Closely related chords and substituions

TGMax
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Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:29 pm

Hey guys, so I've decided to write a small blog about the use of chords that are closely related and how they can be substituted for one another. Simply put, a substitution is when you take one chord that has certain qualities and put another chord in it's place. It's an old jazz trick that piano players use all the time, it's often called reharmonization. An easy example would be to take a C major chord (C-E-G) and replace it with an Am7 chord (A-C-E-G). You'll notice that the notes of the C chord are all contained within the Am7 thus giving the listener the impression of a C chord but with a darker more melancholy sound. The added benefit of a well executed substitution is that the melody note(s) should fit seamlessly with the new chord. In this easy example if the melody note were a G then playing an Am7 would fit nicely and add some color to the sound. When choosing a substitution it is important to keep the melody notes in mind so that it doesn't clash with the new chord. In addition, as substitutions get more complex, picking a chord in which the melody note is an upper extension (not the 1-3-5 of the chord, but rather the 9-11-13 etc.) will yield some very colorful and often jazzy sounds. Let's try this idea with a slightly more complex example:

Let's say we have a progression that goes like this: C-G-Am-F and a simple four note melody, played one note per chord (e-d-c-a). First off we can add a bit of color without even substituting any chords simply by playing this: Cmaj7-G-Am7-F. By adding the 7th to the C and Am chord we introduce many more options for substitutions but also create a much more colorful sound right off the bat. Now if we were to introduce some substitutions we could highlight the melody notes (e-d-c-a) by doing this: C6-Bm-Fmaj9-G9. Now this is wildly different than the original so lets spell these chords out.

C6 (C-E-G-A) Bm (B-D-F#) Fmaj9 (F-A-C-E-G) and G9 (G-B-D-F-A). What I've done here is introduce the A note into the C chord for a more ambiguous tonality, but the melody note of E matches perfectly.

Then I've changed the G chord to a B minor. This may seem odd because there is no G at all in the Bm, but actually the chord has an F#, which should clash with a G. But remember, all we are trying to do is match the melody note and not the chord that's being subbed out. The melody note is a D and there is a D note in the Bm chord so it will sound very different, but it won't clash at all.

Turning the Am into an Fmaj9 is an interesting one because all the notes of an Am7 are contained within the Fmaj9. For all intents and purposes an Fmaj9 is simply an Am7 with an F bass note. The melody note of C will work perfectly against this chord and the movement of the bass notes from the previous chord, B to F, will be a dissonant and tense sound but will be rewarding when it's resolved.

The last chord substitution is replacing the F chord with a G9. This is an awesome one because the melody note A is now an upper extension of the G chord. By using a G9 we highlight the melody note as the 9th of the chord but also create a turnaround effect by playing a G dominant before going back to the C chord that starts the whole progression.

As you can see reharmonizing chords can be either simple or complex but hopefully if done well you will open a whole new world of possibilities, not just for playing other people's songs, but also when writing your own. Often times, it's beneficial to take a chord progression you're writing and completely reharmonize the entire thing, and that can easily yield a chorus, or bridge or B section to your song, all while maintaining the underlying harmonic foundation.

If you have any questions about this type of theory application, please comment and PM me and I'll be glad to help. I hope you guys found this useful/interesting. Thanks for reading!


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neverfoundthetime
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Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:28 pm

Great first post Max. Faszinierend!

Chris


TGMax
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Tue Sep 18, 2018 8:26 pm

Danke Chris! Alles bestens!


thereshopeyet
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Wed Sep 19, 2018 11:01 am

Max

Interesting post, thanks.
It would be great if you might consider posting a video too, to demonstrate the substitutions in context.

Dermot

:)


TGMax
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Wed Sep 19, 2018 12:13 pm

I'm actually doing an entire lesson on this subject this week so keep your eyes peeled because it will be coming out very soon. That should really help clarify things and make it much less abstract.


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