Harmony for Jazz Guitar

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1 Harmony for Jazz Guitar By David Chavez Music s only purpose should be the glory of God and the recreation of the human spirit. Johann Sebastian Bach For David, Michael and Aaron 1

2 INTRODUCTION Improvisation over the popular song is the character of Jazz and with good technique, persistence, and a strong understanding of harmony the guitarist will achieve his or her goals in music. Because improvisation is simply composition during performance the Jazz guitarist must rely on as many harmonic concepts from the twelve-tone tempered scale as she or he can develop. A single method or approach to harmony will limit the required depth to successfully play this beautiful music. Once the Jazz guitarist has a good command of harmonic musical concepts he will have the same depth and dimension as the traditional accompanist (the pianist), but in a very distinct fashion, the guitar allows room for all the music s possibilities - although a skilled solo guitarist alone can fill up all musical space. Sonny Rollins, the great Jazz saxophonist, said: The piano is always a difficult instrument for me cause its very dominating the instrument itself is very dominating. I like a guitar because a guitar gives you harmonic background and it doesn t take up the whole space of the music. This summary is intended to assist the intermediate and advanced guitarist in harmonizing melodies utilizing some parallel scales. These musical concepts are a few approaches and are not exclusive to the guitarist; other instrumentalists can equally benefit from these concepts. The principle theme in this outline is motion and substitution using parallel and relative scales. All references are in the key of C. First, we must have a good command of scales and the scale of chords. These scales are equally important for single note improvisation but this subject will not be addressed in this handbook. The most important concept to appreciate above all else is that the western twelve-tone chromatic scale is the parent from which all other scales derive. Furthermore, each note in the chromatic scale is the root of a dominant chord that connects all tonalities. The freedom to create music should, in 2

3 the end, consider the availability of the chromatic scale regardless of the song s tonal center. Scales 1. Major scale C, D, E, F, G, A, and B and every degree is numbered C is the 1. D is the 2. E is the 3. F is the 4 and so on 2. Sixth diminished scale made popular by the great Jazz pianist, Barry Harris Major C, D, E, F, G, G#, A, and B To make this a minor scale we flatten the third degree from E to Eb. Minor C, D, Eb, F, G, G#, A, B 3. Harmonic minor scale C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, and B 4. Jazz minor scale. The classic melodic minor ascends differently than it descends and why this is called the jazz minor, often referred to as the altered scale. C, D, Eb, F, G, A, and B There are many other scales but these scales are the most common in building chords. As we know, if using functional harmony concepts, most jazz standards are written in more than one key and when a song changes key the scale changes. For instance, the standard All The Things You Are, most jazz musicians would argue, goes through five major keys. So, as stated above, we must have a good command of the scales and their chords. 3

4 Scale of Chords (harmonized scale) Using only one of these scales is sufficient perhaps for simple accompaniment but borrowing from parallel scales offers a palette of musical colors. The chords we decide to borrow are subjective and each musician should fully explore all possibilities. Chords, as we know, are typically stacked in thirds. C-Major-Scale-of Chords: 1. C major 2. D minor 3. E minor 4. F major 5. G7 6. A minor 7. B minor b5 Sixth-Diminished 1. C major 2. D diminished 3. C major inverted 4. D diminished inverted 5. C Major inverted #5. D diminished inverted 6. C major inverted 7. D Diminished inverted Sixth-Diminished minor 1. C minor 2. D diminished 3. C minor inverted 4. D diminished inverted 5. C minor inverted #5. D diminished inverted 6. C minor inverted 7. D Diminished inverted Harmonic-Scale-of Chords: 1. C minor 2. D minor b5 3. Eb#5. 4. F minor 5. G7 6. Ab major 7. B minor b5 Jazz Minor Scale of Chords: 1.C minor major, 2. D minor 3. Eb major#5 4. F7 5. G7 6. A minor b5 7. B minor b5 4

5 Substitution and Borrowing The following is the I, VI, II, V, I progression we are all familiar with in the key of C: Cmaj7 to Amin7 to Dmin7 to G7 back to Cmaj7 Lets borrow the 4 chord from the harmonic minor scale; the Fmin7 for the G7. Our Progression now looks like this. Cmajor7 to Amin7 to Dminor7 to F minor7 to Cmajor7 The Jazz Minor scale. For the same I, VI, II, V, I progression, let s borrow the 4 chord which is F7 and substitute it for the two chord which is Dminor7. Our progression in C major now becomes: Cmajor7 to Aminor7 to F7 to G7 to Cmajor7 We aren t restricted to borrowing from one scale alone. We can borrow one or more chords from the harmonic scale and one or more chords from the jazz minor scale or any other scale for the same progression. Considering this, there are many possibilities. But, keep in mind that borrowing for the sake of borrowing is inappropriate. Above all, it must sound good and the ear should lead us not the mechanical process. The sixth diminished scale is very interesting. When this major scale of chords is combined and interwoven with its minor scale of chords a very distinct harmony is created. Also, the diminished 6 th note when added to any chord from the major scale creates an interesting dissonance. Some musicians use modes to borrow chords from; modes offer other sounds for composition and improvisation (another study). 5

6 Motion This topic is crucial in our musical development. As we know, each chord has a quality. Most jazz musicians place all chords in three categories: the major chord, the minor chord, and the dominant chord. Each begins as a triad and then is extended to add 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, or 13ths, and then each may be altered. Each major scale has one dominant (the V chord) and one minor7b5 chord (the VII chord); both are leading chords. The II chord and the IV chord are unresolved chords but not so strongly unresolved as the V and VII chords. Fittingly, the I, III, VI, chords are referred to as resolution chords within the key. The V - I relationship is most important to understand. The other unresolved chords can be substituted for the V chord. Likewise, the three resolution chords within the key are substitutable for each other. Too many musicians focus on the chord but the chord should not be the end of our harmony studies; we should be working on a flowing motion of connected chords. One way to do this is to keep as many notes from the chord we are moving away from in the chord we are moving to. For instance in a Dmin7 to G7 (2-5) movement the notes of the Dmin7 are D, F, A, B and for G7 the notes are G, B, D, F. Both chords share the F, D and the B. Since the third and seventh degree of each chord determines the quality of the chord all other notes can be chosen as the guitarist wishes. Moving chords chromatically up or down without having to change the chord shape is a feature available to the guitarist. Likewise, approaching a target chord from one half step up or down in this manner provides some motion to the music. Using the circle of fourths is another interesting way to create motion. Composers and arrangers have historically moved in and out of keys using the circle. 6

7 Whole tone Scale and Diminished Scale (Symmetry) The whole-tone scale is constructed of whole steps (also called the augmented). There are only two of them and because they are symmetrical this scale s chord shape can be moved up and down in major thirds for their inversions. C whole-tone scale is: C, D, E, F#, G#, A# and its chords are stacked in major thirds. C augmented chord is C, E, and F# The diminished scale is constructed of a series of whole tone/ half tone intervals and the chords are stacked in minor thirds. There are only three of them and the chord shapes can be moved up and down in minor thirds for their inversions. C diminished scale is: C, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, A, and B Both the whole-tone and diminished chords are ordinarily used as passing chords and are leading chords. An example of the diminished chord in this context is moving from Cmajor7 to Dminor7 (I- to the II chords in the key of C). We can insert C# diminished7 between the Cmajor7 and Dminor7; this is also a chromatic movement. The whole-tone chord can be applied in this way as well as others: C major to C whole tone (augmented 5) to F major. Both the whole-tone and the diminished chords can be used as substitutes for the V chord. For instance, when a chart calls for a G7 chord we can use the G whole-tone chord, which alters the G7 chord yielding a G7#5 sound. Similarly, the Ab diminished can be played instead of the G7 chord yielding a G7b9 sound. Interestingly, the diminished and whole-tone scales are a lifetime study for the guitarist. They provide a system of creating chords not from the scale but from the chord. Moving one or two notes up or down in theses chords will produce major, minor and dominant chords without regard to the twelve-tone scale. 7

8 Related keys Since these two symmetrical chords can be used as substitutes for the V chord of each tonality and since these chord shapes are moved (inverted) up and down in minor and major thirds they create relationships between major and minor scales. For instance, in the key of C major the G7 is the dominant and the Ab diminished chord is used as a substitute for the G7. We can move the Ab diminished chord up a minor third to the B diminished chord that is the substitute for Bb7 and up again a minor third again to D diminished the substitute for Db7 and yet again to F diminish substituting for the E7. So the one diminished chord and its inversions is the common denominator to four dominant chords. Because we know there is one dominant chord in each key, this one diminished chord creates relative keys (tonalities). Chords from relative keys are borrowed in chord progressions for rich and interesting harmonies and movements. Special Consideration Although the Blues scale is not used for building chords I think it is important to include it in this outline because it is so much a part of American Jazz. Leonard Bernstein, in 1956, said: Jazz has its roots in the Blues and not in Classical music. This scale when played over western harmonies produce a distinct dissonance created by the blue notes, which are the b3, b5, and b7. The Blues scale is: C, D /E, F, F /G, G, B There are no short cuts. The guitar is a musical instrument, you have to learn music first then use the guitar as an instrument to share your musical art; this can take decades to develop. Twelve chromatic notes in one octave, consonance and dissonance; melody, harmony and rhythm, the combinations are infinite. - David Chavez 8

9 This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give or sell this outline to anyone else. If you received this publication from anyone other than David Chavez, you ve received a pirated copy. Please contact me via at: davidsjazzguitar@gmx.com 9

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