concept can can be appli applied ed to an F7# F7#9 9 chor chord d in a funk funk groove groove.. The soloist soloist (Gtr. (Gtr. 1) plays a two-bar two-bar melod melodic ic phra phrase se that that alte altern rnat atel ely y impl implie iess F7 and F#7 tonali tonalitie tiess in each each bar. Supe Superi rimp mpos osin ing g impl implie ied d harmo harmony ny and and chord substitutio substitutions ns is an effectiv effectivee way to create music musical al intere interest st and drama drama when when improimprovising vising over a static static one-chord one-chord vamp. The possibili sibilitie tiess are endless endless,, so keep keep your ears open open and don't don't be afraid afraid to try try blazing blazing some some harharmonic/ monic/mel melodi odicc trails trails of your your own. _
