Jazz Theory and Practice Module 2, a,b,c

Dominant-7th, Added-6th and Minor-7th Chords, The (II � V � I) progression

C. Two more 7th chords: Major-7th; half-diminished-7th a. The 7th chords of the major scale: earlier in this module we

discovered that the dominant-7th chord falls naturally on

the fifth note (V) of the major scale, and that minor-7th chords fall naturally of II, III, and VI of the major scale.

Of the three remaining scale degrees, major-7th chords fall naturally on I and IV, and a half-diminished 7th falls

naturally on VII:

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b. The major-7th chord is a major triad with a major 7th added, and is very familiar in the jazz harmonic vocabulary.

If you listen carefully you will find that the chord is a little more dissonant than either the minor-7th or the dominant-

7th chords, because the root and the 7th may be only a half-step apart.

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Copyright © 2012 Peter J. Clements

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When the major-7th chord is used in the middle of the

phrase it typically moves to the next chord much like other 7th chords do; the seventh will usually move downward by

step:

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The tonic major-7th chord (I7) is often used at the end of a phrase, as a stable, final chord. This is a departure from

traditional classical music, folk music, and even show tunes, where the final chord is almost never a 7th chord.

In Module 2B(c) various possible final I chords were shown, including added-6th and major-7th versions. Another

common variation is the I(6 9), including both the 9th (or

2nd) and the added 6th:

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c. The half-diminished 7th chord consists of a diminished triad

plus a minor 7th, or two minor 3rds and a major 3rd. A diminished 7th (fully diminished) consists of three minor

3rds. The “half-diminished” label is also used in classical music theory, but in jazz the chord has another name:

minor-7th(b5). This relationship is seen in the second line of

the following example:

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In the minor key a half-diminished chord falls naturally on

II, and is almost always part of the II7�V7�I pattern.

Because of the unique colour of the half-diminished 7th, it is often “borrowed” in the major key as well:

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D. The Basic II ���� V ���� I Progression a. What is a chord progression? Until now, we’ve only

been dealing with materials of music: tetrachords, some

scales, some 7th- and added 6th – chords, with a little exploration into how one chord leads to another (e.g.

resolution of dominant-7ths). There are still lots more materials to add to our collection, but from now on we’ll be

focusing much more on chord progression, starting with a

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succession of three chords, then growing into larger

contexts.

This is the real central focus of jazz theory. It’s a study that is never complete; there are always new harmonic

colours and progressions to be discovered. A chord progression is nothing more than a sequence of chords that

form a logical pattern, and most of these patterns occur in music over and over, with countless variations. What is

remarkable is that many jazz musicians don’t read music at all, but just by ear they have a repertoire of hundreds of

chord patterns, and they really have a thorough understanding of jazz theory, without ever really thinking

about it.

As we move forward through our study of chord patterns

it’s important to be able to identify these patterns both as specific chords (Dm7� G7� C) and as a general

progression type: (II7� V7� I).

b. II ���� V ���� I at the cadence. The harmonic progression

II�V�I is probably the most useful tool in the box for the

jazz player, composer, or arranger. It is also very commonly used in various contemporary idioms: folk

music, rock, gospel, blues, and in classical music as well.

In this section we will deal with it mostly in its simple

form, and we will return to it later in our study. In its simple form it typically appears as the final progression in a

musical phrase, what would be labeled a Perfect or Authentic cadence (with many variations in terminology) in

traditional classical theory:

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In the minor key, the seventh step of the scale is most often

raised to produce a major dominant triad. The II7 chord is the half-diminished version, as discussed in the previous section.

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In the classical tradition of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries,

the II � V � I progression, with its many variations, is as

common as it is in jazz. In most current textbooks the II chord is classified as a pre-dominant chord, preceding the

dominant and tonic chords in the progression to a cadence. Here is an example from a Haydn symphony, where the

predominant chord is stretched out over several measures. There is no doubt that the cadence is inevitable, and this

stretching of the predominant harmony (a simple form of “expansion” or “prolongation”) is very effective:

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In an earlier example only basic triads: Dm, G, and C were used. In some contemporary idioms (folkmusic, “country”,

for example) the basic triads might be the most appropriate chords for the style (although the dominant-7th would likely

be used), but in a jazz style often all three chords would be “coloured” with at least a 7th or added 6th:

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Here are other variations of the basic II � V � I progression.

In every case the functions of the three chords are identical (pre-dominant, dominant, tonic), but the examples differ by

colour, especially the pre-dominant chord.

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c. Other places in the phrase. The II � V � I progression is

not always used at a cadence; often it appears at the beginning or in the middle of a phrase, and this is where it

is important to think about the general harmonic pattern (II� V� I), as well as the specific chord symbols:

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Look at the brackets under the music, and notice that there

are four II7 � V7� I7 progressions that seem to be in three different keys (Eb- C- Bb). When you hear the music (you will

find it in the PLAY/SING section following) you will discover that it all seems to belong together, and the places where it

appears to move to another key are very temporary.

In traditional Music Theory these short excursions to other keys are often referred to as tonicizations, that is, a

momentary focus in a different key, but for a short enough time that there is no sense of really changing the key, which

would then be called a modulation. True modulation is

unusual in the jazz repertoire, but it does occur sometimes in longer pieces.

There is an important principle here, shown in the overall

reduction, or summary, below the music. The reason that these tonicizations seem to flow smoothly from one to the

other is because there is a logical harmonic connection between them; a larger chord progression: I, VI, V, I. The

idea that there can be more than one harmonic progression at the same time, at different levels, is an important concept

that will come up again as we continue our study.

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d. Interpolation. Especially in ballads, with slow moving

harmony, a common technique is to “interpolate” other chords between the basic chords in the harmony. Look at

the following example. In the second version, second line, the arrival on the tonic chord is delayed a whole measure

by interpolating II7 and V7. At the end of the line there is a tonicization of the dominant (C), by preceding it with it’s

own II7 and V7 (Dm7, G7), then the dominant is converted to a dominant-7th (C7), delayed by inserting it’s

II7 chord (Gm7). When the piece continues, the next chord will be F major, completing the II7 � V7 � I.

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e. Something to look forward to: In Module 4 (Module 3 is

review and test) the II�V�I will be growing, first as part of

a turnaround: I�VI�II�V�I (aka the “I Got Rhythm Changes”) then into even longer harmonic patterns,

including the 12-bar blues pattern, with dozens of harmonic variations!

f. Something to listen to: Virtually every jazz standard has

a ii�V�I in it somewhere, but there are a number of pieces

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where it’s “high density”, typically in several keys (as in the

section “other places in the phrase”). For major key examples listen to Fly Me to the Moon and The End of a

Love Affair. A good minor key example is The Shadow of Your Smile.

Return to the menu, and try the PLAY/SING and WRITE exercises for Module 2c.