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Topic: Music Theory and the Circle of 4ths |
Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 13 Nov 2018 10:07 am |
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Memorizing the Circle of 4ths and visualizing the wheel has really opened up my ability to analyze a piece of music.
For your recall, the circle of 4ths is C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb B E A D G C . Once the circle is memorized, figuring out things like ii V I progressions in any key becomes child's play. It is just a stroll around Circle of 4ths:
Cm F7 Bb
Fm Bb7 Eb
Bbm Eb7 Ab
And so on around the circle. Need to figure out a tritone substitution? It is found at the exact opposite of wheel. Db7 is the tritone sub for G. Ab7 is the tritone substitution for D7 and so on around the wheel. I find tons of uses for this simple visualization.
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Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 13 Nov 2018 10:32 am
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I think the intro of "Light my fire uses this Bill.
It starts with G to D then goes up to F Bb C# G# A.
Then going to a-minor.
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 14 Nov 2018 10:02 am
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| Don’t forget the diatonic circle of 4ths too. It gets treated like a red haired stepchild in music theory land, but it really helps you learn what’s going on with your instrument in a given key. I probably never would have found a use for vii7b5 without it. Plus, you get back to the I chord much quicker 😎 |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
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Posted 14 Nov 2018 11:19 am
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Yes the Circle is invaluable stuff. I have Janet Davis´ Dobro Wall Chart framed and hanging on the wall in front of me. I put it up many years ago mainly for decoration, but I often look at the Circle of Fifths in the lower left-hand corner. It is chromatic, has the relative minors and enharmonic notation where appropriate. There is a lot of information in those few square inches.
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"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." -- Arthur C. Clarke |
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Bob Bestor
From:
Ashland, OR
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Posted 15 Nov 2018 8:56 am
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What is a tritone substitution and how can it be applied in a typical song?
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Keep on truckin' |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 15 Nov 2018 9:25 am
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Bob, a tritone substitution is a dom 7th chord that can be swapped in for another Dom 7th chord to create interest and tension in a solo, or when reharmonizing a song. the dom 7th chords are a tritone apart. Example would be playing a Db7th instead of a G7 in the key of C. Both the G7 and the Db 7 contain the notes B and F. A G7th has the B as the 3rd and the F as the 7th. The Db has F as the 3rd and the B as the 7th.
So instead of playing a G7th chord, you could swap in Abm Db7. (you can swap in the ii V of the tritone substitution for the original Dom 7th chord).
When looking for a Tritone substitution, it can be found at the opposite end of the wheel:
G7/Db7 C7/Gb7 F7/B7 and so on around the wheel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone_substitution
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Bob Bestor
From:
Ashland, OR
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Posted 15 Nov 2018 9:43 am
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Thanks Bill. I'll check it out.
Is it something used more often in jazz? Or can I apply it to a 1 4 5 country progression/feel?
_________________
Keep on truckin' |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 15 Nov 2018 10:07 am
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I play jazz on an eharp Bob, so maybe someone else can provide insight into country playing. But why not give it a try and see if you can make it work on the tunes you play. Play a song you play that has a G7 and try the substitution and see what you think.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2018 10:13 am
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| Bob Bestor wrote: |
| Is it something used more often in jazz? Or can I apply it to a 1 4 5 country progression/feel? |
It is used a lot in jazz. You can and should experiment with it regardless of the style you're playing. Be prepared to get a look from anyone within earshot. Depending on the genre and the crowd, it will either be 'cool!' or 'wow, he hit a clam!'
As Bill McCloskey pointed out, the reason a 7th chord 6 frets away from the one that's written 'works' is that the new chord shares the important DNA of the first chord.
In particular, the 3rd and b7th tones of the chord really provide its flavor (meanwhile, the bass player is defining the root, and the 5th of the chord doesn't add much 'information' to the flavor unless it's altered). So, those two notes, the 3rd and b7, are the critical ones for making a 7th chord, well.... sound like a 7th chord.
When you play the new chord as a substitution, it mostly fits in because it also contains at least those same two notes... only they have now swapped positions within the chord, which is no big deal. The tone that was the 3rd of the chord is still there. Only now, in the new chord, it's sitting in the b7 position. And the tone that was the b7 is now sitting in the 3rd position. Same two notes, they've just swapped where they sit within the chord. It's a different voicing of those two tones, but otherwise, they fit right in with the original 7th chord the band is playing.
Try it out on your E9 PSG.
Play a C7 at the 8th fret.
Put a pick on string 6 (the 3rd of the chord) and another on the 2nd string that's been lowered a half-step with the lever (that's the b7 tone) and hit that.
Now... slide up or down 6 frets (a tri-tone interval). You'll end up with the same two notes, only the note that was on string 6 now appears on string 2 and vice versa.
If you play just those two notes in either of those positions against the band's 7th chord it will sound correct and in a lot of cases, few would notice the change in voicing if you're playing backup chords.
But you're not going to play just those two notes. There wouldn't be any reason to do that substitution. You've got to play the rest of the new F#7 chord as a substitution for the C7 that's written to get the desired effect. The reason it sounds cools is that you'll have introduced two new notes into the picture (new tones for your root and 5th) that are not in the original chord. Therefore, to get the full effect, you'll want to be sure and include the root and/or 5th tone in your grip (in our example above, in the open, no-pedals position, that could be, say, strings 8 and 5). That's where the cool comes in.
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Last edited by Tucker Jackson on 15 Nov 2018 12:18 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Bob Bestor
From:
Ashland, OR
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Posted 15 Nov 2018 11:13 am
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Wow! Thanks for the detailed reply Tucker. I'll give it a go when I get home tonight!
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Keep on truckin' |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2018 11:41 am
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| Do Not use a tritone chord substitution on “Guitars & Cadillacsâ€. Unless your name is Buddy Something.... 🤠|
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2018 11:51 am
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Snort! 
The First Rule of Tritone Substitution: The bigger the singer's hat, the faster you'll be fired for gettin' funky. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 16 Nov 2018 1:51 am
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Three-chord songs are that way for a reason. Interfere with nature and we're all doomed.
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Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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