Nthe chord scale theory and jazz harmony pdf

A permutational triadic approach to jazz harmony and the chordscale relationship a dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty of the louisiana state university and agricultural mechanical college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy in the school of music by john bishop. The cmaj7 chord on the other hand is the i chord tonic chord of the progression. All others pitch sequences such as whole tone, diminished and blues scales are called. The chord scale theory states that, if the notes of a chord belong to a certain scale, this scale can be used for improvising on the chord. We know this is a c major scale so the root note c must have a major 7 chord built off of it. Basically, when we are choosing chord scales, we already know most of the notes in the scale. Jazz harmonization makes much more use of major and minor seventh chords for even the most basic passages within a song. In above progression the fmaj7 chord functions as a iv chord.

The key concept is the most important base of musical harmony. Study jazz harmony chord to scale flashcards at proprofs harmony related to scalemode. This lesson is closely related to the pentatonic improvisation lesson so if you havent watched that tutorial id recommend you check that out first. This is a very misunderstood concept, and in this video i wanted. This is a common practice in jazz and creates more voice leading. Chord scale theory while all or most of the current jazz masters are wellversed in chord scale theory, they must also have a deep understanding of the composition from which their statements derive meaning. Jazz scale applications the preceding scales are here roughly arranged from most consonant to most dissonant in relation to the following chord types. Since american jazz music resembles, in analysis, other practices of western harmony i. All the chords are built by harmonic superimposition of notes by third intervals above each scales degree. An agreement between melody and accompanying harmony giving the overall chordscale. Since we know the scale will contain 1, 3, 5, and 7 of the chord, we need to determine which additional notes would be good choices for passing notes. A permutational triadic approach to jazz harmony and the.

A major triad major chord uses 3 notes from the major scale, the root 1, the 3rd degree note 3 and the 5th degree note 5. The melodies which come from their instruments are conceived in their mind just before they play them. Jazz harmony is defined as the theory behind jazz chords, and the practice of how jazz chords are put to use in the context of jazz music. You can build a chord off of each note in the scale. Guide to the practical study of harmony musikipedia. As well as providing a set of notes for creating melodies, scales can help us find chords which suit the key of a piece of music.

This notion of chord scale compatibility marks a fundamental difference between jazz harmony and traditional classical practice. An avoid note is a note in a jazz scale that is considered, in jazz theory and practice, too dissonant to be played against the underlying chord, and so is either avoided or chromatically altered. C melodic minor, c harmonic minor, e b major bebop. For example, if youre playing a cfg progression, you will only use. The chordscale approach is based on the idea that if a chord is diatonic to a scale, then that scale can be used as a source to derive melody on that chord.

The chordscale system is a method of matching, from a list of possible chords, a list of possible scales. These notes will make up all major chords on the major scale, with the root note defining the label of the chord what its called, for. This is a common ending chord for jazz songs minor minor 1 b3 5 c eb g minor 7 1 b3 5 b7 c eb g bb minor 6 1 b3 5 6 c eb g a minor 7 b5 1 b3 b5 b7 c eb gb bb usually is a ii chord, goes to v altered dominant and resolves on i minor e. But i want to write for guitar players, and take into consideration the peculiarities, limitations recommended. Jazz educations purpose is to give you the basics you need in learning to play jazz or to improvise. This method further developed is now available as a comprehensive textbook for the first time. Notice i say broad because this broad way of thinking by using the chordscale system is exactly what gets us into trouble, which well talk about later. Emerged from practice and designed for practical use, it provides theoretical knowledge necessary for improvisation. The chords are created by stacking thirds on each root. The chord scale theory and jazz harmony pdf jazz chord. Common chord progressions and harmonic principles 1974 download pdf. Use therefore the f lydian mode, rather than the f major scale.

The d minor chord can be replaced by the d minor 7th chord. Some theory and closed chord voicings the iivi ending an introduction of the ii supertonic chord a variation of the 50s cliche. Guide to the practical study of harmony pykoaoacmao k npakmuleckomy. The relative minor chord the vi submediant chord the 50s cliche iviivvi progression. Jazz harmony is the theory and practice of how chords are used in jazz music.

This revised method is now available as a comprehensive textbook. Now a power ravened ahead over even though she was still shaking spasmodically, and by i dont care about her. Harmonic major is a major scale with a flattened 6th, creating an augmented 2nd interval between the 6th and 7th degree of the scale like the augmented 2nd found in harmonic minor. But when the iii replaces the i, it becomes emin7amin7dmin7g7.

Jazz harmony, as taught at the berklee college of music, is based on the socalled chord scale theory. For example, if we are going from a c7 with an aeolian scale to an ab7 chord, the most likely choice would be an ab lydian b7 scale. Jazz bears certain similarities to other practices in the tradition of western harmony, such as many chord progressions, and the incorporation of the major and minor scales as a basis for chordal construction. Pdf guitar chords and scales download full pdf book. In this weeks lesson, we looking at the static harmony of the i, ii, and vi chords found within a chord scale. A few years later, this approach started to become more codified in the chord scale theory taught by berklee and other places.

C dorian, c melodic minor, c minor pentatonic, d minor pentatonic, f major pentatonic, g minor pentatonic, b b major pentatonic, c minor bebop, e b major bebop, d in sen. The first way is to simply build the scale starting from the first chord. Its important to note that in this example the vi chord has been made into a dominant 7 chord vi. Scales and modes are now given prominence in jazz pedagogyto the point of being the primary focus. For example, the em7 chord is composed by notes e, g, b and d. Knowing a scale for a chord gives you a very broad understanding of this. This means that the c major scale can be used for improvising on em7. The common chord progression you will see this happen in is the iviiiv.

Songwriting with chord scale and static harmony youtube. However, for each note in the scale, we get a different chord type. Chord theory as applied to jazz guitar the harmonized scale the harmonized scale is any scale in which each note of the scale serves as the root of a chord. The system has been widely used since the 1970s and is generally accepted in the jazz world today however, the majority of older players used the chord tonechord arpeggio method. Minor scale wh w h w w chord intervals harmonic intervals chord structure, inversion, alteration, and extension are described in intervals and distance from the root of the chord or lowest note for inversions. An easy way to view this is to think of every other note of the scale as the notes used in the chord. The chord based on the second scale degree is used in the most common chord progression in jazz, iivi. Jazz harmony, as taught at the berklee college of music is based on the so called chord scale theory. In jazz often the terms scale and mode are used interchangeably. Major chords 1 ionian major scale 2 digital patterns. This is first in a series of videos describing the berklee chord scale method and how it can apply to constructing chord voicings. Nb the way of indicating chords is a shorthand and as such requires you understand what is.

The 3rd and 7th in a chord are the firstorder characteristic notes of the chord. And these notes belong, among others, to the c major scale. All major and minor chords, are created by using the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes. A beginning mentalmodel for harmony and melody when you seehear a chord, its advantageous to know what notes work over the chord. In jazz, chords are often arranged vertically in major or minor thirds, although stacked fourths are also. Several times so far, we have indicated that certain chords are suited to particular scales more than other chords. Another important characteristic of jazz harmony derives from stacking thirds, that is the addition of further notes above the 8th note of the root of the chord, the 8th note being one octave higher than the root. Olav torvunds guitar pages music theory book of the month january 2005 happy traum. Devised from practice and designed for practical use, it provides the theoretical knowledge. The third immediately tells whether the chord is major or minor, while the seventh adds a lot of colour and accounts for totally different functions in the harmony. Music harmony and theory is a fundamental basis to create and improvise music.

Using the chordscale approach gives improvisers especially less proficient ones greater melodic and rhythmic mobility i. Major scale 1 4 3 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 a 4 4 4 4 4 1 4 3 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 major scale sae b b b c b 1 4 3 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 5 1 4 3 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 6. Whether you want to study theory to go on the look at our jazz improvisation pages, or whether you want a preliminary explanation of some of the concepts in our beginners impro course taming the saxophone vol 2, you should find a lot of useful material her as you probably know, there are 7 notes in a major scale. In this lesson im going to introduce you to the concept of pentatonic harmony. The basic ingredients in music are scales, chords, melody, rhythm, and harmony. The chord scale theory and jazz harmony analysis by barrie. Here the c major scale is the appropriate choice for the minor chords use the e phrygian mode for the em7 chord, the a aeolian mode for am7 and the d dorian mode for dm7. The jazz chordscale handbook jazz guitar chord bible complete pdf the jazz piano book mark levine pdf. When choosing the chord scale for each given chord, there are basically three. Method and historical context jeffrey james mcfadden doctor of musical arts 2010 graduate department of music university of toronto abstract fretboard harmony is essential in any thorough approach to the education of classical guitarists yet no effective method or materials for teaching a course in. When it comes to improvising in jazz, scales lay the basic framework. Chord scales in jazz chord construction part i youtube. The most common chord progressions, especially in popular music, are based on the first, fourth, and fifth scale degrees tonic, subdominant and dominant.