Tritone Substitution

Lesson 9/199 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Complete Jazz Guitar

Tritone Substitution

Another common method of substitution is to use a chord whose root is a tritone (flattened 5th or augmented 4th) above that of the original chord. This is known as tritone substitution. As with other methods of substitution, this works because there are notes common to both chords. Using the chords G7 and Db7 as an example, you can see that the note F occurs in both chords. The note B is enharmonically the same as Cb which is the 7th of Db7, so this note is in both chords too. The substitution works well because these notes are the guide tones of both chords.

In the second half of the following example, Db7 is substituted for G7, creating a II bII I progression in the key of C instead of a standard II V I. Notice how the notes Db and Ab in the Db7 chord give the progression a different flavor to the II V I using a G7 chord.

Tritone substitutions are most commonly used with dominant chords, but can be used with any chord type and on any degree of a scale. In some cases, every chord except for I can be a tritone substitution. The example below shows a I VI II V progression followed by a second version where bIII is substituted for VI, bVI is substituted for II , and bII is substituted for V, This type of substitution throughout the progression is sometimes called backcycling. This is followed by two more variations. These are only a few of the many possibilities. Experiment and come up with some of your own.

A good way to practice substitutions is to learn a basic progression and then try out various substitution possibilities with some or all of the chords. The following example is a basic Rhythm Changes in the key of Bb. It has been recorded without a guitar part so you can jam along with the rhythm section. Play it along with the CD until you have it memorized.

Now try the version below. Play it along with the recording and listen to the different sound produced by the substituted chords. With any chord progression there are many substitution possibilities. The trick is knowing which ones to use in a particular musical context, and also when not to use substitutions. This knowledge comes from knowing the sounds of a particular idiom and is best developed by a great deal of listening and much playing with other musicians.

This progression is based on the Jazz standard All The Things You Are by Jerome Kern. It contains all the basic 7th chord types and has been recorded without a guitar part so you can jam along with the rhythm section. Use it to practice different voicings of the various chord types. Once again, learn the basic progression and then try out various substitutions using the methods demonstrated in this lesson.

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1- Electronic Tuner 2- The Importance of Timing and Attitude 3- Some Basic Theory 4- Understanding Chords 5- Intervals 6- Chord Construction - Triads 7- Scale Tone Chords 8- Seventh Chord Types 9- Dominant Seventh Chords 10- Minor 7th Chords 11- Understanding Rhythms 12- The Triplet 13- Scale Tone seventh chords 14- Learning Song Forms 15- Extended Chords 16- Extended Scale Tone Chords 17- Chord Substitution 18- Altered Chords 19- The Major Scale 20- Developing Rhythmic Control 21- Using Ties 22- Scale Degrees 23- Using the Scale Forms 24- More About Major Scales 25- Transposing 26- Arpeggios 27- Major Seventh Arpeggios 28- Modes 29- Fingerings For Modes 30- Modes Over Chord Changes 31- Other Chord Types 32- Soloing Over Altered Chords 33- Expressive Techniques 34- The Blues Scale 35- Articulations 36- Common 16th Note Rhythms 37- Dynamics 38- Harmonizing Minor Scales 39- Scale Substitution 40- Chord Diagrams 41- Tones and Semitones 42- Major Chord Formations 43- Finding Intervals on the Fretboard 44- Augmented and Diminished Chords 45- Major Key Triad Pattern 46- Major 7th Chords 47- The 12 Bar Blues Progression 48- The Key Cycle 49- Notes, Rhythms and Rests 50- Strumming Triplets 51- Scale Tone 7th Pattern 52- Play-Along Recordings 53- Eleventh Chords 54- Guide Tones 55- Learning Chord Substitution 56- Seventh Sharp Five 57- C Major Scale in Open Position 58- Improvising With Set Rhythms 59- Ties Across a Bar Line 60- Visualizing Scale Degrees 61- Playing What You Hear 62- Semitones on The Guitar 63- Accidentals 64- Practicing Arpeggios 65- Dominant Seventh Arpeggios 66- Mode Formulas 67- Combining Modes and Arpeggios 68- Memorizing Chord Types 69- Learning Altered Chords 70- Grace Notes 71- Blues Scale Forms 72- Accents 73- Volume Changes 74- Minor Key Progressions 75- Lydian Dominant Scale 76- Rhythm Notation 77- Sharps 78- Chord Progressions 79- Transposing 80- Moveable 7th Chord Forms 81- Using The Key Cycle 82- Comping 83- Swing Rhythms 84- Starting on Chord II 85- Jazz Terminology 86- Thirteenth Chords 87- Other Guide Tones 88- Turnaround Chord Substitution 89- Seventh Flat Five 90- Creating Your Own Melodies 91- First and Second Endings 92- Moveable Scale Fingerings 93- Major Scale Pattern 94- Enharmonic Notes 95- Arpeggios and chord progressions 96- Minor Seventh Arpeggios 97- Learning New Chords 98- Sharp Eleven Chords (<span class="symbolA">#</span>11) 99- The Fall-off 100- Ghost Notes 101- Accents and Swing 102- Twelve Eight Time (<span class="symbolA">+</span>) 103- Minor Key Modes 104- Spanish Phrygian Scale 105- Scale Diagrams 106- The Chromatic Scale 107- Moveable Chord Shapes in Five Forms 108- Scale Tone Chords Along the Strings 109- Voicings 110- Minor Keys and Scales 111- Quarter Note Rhythms 112- The Charleston Rhythm 113- The II V I Progression 114- Rhythm Changes 115- Omitting Notes From Chords 116- Triad Over Root Substitutions 117- Seventh Sharp Nine 118- Sequences 119- The g Major Scale 120- Blue Notes 121- Improvising With Arpeggios 122- Minor 7 Flat Five and Diminished 7ths 123- Rakes and Trills 124- Combining Scales and Arpeggios 125- Higher Extensions in Minor Keys 126- Learning and Writing Solos 127- Tablature 128- Flats 129- Inversions 130- Primary Chords 131- Inversions of Four Note Chords 132- Minor Scales in All Keys 133- Using Rests 134- Quarter Note Triplets 135- I Becomes II 136- Passing Chords 137- Major Ninth 138- Using 7th Chords to Create 9ths 139- Seventh Flat Nine 140- Memorizing The Notes Of The Scale 141- The F Major Scale 142- Substitutions in Minor Keys 143- Blues Changes 144- Tablature Symbols 145- The Major Scale 146- Inversions Along Sets of Strings 147- Harmonizing Melodies 148- Superimposing Chord Forms 149- Relative Keys 150- Identifying Eighth Note Rhythms 151- Other 7th Chord Types 152- Memorizing Chord Progressions 153- Voice Leading 154- Ninth 155- Substitutions in Minor Keys 156- Ninth Sharp Five 157- Other Major Scales 158- Blues Changes Using Substitutions 159- The Rudiments of Music 160- keys and Key Signatures 161- Learning the Guitar Fretboard 162- Common Progressions 163- Syncopation 164- Diminished Seventh 165- Modulation 166- Minor Ninth 167- Secondary Dominants 168- Ninth Flat Five 169- Major Scales In All Keys 170- Jam Along Progressions 171- Note and Rest Values 172- Notes on the Guitar Fretboard 173- Ties 174- Four Chords in One 175- V Becomes II 176- Eleventh 177- Tritone Substitution 178- Major Seventh Sharp Eleven 179- Intervals in Sequences 180- Learning Standards 181- Time Signatures 182- Minor Eleventh 183- Seventh Sharp Eleven 184- Listening 185- Note Values 186- Major Thirteenth 187- Extended Sharp Eleven Chords 188- Transcribing 189- Technique 190- Thirteenth 191- Altered Thirteenth Chords 192- Ear Training 193- Minor Thirteenth 194- Thirteenth Sharp Nine 195- Chord Formula Chart 196- Thirteenth Flat Nine 197- Creating Your Own Chords 198- Thirteenth Flat Five, Flat Nine 199- Altered Chords Chart

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Tritone Substitution