Chord Substitution?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 12:18PM I received a really fascinating post from a guitar teacher (http://www.thefifthfret.com/2007/12/chord-substitution.html) wherein he talked about chord substitution. I thought it was really interesting theory wise for us to explore and I also wanted to make the concept more accessible than theoretical, so I decided to take one of the songs from the duet CD that I did with John Batdorf (www.johnbatdorfmusic.com) called All Wood and Stones to demonstrate what I’m talking about. 
All Wood and Stones is a concept album of all Rolling Stones songs reinvented and rearranged acoustically and harmonically. It has been likened to Rolling Stones songs done up like Crosby Stills & Nash, but I tend to think of it more along the lines of the Beatles Rubber Soul meets CS&N meets the Beach Boys and everyone is playing acoustic guitars. We chose all of our favorite Stones tunes, all of which were from the pre Exile on Main Street days. Among them, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. Everyone know s this tune, so that’s the one that I want to use to demonstrate chord substitution.
The original song has the signature lick which in the key of D is simply the NOTES (not the chords): A A AB C, CCB A A AB C CCB etc. and the song goes like this over top of that signature lick:
A A AB C, CCB A A AB C, CCB (and so on)
When I’m driving in my car and a man comes on the radio
He’s telling me more and more
About some useless information supposed to fire my imagination
I can’t get no…no no no
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say
And the chorus goes into the chords like this:
D G D G
I can’t get no…satisfaction. I can’t get no…satisfaction
D A D G
Cause I tried and I tried and I tried and I tried
D (SIGNATURE LICK)
I can’t get no…no, no, no, no
John and I decided that we wanted to reinvent the song, not just reproduce it. When I was coming up many different artists would sing the same song and what you got was an individual artist’s interpretation of a song you knew. It was always fun to hear what your favorite artist would do to change a song you knew and thereby make their own artistic statement; actually making the song their own. I always thought of that as the true mark of an artist. And that has subsequently always been my aspiration, whether composing or reinterpreting a song.
In any event, here’s what we did with the verses. Over an ostinato (a repetitive musical figure) of quarter note A and D from the first position of a D chord on a guitar, I played a whole note D, then half note F and half note E, all the while continuing the A and D, a brand new pattern and signature lick is created. We used the same melody, but changed the sounds / chords underneath. Against that ostinato, I sang the verses of the song.
We began with just the osti and literally no one in the audience knew what the song was, but then I started singing, “I can’ get no” and the whole audience goes, “what?” and then I start singing the verses over that osti and they all start smiling. When we got to the chorus we went back to the original D, G, A chords. You know the original song, so go to www.allwoodandstones.com and give it a listen and you’ll hear what I’m talking about; the kind of emotional impact these kinds of harmonic changes make. You can listen on the site for free and you’ll hear the difference. Using different chords under a familiar melody is always fun way to stretch yourself and your material.
You can also do things like changing the song from a major song to a minor one, or vice versa. That sends a song to a different place immediately. And try changing tempo’s. 3/4 instead of 4/4 or vice versa. And if you are really advanced try the more sophisticated time signatures: 5/4, 7/4, etc and of course you can mix them all up. Tempos, chord progressions, major, minor, can all be employed to find a new way to do a familiar song. When you get it right, the audience loves it and you grow an artist. But get it right in your room first, then show the audience.
Reader Comments (7)
It never fails that when ever I am learning a song and it may even be the published sheet music (which has the tendancy to be awful)...I always end up changing at least one chord...its simotaniously facinating and frustrating at times to get a workable version of a song going...sometimes I'll have been playing a song for years and then realize that it sounds all wrong and I come up with something new...but I digress
Thanks for the recognition, however I wouldn't necessarily call what you're doing Chord substitution, it's more modal interchange, let me explain theoretically what I think is going on. Take into account I don't actually know this song well - So I could be wrong. (with few exceptions my entire rock repertoire was learned going through the songs with students).
They stay on one chord for a long time, creating a very modal idea - not tonal, modal songs have an entirely new set of rules when it comes to substitution.
The tonal centre of that lick is A, in the key of D, they are then using 'A' mixo-lydian.
However, on your rewrite you have an F natural (A mixo-lydian has an F#)
Also your tonal focus seems to be D - not A, and again that F natural - the minor third of D, leads me to believe you're implying D aeolian - otherwise implying the parallel mode to the key of the song, a really cool effect.
So yes, chord substitution in a way, but following modal ideas rather then tonal. Or it could be late and I've made no sense thus far - I'm not sure.
dustin, thanks for the post. yes you made sense. it is just that i was trying to demonstrate a practical application to what you suggested with the theory of chord substitution. you were speaking from the standpoint of theory, where a vi chord can be substituted for a I chord or a ii for a IV. i just extended that idea and then demonstrated how you could leave the melody in tact and do bolder chord substitution. i loved your article and loved where it sent me. please feel free to jump in here when ever you want and correct or add to anything i've said. i want this site to help us all become all we can be.
james lee
also, it wasn't in the key of a. i noted that i was giving the notes of the signature lick and not the chords. you must have passed by that. the song is most definitely in the key of d.
thanks,
james
Hi James,
Another killer meaty post. I love it when artists pop open the hood and really show the nuts and bolts of what drives their songwriting down the road to success. How's that for milking a metaphor!
Guitar voicings is something a lot of young songwriters are completely aware of, and it's often a great indicator of a writer's talent. It can literally transform the melody of the song.
Great post, keep it up!
Nope, I took into account that it was in the key of D, A mixo-lydian is the fifth mode of D, but it's still in essence the same key.
wow, i love how much response we got from everyone. glad that we could all be of service to each other. please let me know what else we can talk about that would help us all be better at this mysterious and wonderful music thing.
james