Today we are going to discuss a very common superimposition technique that I call ChordTone-Sevenths, specifically we’re going to look at the chordtone-sevenths of the dominant chord as this is the most used.
It’s a substitution cycle that allows you to superimpose any of the common 4 chord types (Maj7, min7, Dominant7 and m7b5) over eachother.
This is a technique that you’ll hear from Charlie Parker to josh smith. It’s heard frequently in jazz, blues, fusion but it can work in even more styles than that.
This concept works by taking the notes of a chord, (the chordtones) , and then building chords off each one of these chordtones to give us melodic material for improvisation. In it’s simplest form this is a quick way to create contrast by reducing your improvisation material to smaller pools of notes that you can go between, but in its advanced application we can use this as a springboard for some really outside sounds.
Let’s use G7 for our example today. The diatonic scale which fits the chord G7 is G mixolydian. The notes of G mixolydian are G A B C D E F .
Using those notes we can build 7th chords from each degree of the G7 chord –
G7 is G B D F
So using only the notes from the key we get
G7 – G B D F
Bm7b5 – B D F A
D-7 D F A C
FMaj7 – F A C E
Notice: As you move further down the list from G, you get less of the G triad and more extensions (9,11,13), this is great as you can build some tension and get a modern sound. You’ll be dealing with more “handle with care” notes, but as you learn to handle them, you’ll unlock a new palette of tension and release
This is where you might recognise these substitutions, you might have seen people play Bm7b5 while comping on G7, you’ll see Robben Ford do this all the time. You might have seen people play Fmaj7 over Eminor, you’re just going to the relative major of the chord and playing major 7.
The key thing to notice is that this creates a little circle (Shown Below) and in this circle you have the 4 most common chords found in music – major 7, minor 7, dominant 7 and half diminished. The cool thing about this cycle is that whenever you’re on any one of these chords, any of the other substitutions are available.
You might have heard about how Wes Montgomery or Pat Martino often relate chords back to minor, and this is how. They know how to relate any chord type back to a minor sound using this circle. It’s very important that as you practice with these ideas that you learn the spaces between the arpeggios in the cycle. (Shown Below)
So in its basic form, whenever you’re on any one of these chords, you can substitute any chord, arpeggio or scale from elsewhere in the cycle.
Common Substitutions using this cycle –
On Dominant Chords – All of them – m7b5 from the third, minor from the fifth and maj7 from the b7
On Minor Chords – Maj7 from the b3
On m7b5 Chords – Minor from the b3
On Maj7 Chords – Dom7 from the 2nd
Here are all the Substitutions as they relate to eachother
Here’s the Substitution Cheat Sheet
For Dominant Chords –
- min7b5/Locrian from the 3rd
- minor7/Dorian from the 5th
- Maj7/Lydian from the b7th
For m7b5 Chords –
- minor7/Dorian from the b3rd
- Maj7/Lydian from the b5
- Dom7/Mixolydian from the b13th
For Major Chords –
- Dom7/Mixolydian from the 2nd
- min7b5/Locrian from the #11th
- minor7/Dorian from the 6th
For Minor Chords –
- Maj7/Lydian from the b3rd
- Dom7/Mixolydian from the 4th
- m7b5/Locrian from the 6th
You can take it one step further and go beyond imposing just the arpeggio or diatonic scale and impose other scales and arpeggios instead.
Advanced Dominant Choices: Major Pentatonic, Bebop dominant scale, altered scale, lydian dominant, wholetone scale, Dominant Diminished scale.
Advanced m7b5 choices: Locrian nat2, locrian nat 6, locrian nat2 and nat 6, Blues scale, Minor Pentatonic
Advanced Minor Scale: Harmonic Minor, Blues scale, Melodic Minor, Natural Minor, hungarian minor, minor bebop scale
Advanced Maj7 Scales: Lydian augmented, Lydian augmented #2, Major bebop scale
Remember the more advanced and outside you take it, the more important it becomes to be able to resolve your lines!