[Harp-L] Re: Extensions vs. substitutions (was voicings part deux)

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Chord substitutions have an area of overlap with extensions, but shift the focus to changing the underlying chord root instead of adding extension notes over the same root.

Let's say you have a melody that goes C-B-C-D-C.

Let's say that the underlying chord is C Major, and the key is also C Major.

You could extend that C Major chord by adding the 7th and 9th, B and D. Those notes are also in the melody, so that would sound pretty smooth but wouldn't add a whole lot. So you might play around with adding the 11th for a sort of suspended sound, or maybe a raised 11th for a more relaxed floating sound. These are all in the realm of extensions.

But maybe you want a minor sound instead, but without clashing with the C major tonality (assuming the song is in C major).

Well, one simple substitution would be to replace the C major chord with an A minor chord. C-E-G, becomes A-C-E. These chords have two notes in common, so it's a subtle shift that will change the flavor. The bass player usually would also play an A to anchor the chord.

Maybe you want something that sounds kind of exotic, that goes outside the tonality but still sounds smooth. How about an Ab chord - Ab-C-Eb. How will the  melody notes fit with this? C becomes the 3rd of the chord instead of the root - it has a new meaning - cool! B will feel like a flat 3rd, but it comes back to the C, so you get some tension and release. D will sound like the raised 11th, giving it an exotic sound even though it's a note that belongs to the C scale.

Another possibility: Maybe you're on the way from a C chord to an F chord. You could use a tritone subsitition - a chord whose root is a tritone (six semitoens) away from the root of the chord you're replacing. So instead of C, you play an F#7 chord: F# A# C# E. The C will sound like a flat 5 or raised 11th. The B will create dissonant tension (clashing with the A#), and so will the D (clashing with the C#). The C itself, even thought technically dissonant, will sound strangely neutral and function almost like a point of resolution. Then, when you resolve the chord root down a semitone from F# to F, you'll get the relief of a landing point that belongs inside the key of C.

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Tue, 10/27/09, John F. Potts <hvyj@xxxxxxx> wrote:

From: John F. Potts <hvyj@xxxxxxx>
Subject: voicings part deux
To: winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 2:14 PM

Winslow,

Could you explain the relationship between chord extensions and chord substitutions? It seems to me there is some commonality.  i understand extensions, but how are they related to chord substitutions.  what can you tell us?

Thanks,

JP