Understanding Jazz Harmony - Part One

[encdee]

Wow with out any prior knowledge of music theory your basically up the creek within the first 30 secs. Lol! looks like I got my work cut out

[geeiwoder]

wouldn't that D chord also be called a half diminished chord?

[Z3r0mt]

Hey Andrew, first of all great Lesson. But i have to ask why is it that a lot of Jazz Guitarists notate both minor chords and major in upper case roman numerals? For example, you have (I IV II V I). I come from a compositional background and that always strikes me as odd. I would notate that minor progression as ( i iv ii* V7 i). I know it might seem like a minor detail but this always a the main problem i run into when i try to explain parallel progressions, substitutions, extensions etc.

[Z3r0mt]

@Z3r0mt (sorry not enough space) because the players i work with always start building incorrect chord families, and its so hard to get that idea past them.

[brioirossi]

helps alot,, thanks....

[ZeeJayBay]

Does that beginning melody have a name or extended version? Its lovely.

[aSunnyUnion]

eh?

[MrRobinThornton]

Just echoing @naith1984: Chord IV is the sub-dominant chord, not ii. Both of these provide good cadences, although ii V I is better, due to its' relationship of fifths.

[Pluckyxo]

Me head is hurt

[KapnKregg]

I clicked "Like" because I learned something new within the first 3 minutes.

[v2iame]

HI there i was just wondering how would you analyze it if you inserted a G-7-C7 (II-V-I of Fmi7) after your first chord Cmi7. Also what if we did a tri-tone substitution on chords like G7 to replace them with something like Db7?

[Happyascanbe1]

@v2iame

If i still remember correctly there is a thing called 'modal interchange' that jazz musicians often like to play with. Basically, you play something like Gm7 C7 which is leading towards Fmaj7 resolution, but instead you chose some other 'taste' of a tonic, say minor. You can also play Gm7b5 C7b9 implying Fm tonic harmony, but resolve it instead to Fmaj7. Play with it and let your ears be the judge.

[naith1984]

Um, excuse me, chord II is the SUPERTONIC, NOT the SUB DOMINANT.

[creativeguitarstudio]

@naith1984 ... I know that the name of the II chord is Super Tonic. The II-V-I is a progression utilizing the II chord as derived of the sub-dominant family of chords. The Sub-Dominant family is that of the II and the IV. Learn about chord families and you'll understand it.

[IIISanCHEZYIII]

@creativeguitarstudio BOOM. *high five*

gotta love Jazz theory

[Smurf431]

It's the Teacher for the WIN!!!!

I love it when arm-chair experts get smacked. now if they would just learn from it....like I am! LOL

[brco2003]

@creativeguitarstudio pwnag3!

[poppyseller1]

@naith1984

yeah dude dont even try to stump this guy... he knows it better than anybody who thinks they have an argument. If you actually take the time to listen to his explanation then you wont have look like a dolt for jumping in with your " know it all " commentary . Cause lets face it ,anyone who really does" know it all "wont be at this site [ that includes me as well]

Thanks Andrew!

[naith1984]

@poppyseller1 i never said i knew it all, i just found the way he wrote it out very confusing for someone that want s to learn this progression

[brandojazz]

@naith1984 he was actually right....i dont know if u noticed, but he always said, subdominant FAMILY. the word family made all the difference, because that meant he was talking about the progression, using a subdominant type of chord to a dominant type of chord to the tonic. II IV are have a subdominant function, V and VII have dominant type functions and I is your key center (ii could be half-diminished depending if the key center is minor or major).

[brandojazz]

@naith1984 so to summ up what I said. The supertonic belongs to the type of chards that have a subdominant function. Like the IV chord. Hope that helps! (by the the way VII and V belong to the "dominant function family")

[brandojazz]

I have a small question, why in the ii V i in minor key have the dominant V chord and not the altered dominant?

[Happyascanbe1]

@brandojazz

It can be altered if you want.

[TJSax1986]

@naith1984 you got owned

[jsoffel]

Blue Bossa

[nekyiapyriplegethon]

Thank you man!Nice net teacher!

[gannonb4u]

hey jtfles listen up. Learn the major scale (do re me). Each scale degree will make a chord if you build thirds upon the beginning note. example; Cmaj chord (or the #1 CHORD)spelled CEGB. The next note in the scale will be a D note. Build a chord the same way DFAC = Dm7 chord (or the #2 CHORD. Do this for every note in the major scale and you will get all the possible chords in the key of Cmajor. The 1 chord = Cmaj7, the 2 chord = Dm7 (D minor 7th), The 3 chord = Em7th, the 4 chord = Fmaj7, etc

[jtfles]

erm

what the fuck is he talking about?

can anyone link me to somewhere that will show me jazz from the ground up?

and i mean the ground

[cyberflea07]

so if I got it right,harmonically speaking ii V7 i gives a smoother resolution to another key,rather than IV-V7-I....thus making it more appropriate for smooth modulation....??

[zkete]

If you haven't noticed yet, this is the chord progression from Blue Bossa. If you haven't heard of Blue Bossa, pay attention to this video, because it's a great standard for a lot of things in jazz.

[JazzNaySean]

im a jazz drummer trying to understand the therory behind the music dang this stuff is confusing, its was understandable untill you started talking about sub dominant and tonic chords thats where i was lost, ill watch this video a couple of times to get it tho lol

well good teaching great videos my friend

[eyeheartchrist]

@JazzNaySean Sub Dominant is the 4th Chord in the 7 note series. From I to VII: Tonic(I), Super Tonic(II), Mediant(III), Sub-Dominant(IV), Dominant(V), Sub-Mediant(VI), Leading Tone(VII) and Sub-Tonic(Flatted VII, such as Natural Minor). It's just another way to call the Chords, of course going by numbers is easier understood. :-P

[JazzNaySean]

@eyeheartchrist well thank you very much u made it perfectly clear now, thanks

[TheFatmanFresh]

cool! Why did you label the II as subdominant?

[Malmsteen1990]

It's the first time i see a video that doesn't have thumbs down.

[aug5ya]

Really pure!!!

[cortez12121993]

SOMEONE HELP ME!!! WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE THESE 7THS COMING FROM?? I TRIED EVERYWHERE TO UNDERSTAND THIS.WHY AND HOW IS HE ADDING SEVENTHS?

[bleach6bleach]

@cortez12121993 i jazz they use sevenths for extra color and tensions, its more harmonically complex

[cortez12121993]

@bleach6bleach thank you very much.

[jimmyshred420]

Chord progression is extremely similar to Blue Bossa, key and all.

[DanielDavisMusic]

Question: Why at 3:04 do you refer to the ii as "the subdominant family?" I thought ii is the supertonic and the subdominant is actually IV?

[TheCuddlyDevil]

Hey, cool vid. Informative and packed.

I already know about II-V-I, but I have a question. Where do I start? Assuming I'm already in one progression (in the key of A major for example), and I'm going for a II-V-I, or a long series of II-V-I, which chord to start on? Do I try to line it up so that it ends up back to the original key?Another Q is, do alot of jazz pieces have the II and V in the same measure and the I in its own?

Thanks alot!

[MichaelnChristine]

Good video. It might be nice to explain why these progression happen. you can understand a ii-V-I as that or a ii-vi-ii-V-I as itself but if you understand it as a series of fifths and just circling the circle of fifths it all makes a bit more sense. In other words it isn't a ii-V-I its a "Vof V"- "Vof I" - I. Like wise VOFVOFVOFV -VOFVOFV-VOFV-V-I would be 3-6-2-5-1. You can keep going and try this one - 1- #1- #4-7-3-6-2-5-1 it simple but fun.

[Ormaaj]

Argh! Why do people call it mi7b5? It hurts my brain. Whether its a ii in natural minor or a borrowed chord in major from the parallel minor, it still functions in this case as a predominant. There's nothing added, altered, or otherwise weird about it that warrants calling it b5.

Even worse is when people use it interchangeably with #11, whose function is usually either dominant or some tonic substitute. Still different is #4 which would be an added tone rather than extended harmony as with #11

[funtochill431]

@ Ormaaj,

I just looked at THREE different Music Theory Books and in every one they call this chord a Mi7(b5) or a Half-Diminished.

Which is exactly what this video says.

You're on CRACK.

[Ormaaj]

Sorry, not ^ (scale degree) 5, the 5th factor of the ii, or 6th scale degree.

[jazz054]

Very nice! though the instructor has to slow down a bit... speaks to fast and leaves no time to absorb... Thank you

[srvgravesdime]

Man you're an amazing teacher, but you talk a bit (just a hair) too fast

[mraggrovator]

Such a good teacher.

[DigitechGNX]

great lesson 5 stars!

can't wait for the part2

[specialsg3]

Another 5 stars

[Jartny]

Andrew, I love all your videos. I really like your approach to teaching, its helped me far beyond what I ever imagined. Thanks so much!

[Jed9133]

nice info....

[Hamgammy]

why the .....?

[nerdheadbanger]

Excellent! Just what I needed!

5 stars!

[col33145]

thanks andrew grate lesson