One of the keys to developing a more musical approach to navigating chord progressions is not only learning the definitions of chords – but understanding how they relate to each other.
It’s all about discovering those hidden connections and musical pathways that aren’t obvious in the scales you learn or emphasized in the lead sheets you study…
These are the musical relationships that make up what we think of as “harmony” and inform the standards that we play. As Coleman Hawkins says, “I don’t play chords, I play movements…”
And these “movements” and harmonic connections are what ultimately will shape your phrases and unlock a more musical approach to any tune that you choose to play.
In today’s PRO lesson we’re going to uncover one of the most important harmonic relationships in the repertoire, explore the theory behind it, and break down 10 jazz standards that are built around it.
Let’s get started…
The Major – Relative Minor Relationship
One essential harmonic relationship that we frequently encounter in the jazz repertoire is between the tonic of a key (the I chord) and the relative minor (the vi chord).
For example, picture the diatonic chords in a major key:
The tonic or I chord is built on the root and the sixth chord is the relative minor – each constructed from the diatonic notes of the C Major scale.
However, these two chords are not just arpeggios within a major scale, they are harmonic arrival points within a major key as well as the functional harmony you find in tunes…
And each of these sounds can be approached with their respective V7 or ii-V chords:
These resolutions (V7-I and ii-V-I) create the glue that connect these two sounds and hold the entire chord progression together.
Similarity between chords and resolutions
Major and relative minor chords are like a foils of each other – two sides of the same coin within a diatonic key.
The relative minor is a harmonic destination away from the tonic with a contrasting (minor) sound, all while staying within the universe of the home key.
On one side you have the bright side of the harmony (tonic) and on the other a darker side (relative minor) – and in the context of a progression, a simple way to move between contrasting sounds within the same overall tonality.
As we’ll show you below, many composers have used this relationship in creating the familiar jazz standards that we play today.
These major and relative minor sounds not only share common chord tones, the related ii and V chords of each also share some deep similarities:
Similarity of the I chords: The I chord and vi chord share the exact same chord tones (scale, arpeggio, etc.) applied in a different harmonic setting. Take the Major pentatonic vs. the relative minor pentatonic scales for instance, used interchangeably:
Similarity of V7 chords: In the same way, the dominant chords resolving to each of these sounds are also related, altered cousins you might say, sharing chord tones and lending alterations to the other…
When we imply the relative minor V7 chord to the major V7 chord (E7 to G7) we encounter the b9 (G#/Ab), and when we imply the major V7 to the relative minor V7 (G7 over E7) we find the b9 and #9 (F and G natural).
Similarity inLanguage: And when you take the entire progression as a whole, you can employ a similar melodic approach to both ii-V-I in major and relative minor. Below you can see how one line can work over each ii-V:
Ingraining the Relative Minor relationship
A useful way to begin ingraining this harmonic relationship is through the use of visualization excercises.
Major to Relative minor: Start with a major chord and visualize the relative minor – think in terms of the major key and find the vi chord:
Minor to Relative major: Then try the reverse, starting with the relative minor and visualizing the related major I chord:
ii-V in Major to ii-V in Relative minor: Finally, connect and hear the related ii-V’s to each sound as you often see in the chord progressions of the tunes you’re playing:
The goal is to ingrain this relationship, so you can immediately make the connection in a major key to the relative minor or vice versa, without thinking about it.
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