Steve's Spinal Column #14

The Full Sticktet

Here's some handy chord chemistry that will open quite a few doors. It's real flexible and can be used liberally.

Rule: In any Major key, the V chord is always a dominant, that is 1 3 5 b7. The tritone between the 3rd and b7 causes the instability and must resolve.

C7 = C E G Bb .

C7 (V) will resolve to F Maj.(I)

In past columns we discussed how a chord can be altered and become a direct substitution. For C7 let's alter it and make it C7b9.
(C E G Bb Db)
1 3 5 b7 b9

The easiest way to accomplish this on the fretboard is to just raise the root (C) half a step to Db. The C will not be missed as it is still implied by the progression The left hand can add the missing root on the bass strings if desired.

The chord we now have is Db E G Bb. This is also a diminished 7 chord.

Here's the cool part. With this new chord, if we lower any tone by a half step, we get a dominant 7. Hence, the result is FOUR different dominant 7ths.

Start with Db E G Bb:

If we lower the Db a half step to C, the result is C E G Bb or C7
If we lower the E a half step to Eb and rearrange the notes we get Eb G Bb Db or Eb7
If we lower the G a half step to Gb and rearrange, we get Gb Bb Db Fb(E) or Gb7
If we lower the Bb a half step to A, rearrange and rename the notes enharmonically , we get A C# E G or A7

So the original chord yields 4 different dominant 7ths by lowering any one of the tones a half step.
We can then say there all from the same source and similar, therefore can be used to substitute for each other C7 -- Eb7-- Gb7-- A7

If we use it in a chord progression we can get amazing variations.

| Gm7 | C7 | FMaj7 | FMaj7 |

| Gm7 | Eb7 | FMaj7 | FMaj7 |

| Gm7 | Gb7 | FMaj7 | FMaj7 |

| Gm7 | A7 | F Maj7 | F Maj7 |

We should use our ear for the proper chord inversions for best voice leading and musicality within the progression.

Taking it further, you can also alter the new found substitutions.

| Gm9 | Gb13 | FMaj6/9 | FMaj7#11 |

| Gm6 | A9b5 | F Maj9 | FMaj6/7 |


So, I'm in London, England searchin' for Robert Fripp. I find his apartment building and ring buzzer number 7. Man answers and says "who ya' lookin' for?" "Mr. Fripp," I answer. "Oh, you need Flat Nine," he says.