Day 26.

Mixing Up The Notes

Definition: chord substitution: using one chord as a replacement for another; using a chord-based bass note sequence as a replacement for another.

Using the C major scale and its harmonized chord(s) (see ‘Day 20'), look at the notes in a C major chord, C E G. Look at the iii chord, E minor. The notes in E minor are E G B. What similarities are there between the two chords? Well, two of the E minor chord's notes, E and G, are the same as two of the notes in the C major chord. The B note is different. If you augment or alter the 5th, B, by raising it a half-step to C you create an E minor #5 chord with an E tonic note which is a perfect or perfectly completed substitution for C major. This is one way to generate chord substitutions, by ‘messing around' and adding notes here and there until you get note matches between chords which are complete or almost complete. Sometimes the only reason for you to even name the chord is for your own edification!

Work through the following four pages on your bass.

Take any of the harmonized chords of the C major scale (see ‘Day 20') and explore their potentials to be substitutes for other chords.

An A minor 7 is a perfect substitution for a C6. This is an easy one. What are the names of the notes? _____ _____ _____ _____

You don't have to stick exclusively with a scale's harmonized chords:

B diminished b9 add11 is a perfect substitute for C major 11. Why? (Hint - look back at the ‘rules' for forming extended chords and dominant 7th chords.) This is a tough one.

Look for more.

What's a name for a perfect three note substitution for an E minor chord? Bsus4 #5 or B+sus4. What are the names of these notes? _____ _____ _____

Use the harmonized chords of the A minor scale to start with and find some chord substitutions. (They're actually the same chords as the harmonized chords of the C major scale, just in different numbered positions because A minor and C major are relative to each other.)

Use a few other minor chords, perhaps choosing them from the list in ‘Day 17' and explore their structures and notes to discover what substitute chords (chord-based bass note sequences) can be formed from them.

Play the chord-based bass note sequences of each of all of these pairs of chords starting with the respective tonic note of each chord. Evaluate which frettings you would prefer given the key in which you would most likely be playing and the location on the fretboard. If the substitution fits in better than the substitutee you would probably use it.

What does this mean for you as a Rock Bass Player? This is mental training. You'll be AMAZED! at how playing the chord-based bass note sequence in a chord substitution can aid your fretting and enable you to create new bass lines that few other people can think of.

A slightly different way of finding chord substitutions is to consider a bunch of notes, say 3 or 4 or 5 notes, which make up a chord. Mix up the notes and choose a different note to be the tonic. Then rename the chord (see exercises in ‘Day 25').

Substitution Using Resolution

The idea of resolution is an important one. You can create substitute chords or new chord-based bass note sequences by choosing notes (single notes or multiple notes) which have strong tendencies to resolve into notes in the next or upcoming chord or chord-based bass note sequence and making them the basis of your new chord or sequence. This is a hard sentence to comprehend. It relies on an understanding of several topics which were explained earlier: chords, resolution, substitution.

When a note harmonically ‘pulls' a chord towards another chord or a chord-based bass note sequence towards another chord-based bass note sequence it creates an anticipation, a desire in the listener to hear another note or chord and calm a vague tension. When the desire is fulfilled and / or the tension relieved it is called resolution. If the note is the 7th of the scale of the key you're playing in the note is called a leading tone.

Definition: resolve: to bring a note back into the sound / feel of another note or group of notes.

Definition: leading tone: the seventh degree of the major and harmonic minor scale. Principal, chief; guiding, directing.

Numbers ~~~~~ Chord ~~~~~ Notes of ~~~~~ Description of the Resolution
~~~~~~~~~Progression~~~~Chords ~~~~~~~ And the Substitution

I, V, I~~~~~~~C, G, C ~~ CEG, GBD, CEG~~~~The B note (leading tone in
Key of C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~the C major scale) in the G
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~chord resolves up to the C
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~note in the C chord - this is
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~not an illustration of
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~substitution but of the idea
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~of resolution

I, V7, I~~~~~~C, G7, C ~~CEG, GBDF, CEG ~~~The B note in the G7 chord
Key of C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~resolves up to the C note in
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~the C chord and the F note
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~in the G7 chord resolves
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~down to E in the C chord -
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~these are resolutions and
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~you have substituted a G7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~for a G.

i, v, i ~~~~~~ Am, Em, Am ~~ACE, EGB, ACE~~~Weak resolution (B to C) but
Key of Am ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~if you replace (substitute) the
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Em with an Emaj (EG#B).....

i, V, i ~~~~~~Am, E, Am~~~ACE, EG#B, ACE~~The G# note in the E chord
Key of Am~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~resolves up to the A in the
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Am chord and the B note
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~resolves up to the C note in
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~the Am chord. You could also
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~substitute an E7 chord,
i, V7, i~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~EG#BD. These are
Key of Am ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~substitutions.

Note: tell the other musicians what you're doing so you won't create chord clashes that sound bad.

A 4th

A 4th can create tension/anticipation before it resolves. This is another use for sus4 chords (other than making a chord neutral, neither minor nor major) and another reason that the 4th makes a good connecting note.

An example of a resolving 4th is in a D11 chord which is comprised of the notes D, G, C, E, A which would be the 1st, 4th, b7th, 9th, 5th of the Dmaj scale, and which also might be labeled a D9sus4 chord. The 4th can be called an 11th if it's an octave higher. A charming characteristic of this chord is that it can be used as an intermediary chord between a Dmaj chord, D, F#, A, and an Emaj chord, E, G#, B, and can fit into many chord progressions with D and E in them ( A D E, E D A B, D E7 G A . . .) by substituting it for one or the other at a chosen beat, probably the third and/or fourth beat in a four beat count. The G note (4th in the Dmaj scale) can be seen/heard to resolve down to the F# in the D chord or up to the G# in the E chord. Also when resolving to the E chord the C note (in the D11 chord) can be seen/heard to resolve down to the B note in the E chord. I use this chord or chord-based bass note sequence all the time when I'm floating around these two chords, Dmaj and Emaj. I don't use every note (D, G, C, E, A) every time but the idea of the 4th and dominant 7th being good connectors between the two chords sits in the back of my mind until an opportunity to use either or both of them arises. It's a pleasure to dig out of my mind a note or notes which manifest an idea.

D11 ~~~~~D G C E A ~~~~~What notes are in the D11 chord that are
Dmaj~~~~~D F# A~~~~~~~not in either of the other two? What are
Emaj~~~~~E G# B~~~~~~~those notes' positions in the Dmaj scale?

For example, in a I, II, V chord progression in the key of D the D11 chord (DGCEA) and especially the G and C notes (parts of the D11 chord) can fit into the progression in myriad ways. Try it out. Play some chord-based bass note sequences in a DEA chord progression and listen for where the G and C notes sound good.

Just as an experiment, what other chord progressions can you find in which the G and C notes sound good?

Chord ~~~~~Notes in Chord

C ~~~~~~~~~C E G
C#~~~~~~~~C# F G#
D~~~~~~~~~D F# A
Eb ~~~~~~~~ Eb G Bb
E ~~~~~~~~~E G# B
F ~~~~~~~~~ F A C
F# ~~~~~~F# A# or Bb C#
G ~~~~~~~~~G B D
Ab ~~~~~~~~ Ab C Eb
A~~~~~~~~~ A C# E
Bb ~~~~~~~~ Bb D F
B~~~~~~~~~ B Eb Gb

This is by no means all there is to say about chord substitutions. There are entire books written on the subject, however they are usually studied by Jazz musicians. The above information is presented just to whet your appetite for the usefulness of the idea.

In summary, the main ideas that I would like to get across to you and which would be immediately useful to you as a Rock Bass Player are 1) there almost always exist chord-based bass note sequences which can be substituted for the one(s) that you're using and 2) you almost certainly will create fresh bass lines by using them if only because the notes have been moved around.

I've described rather freewheeling and non-technical ways to create chord substitutions. There are various other more structured methods or systems for chord substitution such as Tritone Substitution which uses substitute dominant 7th chords of which the tonics are three whole tones (six half-steps) away from the tonic of the substitutee. This subject gets complicated and is a bit beyond what I've presented here. If you feel that you need to know more about chord substitution buy a book on it. You can get one at a local music school. One that I've sometimes used is, "Creative Chord Substitution: A Journey Through Form and Analysis of Modern Harmony" by Ed Arkin. Also do a web search using the term, ‘chord substitution.'

End of day 26.