Jazz Theory: Chord Changes

[mandrian]

Hi,

I am trying to learn D Natural Blues (Wes Montgomery). In the past I have learned just the melody/head of jazz tunes as that was about all I was capable of.

Having now got time on my hands I am now also trying to learn the chords and put together some sort of solo. I decided to use this tune as I know it well and it appeared to be relatively simple.

Can some of those with more knowledge address to following points;

1. The tune is a 12 bar blues with the following chords used as listed for the solos per the Hal Leonard book I am using. D7, G7, Emi7 and A7. Not being a great player and as this is my first attempt to play chords, I am using three finger chords based on the low three strings (I was told this was a good idea for jazz). My problem is when I sound my Emi7 chord (7570) it sounds to my ear the same as the A7 chord (6570). Not surprising given the fingerings I suppose. Any comments on this? Should I just stick with the A7 or use some other fingering for the Emi7?

2. I had always presumed that the chords and changes in a solo would be the same as those of the melody. This does not seem to completely the case. I also notice that the chords that Montgomery uses in his solos are not completely the same as the Leonard book. Is this a jazz thing? Is this what is meant by the term chord substitutions?

3. What would be the best strum pattern to use for playing the chords? I am using strum followed by muted strum. Does that seem appropriate?

Sorry for the ramble on what some might think were obvious points.

[bobby bill]

I would experiment with several other versions of the chords. Some versions lead to the next chord better.

For emin7, try: 425x. (A little unorthodox since it is missing the third, yet I like the sound of it.) It may lead to your 6570 better. Or not. Just experiment.

[robert.najlis]

For emin7 you can also try : 455x that gives you the 5, b3 and b7. It does omit the tonic, but that is usually covered by one of the the other instruments, especially the bass.

I think Mike Marshall's dvd on mandolin fundamentals would help - the second DVD is all about chords. Also Don Julin has a short youtube video that runs through some of that.

I'm sure more expert jazz players will chime in soon.

[Don Stiernberg]

Dear Mandrian,

1. Em7 and A7 do sound the same because they share tones, both having been drawn from the parent tonality of D major. Their similarities may be even more striking on the mandolin where we have only four notes to sound. Movement of the bass line also leads our ears through Em7 on it's way to A7 then back home to D, so in the absence of a bass line on a bass, guitar, or piano, then again there is less to distinguish Em7 from A7 on the mandolin. Well to keep in mind that the A7 should have a C# in
it(it's third). In addition to Bobby Bill's excellent suggestion of 4-2-5 for the Em7, you might try a plain Em, 4-5-7, an Em9 4-5-9,or go up the neck to 9-9-10-10. It's also OK to alter the dominant chord by adding a tension, say A7+(augmented)6-5-8 or A7(b5)6-5-6. Color tones also can be sweet, such as A13 6-5-9 or A9 6-5-7-7. a sus, a/k/a A11 is cool too 2-2-5-5..

2.Chords used to improvise are very often different from those used in the melody statement. In fakebooks this is expressed with the term "blowing changes", if in fact a second set of changes is provided. This is done usually to capture a particular arrangement or a certain artist's famous approach to a tune. Wes Montgomery in particular was a genius at moving through additional tonalities on his way to target tonalities--this indeed happens in "D natural Blues", and yes the term "chord substitutions" can be applied, but be careful as that can be a misleading or misused term at times. One of his favorites was to approach chord IV (in this case G7) from a half-step above(Ab7), but also add it's corresponding ii chord(Ebm7). So in this blues instead going BAM! from D to G7 he might play a melody line reflecting the chord movement D-Ebm7-Ab7-G7. A circuitous route filled with surprise, mystery and wonder, culminating in comfort when we land on the G7. same device is used in "West Coast Blues" and many Wes arrangements. Guys from that era, thanks largely to Charlie Parker and then Wes, loved to ii-v7 their way from tonality to tonality.

3. your rhythm stroke will be dictated by what other instruments are around, what's already covered, etc., but the one you mentioned sounds cool, like one I like to call "morse Code" rhythm: Da-Dit-Da-Dit....You might also try simple quarter notes(Chunk-Chunk-Chunk-Chunk)or just supplying harmonic information here and there a la the piano part..

4. All the Best and Happy Chording!This stuff is where the fun is and why the mandolin is the coolest instrument in the world.

[AlanN]

What a great explanation of Wes' thing! Next time I groove to that number, I'll listen for those moves...and then just listen...lol.

[robert.najlis]

Thanks for the great insights Don!

[Pete Martin]

Your fingerings described for Em7 to A7 are fine but get rid of the open E string for comping purposes. I use these voicings a ton.

If you have trouble hearing how they work, sing the root of each chord, then play the chord. Play along with Band in a Box or the iReal book play along. Play those voicings to hear how they work, then play along again and mute everything except the bass. Do this until the sounds make sense to you. And of course, keep listening to Jazz of this era. Listen especially to the piano chord voicings. At first it is hard to even tell what type of chord is being played (major, minor, dominant, etc), but keep listening and studying your voicings. Eventually you will hear this fine.




Practice this:

G D A E
Em7
7 5 7 x

A7
6 5 7 x

DMaj9
6 4 7 x

I hear this type of voicing all the time in late 50s and early 60s piano players (Bill Evans, Red Garlund, Tommy Flannagan). Play this and sing the root before playing each chord. You will soon get used to the sound and hear how the voicings work.

I wrote a book on Jazz chording starting with the swing era, advancing through bebop into more modern Jazz. You can download it free at my web site.

You should also listen to and learn West Coast Blues. A lot of the stuff Don described applies to that tune.

[mandrian]

Hi,

Thanks for all the great advice, it really is much appreciated. I'll get working today! I've been told to just really concentrate on a few tunes that I love and get to know them in depth. My first one is D Natural Blues and (Pete) the second one already chosen was West Coast Blues. I chose the second tune because it's a bit faster and I have a good mandolin reference source in Don's recording on the Home Cooking CD.

A final point, just to aid my understanding of how things work in a band setting. Will the backing players always play the same chords that a soloist employs or will they sometimes play "sympathetic" chords? I was thinking that if the soloist always has some flexibility in what chord changes he employs, how do the others know what he will play next?

Thanks as always.

[Pete Martin]

There is ideally an interaction between the soloist and the rhythm section both in terms of chord voicings used and timing of rhythmic emphasis. If I am soloing, I am always listening to voicings behind me to see if something interesting occurs I can react to. Vice versa when comping.

As an example, if I am soloing on a tune with a minor chord, I am listening for the comping instruments interpretation of that chord. Is it a minor/major (as in Cm/Maj7 or Cm6) or is it a minor seventh (Cm7)? Is there an 11 in the voicing? Any other extensions or alterations? All these help determine what type of line I will play.

Eventually you need to train your ears to hear basic chord types (minor, major, dominant, diminished, half diminished, etc), extensions (9th, 11th, 13th) and alterations (# or b5 9 11 13). Then knowing the scale options that work with each in every key. And yes it is a lot of work, but huge fun!!

[pglasse]

Great answers above by both Don and Pete!

In the kind of musical vocabulary we're dealing with here, in general, the 3rds and 7ths of the chords are REALLY important. You'll want to lean heavily toward chord voicings that put these intervals on your two lowest strings. Pete's example above does this for the Em7 and A7. Note how little you have to move your fingers -- good voice leading there.

I might voice a root low in a particular chord perhaps sometimes in a duo situation, where I was backing up a single soloist -- or just to get nice voice-leading in a sequence of chords. In general though we don't have to worry about playing roots to chords in this musical realm.

"Will the backing players always play the same chords that a soloist employs or will they sometimes play "sympathetic" chords? I was thinking that if the soloist always has some flexibility in what chord changes he employs, how do the others know what he will play next?"

Great question -- one that there are lots of right answers for. We could spend a long time on this. There is a lot of flexibility here. The right accompanying musicians can rhythmically and harmonically support, nudge, and encourage the soloist. There are plenty of chord-substitution options that can coexist nicely with a more basic version of a tune's chords. Often one can hear where the soloist is going and make adaptations on the fly. That's standard jazz practice. When done right there can be an improvisational interplay that's really fun to participate in. That said, heavy-handed use of "gratuitously-hip" chord work can have kind of a bullying effect on the soloist -- pushing him around musically when, in my opinion, usually it's the soloist's turn to lead things.

Nice thread y'all!

["Umm, fish?"]

Lots of really great advice from people way the heck more knowledgeable than me, but I just want to point out that the four note voicings of those chord inversions that are talked about above that put the root note on the A or E strings (7-5-7-7 for Em or 7-6-7-7 for E7; 6-5-7-5 for A7 or 5-5-7-5 for Am) are _incredibly_ useful. Learn those inversions well until you can find them in your sleep because they are perfectly placed so that you can do long runs of V of V chords (in other words, many dominant chords in a row that work their way around the circle of fifths until you get to whatever point where you want to stop) sliding right down the neck.

Plus, those inversions are great for creating alterations when you get to that point.