Hey Jazz Guy

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Please submit topics via the contact page, and I will post columns and video lessons here.

Hey Jazz Guy...
Can you explain the basic concept of a ii-V progression and why it's so important? -- Chordless in Cleveland

Dear Chordless: A two five or (ii-V) in roman numerals, is a basic progression that is taken from the cycle of 5ths. Root motion in 4ths or 5ths is motion around the circle and it is part of the Tonic-Dominant relationship. When you listen to classical music, especially baroque ect, you hear this relationship in full force being discovered. In jazz, it is often obscured a little bit by more modern harmony, but the idea is the same. It's the combination of root motion and the guide tones of these chords that makes the ii-V work. The 7th of the ii chord becomes the 3rd of the V chord, while the 3rd of the ii chord stays the same, but when the root note changes, it becomes the 7th of the V chord.
When you play these, play them in all keys, with the proper voice leading (no cheating guitarists!) Then when you're playing lines over this progression, make sure your line reflects that voice leading and includes those guide tones. And you will be on your way to a richer harmonic vocabulary.

ii-V In Depth...

Now that you've read the article and it's led you here, lets take a closer look at some of the concepts mentioned only briefly earlier.

Tonic Dominant Relationship

Below is the famous circle of 5ths wheel. It visually describes this relationship by placing all 12 notes (keys) to the RIGHT of the key they are dominant in and to the LEFT of the key that is dominant to them. Take a look:

In a ii-V progression, we are using motion COUNTERCLOCKWISE around circle. You will notice that in our example : D-7 G7 CMaj7 , D is the Dominant in the Key of G and G is the Dominant in the Key of C. If we cycle back the ii-V further, to create a iii-VI-ii-V-I, then we just go further around the circle, like this : E-7 A7 D-7 G7 CMaj7. Listen to some Bach for a perfect example of this type of harmony. OR check out "I Got Rhythm" that perfect song's perfect chord progression is the classic example of this in jazz.

Guide Tones

Guide tones in jazz refer to the 3rd and 7th of any chord. [backing up one step further, 3rd and 7th refer to the interval distance between that note and the root note. E is the 3rd of C because E is a third, major or minor doesn't matter, away from C]

Why this designation? The 3rd and the 7th define the quality and sound of the chord. The other notes (root and 5th) do not change until you've altered the chord significantly (like diminished). Consider this:

B Bb Bb B
G G G G
E Eb E Eb
C C C C

Notice anything? Above are the structures for CMaj7, Cmin7, C7, and CMaj(min7). Only the guide tones change!! This idea is critical because it leads us to two very important concepts:

1) The other notes are irrelevant. Bass player is probably playing them anyway. You do not need root notes in your chord voicings!! The only time you'll ever need 5ths is when the 5th is altered. [min7b5, or diminished, or dom b5 ect] This frees up your fingers to add juicy tensions onto your chord voicings. More about that in later lessons.

2) When soloing, especially for older styles of jazz like swing and bebop, you must play guide tones!! They GUIDE your ear through the harmony. Listen to players like Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Wes Montgomery, and scores of others who are masters of this. (modern cats like Kurt Rosenwinkle bend these rules quite a bit, so listen to old dudes to learn this type of playing.)

Practice Strategy

Now I know what you're thinking:: "ok cool, so what do I shed?" WELL...

First, get familiar with the voicings used in the lesson so your ears become accustom to the root motion and guide tone motion. Take it though every key by going around the Circle of 5ths. Go Left like this: D-7 G7 CMaj7. G-7 C7 Fmaj7. C-7 F7 BbMaj7 ect ect. See the pattern?
This will take you through every key.

Then there are two directions you can go: Experiment with substitutions [see lessons below for guidance] And add tensions to your voicings. Replace root with 9th, 5th with 6th ect. Whatever the chord calls for.

SOLOING:

I wouldn't presume to write a bunch of ii-V lines for you to practice, when there are literally thousands or recorded solos to learn from. What's my point? listening and learning from the records is the best way. If hearing is not your strongest ability at the moment, then check out the Charlie Parker Omni-book, or Jerry Bergonzi's multiple books for fantastic examples of ii-Vs in action. The most important thing is to listen and learn how this functions in a musical way. Playing patterns won't get you anywhere, regardless of how well you can do it.

Jazz is an improvised music. So once you have some lines down, change them up, learn to improvise with what you have already, and try to inject some of your own creativity into what you are playing. Good Luck Jazz Guy.

Hey Jazz Guy…

Can you talk about Drop 2 Voicings? I’ve heard of them, but what are they and how can I use them in my playing? -- Dropped out in Denver

Dear Dropped Out:Drop 2 voicings are simply re-arranging the order of notes in a chord, to make the structure wider (so the chord spans more than one octave). The easiest way to do it, is to take a chord already in root position, (C, E, G, B) and move the 2nd note from the top (G) down an octave. So by doing this you are left with : G, C, E, B). Now apply this technique to all four inversions of your chord and you get the drop 2 voicing set for C Maj 7. Play these on each group of four strings, and you’ll the full effect of the chord. They can sound very good in the lower register! There are also Drop 3, Drop 2 + 4, and other combination (some are not easy to play on guitar), but I encourage you to experiment with them all and find what suites you. This is the quickest way to take your harmonic knowledge to the next level.

This technique is originally an arranging method for large ensembles, for example, splitting up chords amongst four or five horns in a section (think jazz big band). But they sound amazing on guitar and are more and more commonly found in all styles, not just jazz. So shed your Drop 2s HARD and good luck.

Hey Jazz Guy…

What can you explain tri-tone subs, and minor third substitutions? Im trying to make my chord melodies more interesting, and what’s the purpose of this technique? -- Sub-Par in Salt Lake

Dear Sub-Par:Well, the purpose of the tri-tone sub, or any reharm technique, is to create the un-expected for the listener. We all have certain things we expect to hear in any situation, so by changing the chords, we are ‘awakened’ to a different way of hearing. This is the philosophy behind reharm in my opinion. NOW…on to the details. How do we create this? Well the tri-tone sub is great because it doesn’t deviate too far from the original chord (as the guide tones are the same), it just changes the bass note, and reverses the tensions. So this tends to give a very smooth effect, as opposed to merely playing the 4th root motion. The minor third substitution is a little more complex.

This involves the concept of modal interchange. This means that, say in the key of C major, you can substitude any chord that is diatonic to another mode of C, like C minor (Eb major), C Phrygian (Ab major), C Dim. Ect. In effect, this gives you ‘access’ to dozens of chords that would otherwise be completely random. THEN what you can do is to turn these chords into ii-V progressions as well. For Example:

D-7 Bb-7 Eb7 (from C Phrygian), G7 Cmaj7.

Or going even further:
D-7 Eb-7 Ab7 (from C Locrian) G7 Cmaj7.

To get these to the point where they don’t sound forced takes a lot of practice and a lot of experimentation. There is no way you will use all the possibilities all the time. In fact, I would encourage you to pick two or three that you like the most and play them through in every key. Then see if you can imply these ‘extra’ chords in your soloing, even when they are not there. Once you’ve got it, you’ll see you have a beautiful unexpected effect to pull on the listener at your command. Its kinda sexy…

Minor 3rd Subs

Hey Jazz Guy...

Im having trouble incorporating intervals in my playing, can you talk about how to use this concept in a post-modern jazz context? -- Linear in Louisville

Dear Linear:This is a great question! In trying to break free of the linear style (which is amazing btw) it is good to look at the types of intervals and how they relate. There are three kinds: 3rds and 6ths are simple, harmonic, very inside sounding. This is what you are probably playing %90 of the time and thus the source of your angst. 4ths and 5ths are very specific sounding, the least harmonically defined. They are a very strong sound (think medieval) and certain players (McCoy Tyner) have made them a very strong part of their concept. Combining this with non-harmonic triads is a very spicy combination!
The real interest (in my opinion) lies with 2nds and 7ths for they are in the middle. They are dissonant, and can play a role inside or outside the harmony. They are exciting sounding and refreshing, and they also leave a lot of space either around them or in between them. Don't forget that 9ths are also seconds!
So experiment with these different kinds of intervals, playing one and two notes exclusively for a while. See what happens??

Hey Jazz Guy...
What's the difference between a diatonic key and a mode like super locrian or lydian?--Moded out in Manhattan

Dear Moded:Great Question! This is where some of the terminology of music theory becomes confusing. So you're not alone in trying to figure this out, to make it worse, many of these words are not always used correctly in common conversation, so it's no wonder people are confused. Think of it this way: A KEY refers to a particular "home base" or tonic note. For example the "Key of C". But that doesn't tell you anything about the rest of the notes that will be used. A MODE refers to a particular set of half steps and whole steps, but does not specify any one tone. So the KEY will tell you what not is the tonic and the MODE will tell you the rest of the scale construction. Lets break it down with an example: Our good old fashion C Major, is called "key of C" but that is a mis-nomer. The truly accurate description of this harmonic system would be the "KEY of C Ionian". Now I've given you a tonal center (c) and a mode type (ionian) that tells you that you will start on C and then go : w w 1/2 w w w 1/2. and then you will be back at C. So Remember, you need BOTH things to tell you what notes to play, KEY and MODE. They are linked. This should also lead you to the idea that practicing in a KEY means you play every MODE and practicing in a MODE means you play every KEY. Hmmm...got a lot of work ahead of you. Good luck!!!

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