How can I pick a minor II - V on a Real Book standard?

Question

I'm having trouble understanding when to play minor7♭5 and dominant7♭9 chords. This is definitely because I didn't pay enough attention during my lessons (sorry teachers). I'm currently working through 'Easy Living'. In bar 6 there is a G-7 and a C7. We're in the key of F Maj so it makes sense that's just a good ol' II - V. BUT in bar 7 there's a big fat A7 - D7, then in bar 8 G-7 and C7 repeat themselves. Does the modulation in bar 7 change how I treat the G-7 and C7? FURTHERMORE. There's a B♭7 that leads into an E♭-7 A♭7 (there's a lot of modulation going on here) I confuse. Basically I just need to know how to pick a minor II - V. I think then I'll be able to answer my own question. So if you have an answer, it would sure help me out!

Answer 1

Hi,

I like the sound of the ii7-5, so I use it in place of ii7 often. However, in measure 6 of "Easy Living" you will find a D-natural in the melody, so I would avoid Gm7-5. The following measure (A7+/D9) wouldn't have much impact on my choice here. One thing I do notice, is that the melody in the A section of the tune often includes the 5th of the prevailing harmony, so flat-5 chords might work against the overall sound.

During solos I think you have more freedom. Following the soloist is always polite. If the soloist plays a flat-5, the accompaniest probably should too. Similarly, if you are soloing, try not to confuse your accompaniest. If they can hear and follow your alterations and substitutions it will sound good. If they can't follow and adapt, things might not go so well.

There are lots of theoretical considerations, but, in the end, you are making some art that you like. Theory can clarify and inspire. Theory is a way of understanding what other people have done, but it isn't a moral imperative for how we should behave now. Back in grad school I wrote a piece. I showed it to my professor and gave a long explanation of the theoretical principles involved. He said, "Yeah, but how does it sound?"

I've been looking at a lot of drawings lately. People sketch faces in all sorts of colors and mediums, they include all sorts of distortions and alterations of the form, but those faces can still look really interesting. If you want to paint a purple and yellow face, who am I to say no.

Answer 2

Hi! Those consecutive seventh chord pairs (A7 to D7, G7 to C7, etc) are SECONDARY DOMINANTS and "KEY MODULATIONS VIA DOMINANT".

To start: It's essential to understand that you can't think about FIXED KEYS when working in jazz harmony. In jazz, you need to think in a chord-by-chord basis. In jazz, the chord is the king. It's not a must to respect a specific key during the song, even if it starts and ends with the same chord.

This said, you still need to rely on a good sounding method to include those non-diatonic ("off key") chords in your song. More on this below.

First, let's talk about the Circle of Fourths (inverted Circle of Fifths):

Circle of Fourths: C - F - Bb - Eb - Ab - Db - Gb - B - E - A - D - G ...... C.

(Central point: ii - V and ii-V-I have their roots in consecutive notes in the Cycle!

Examples: Cmin7 - F7 - Bbmaj7

Dm7b5 - G7alt - Cmin7 ....etc.

Let's suppose the song starts in the key of F (major):

Degree Note Diatonic Chord

I F Fmaj7

II G Gm7

III A Am7

IV Bb Bbmaj7

V C C7 (this is the DIATONIC DOMINANT CHORD of the scale). This is, V/I

VI D Dm7

VII E Em7b5

When you see those non-diatonic ("off key") 7th "dominant" chords in the song, they would be serving as one of these:

1.) Secondary dominants: The only diatonic ("on-key") dominant seventh chord in the key of F is C7 (dominant in the V degree), which will work for our diatonic V7-Imaj7 resolution (C7 to Fmaj7).

Now, you can add SECONDARY DOMINANTS. These are dominant chords located in the "V degree of each one of the diatonic chords!). This is, you are not limited to the diatonic V/I, but you can have:

V/II (D7 to Gm7)

V/IV, (F7 to Bbmaj7), and so on... you can do it with all diatonic chords except for the VII degree (V/VII is not used).

So, SECONDARY DOMINANTS are dominants to resolve to any DIATONIC chords.

Now, you mention chord sequences like D7-G7. This is called an EXTENSION DOMINANT.

2.) Extension dominants: These are "dominant chords for SECONDARY dominant chords". This is, you can take any SECONDARY DOMINANT chord and put a dominant chord to it! This will cause a "delayed resolution" to any diatonic chord. For example, you mentioned A7 - D7. this is:

A7 is the extension dominant of D7 (a dominant on the V degree of another non-diatonic dominant).

D7 is the extension dominant of G7 (a dominant on the V degree of the another non-diatonic dominant).

G7 is the extension dominant of C7 (which is finally the diatonic V7 chord in the key of F).

Then, you could play the perfect cadence V-I (C7 - Fmaj7), go from C7 to a different tonic chord in F (Dm7 or Am7), or go from C7 to a subdominant chord, etc. possibilities are endless.

_________

You also ask about Bm7b5 - Em7b5 - Am7b5. This is also derived from the extension and secondary dominant thing. You can think about m7b5 chords as "rootless dominant chords with a 9th".

Try it:

Play Bm7b5, then put G in the bass. This is G7/9

Em7b5, then put C in the bass. This is C7/9

Am7b5, then put F in the bass. This is F7/9

So, if you play Bm7b5 - Em7b5 - Am7b5, you are simply playing G7 - C7 - F7 (a progression of dominants across the circle of fourths). in this particular case, the dominant #2 (C7) is the diatonic dominant of the original key; however, if the song goes to F7 instead or resolving to Fmaj7, the song will wander a bit before arriving to that "home" chord.

If you are interested in harmony and jazz analysis or songwriting lessons, please let me know! I can provide you will really cool and challenging interactive exercises.

Have a great weekend!

Carlos

Answer 3

Wouldn’t it be so simple to simply ask your teacher?

Since I am not your teacher, I’m going to give a quick and general answer, because this is one of the deeper issues in jazz.

There are are a few simple rules for deciding when to use a minor or major ii-V. The rules always involve melody.

Rule 1. Use the ii-V compatible with the target i/I chord. Keep in mind that the ii-V may not be a modulation, but just an way of ornamenting the target chord.

Rule 2. Do not rub or create a conflict with the melody of the tune. Keep in mind that conflict with the melody is perfectly fine if it resolves.

Rule 3. Consistent with Rules 1-2, minimize additional chromaticism.

As you may already see, these rules are in conflict with each other. Keep in mind; music is an art.

Thanks. I had fun with my partial answer.