What Is Chord Substitution? Part Two

Before we go into more chord substitution, I wanted to let you all know that as of last Friday at 5:15 pm, we crossed 365,000 hits. For those of you with retention and recall, you will remember that I had a little contest where in you folks would try to guess which day we were going to cross that fabled line. As it happens, Bobby Brogan of Ohio landed right on the date, August 8^th, so he will be receiving the very first copy of “new traces of the old road” which should be back from manufacturing by the end of the month. Bobby, please send me a private email with the address that you want to use to receive your prize.

I like this contest stuff and I think I’ll run another one of some sort on Monday. Now on to our chord substitution exploration.

On Monday we talked about some simple chord substitution like using the relative minor in the place of the major chord. As you remember, a minor chord is simply a triad with the third of the chord flatted (down half a step—think C-E-G. That is a major chord, flatting the third or E would make the chord C-Eflat-G and we have a C minor).

Today let’s look at what happens when you raise the third. In the C Major key, that would mean raising the E to an F. The chord that is formed is no longer a simple C Major chord. It is now C-F-G. In western music, we call this a suspension or a suspended fourth, because our ear wants that F to go to the closest note in the scale, which would be the E. When it goes back to that E, we call that a resolution. And in western music, we are very accustomed to that resolution and expect it.

I frequently put this type of suspended chord in the place of the resolved chord just to add some tension to the progression and to open up the harmonic possibilities. By adding that F to the C Major chord, we suddenly have a lot of other notes that we can sing against the chord. Try it. Play the chord and now raise the third. Interesting sound, yes? See what notes you can sing against it and listen to what effect they have against the chord.

Okay, here’s another experiment.

What happens if we take the simple triad C-E-G and, while leaving the C-E in place, raise the G to a G sharp (or A flat, whichever makes it easier for you to understand)? Do you hear what has happened to the harmonic possibilities? This is no longer a static major chord, but a chord that implies that it is going someplace else. It is not going to be a chord that we hang on for a while. As soon as we westerners hear that chord, we know that it is going someplace else. These chords are identified as augmented fifth chords.

By the way, this is easy for me to do on a guitar because I’ve been playing forty years, but if you are having difficulty understanding or implementing these explorations, see if you can get to a keyboard and try it. It is easier for most people to see this on a piano or keyboard synth than on a guitar, though it shouldn’t be any different.

Remember, all of these experiments with the chords can give you someplace else to go with a melody or the harmonies rather than the familiar folk melodies that tend to dwell in a modal place. That is, songs written with the three major chords I IV and V. And by the way, there is no derision implied here.

I love all the modal stuff, folk songs, jazz, bluegrass, gospel, rock. I like it all, but for me, the most fun about pop/rock music is the fact that it literally takes it’s influence from anywhere and incorporates it. Bluegrass, or folk, has to sound like that to be identified and regarded as such, but with pop/rock, we can use anything we want and get away with it. And these chords will give you a flavor that you might not have used before and might send you someplace you wouldn’t normally go with a song or an arrangement.

As a final exploration, take a song that you know and try substituting the regular chords with these altered chords. See where it takes you. As for me, I am going back to mixing the Musical I’m working on and on Friday, I’ll tell you another one of my road stories. See you then.

Comments

[Bobby Brogan]

i actually understood that...Regarding the piano being the easiest way of understanding what you are talking about...When I was trying to learn Theory in College...I was also taking piano...so the result was I was being taught that piano IS the instrument to learn theory...and at the same time I was trying to learn how to play piano...its like being told that the only road to get somewhere is the freeway and you are supposed to get there while being taught to drive...so one day I was playing guitar in my dorm room and I started playing scales...I'd never played scales on guitar before so it took a few times before I got even a C scale...but once I did I suddenly began to understand what I was desperately trying to learn in my Theory and Piano classes...or some of it anyway...not long after I was sitting in Theory Lab class(Ear training at 8am?...is this REALLY such a good idea?) and the Prof. who was a horrible woman who happened to be my voice teacher and sice i was a voice major she was also my advisor...she was saying how one can only learn scales on piano since an instrument such as a guitar is so difficult to learn it on...I said that I found it much easier on guitar...she looked at me incredulously and moved on...in my next voice lesson I asked her whay she had such an odd reaction and was she thinking I was lying(ok this woman who was six years older than I was also had trouble with the truth...what a mess it was... everyone hated her...) she responded that she was just surprised that I would find easier on guitar and I said that that was the instrument I knew...aside from singing the guitar was my other main instrument so I could apply theory and scales etc...easier to guitar than piano...oh how i wish piano hadnt been required...but I digress

Good entry!
Namste,
Bobby