Tritone Substitution is one of those terms you often hear tossed around in music theory classes. A definition to memorize, but not something that actually makes it into your playing…
But you may want to take another look at this theory device…because you could be missing out on one of the most valuable tools in your musical toolbox.
And this is something that I realized in listening to the solos of one of my favorite musicians, the great Kenny Dorham.
He would frequently play lines in his solos where the notes didn’t fit into the chords – phrases that were completely outside of the harmony, yet he sounded absolutely amazing.
It stumped me for awhile, but eventually I realized there was a larger process was at work – it was tritone substitution.
And as an improviser, this is a tool you can use to add another level of harmonic sophistication to your own playing. With a little listening and focused practice, you can transform what many think is a dry theory device into compelling music.
In today’s PRO lesson, we’ll look at how an iconic player like Kenny Dorham utilizes tritone substitution in his musical approach and the specific tactics that will take your own playing to the next level.
Let’s get started…
tritone substitution: the theory
At its core, tritone substitution is all about creating harmonic tension before resolving to a goal chord, namely a V7 to I resolution:
You might think of it as a short-cut to adding more harmonic tension to one of the central harmonic relationships in the jazz repertoire.
In simple terms, tritone substitution is the technique on dominant chords of substituting or implying a dominant chord a tritone (#4th or b5th) away from the root of the original dominant chord:
This substitution not only retains the leading tones and resolutions of the original V7 to I relationship, but also creates a half-step resolution or root movement when resolving to the I chord, seen here in the context of a ii-V-I:
This half-step root movement creates a logical resolution while allowing the improviser to access material outside of the traditional diatonic harmony.
Rather than a scale or lick to play “outside” or create tension, with tritone substitution you are accessing the altered notes of a dominant sound while staying connected to the harmony and function of the original progression.
Different Tritone Substitution Options
When improvisers refer to tritone substitution, they are not only referring to using a “substitute” dominant chord, they can also be implying other chords and progressions.
For instance, one of these tritone sub variations is the tritone ii-V, using the related ii-V of the tritone sub over the V7 chord. Another is the tritone ii- minor…
Just like you can apply the related ii-V to a dominant chord (D- G7 over G7), you can apply the tritone ii-V to a tritone substitution (Ab- Db7 for Db7).
These substitutions also retain the important chord tones from the original V7 sound (3rd and 7th) when resolving to the I chord:
Tritone substitution is one of the quickest and most dissonant ways to get outside of the diatonic harmony, the chord tones of the tritone triad are a half-step away from the tonic triad (ex. Db vs. C)
Hey, Sorry to Interrupt...
I know you were just getting into this lesson, but this one’s reserved for Jazzadvice PRO members.
Already a PRO member? Log in below to keep reading.
