Here are five types of chord substitutions often found built into compositions or otherwise implied by jazz players: This technique is widely used in many music genres, including jazz, classical, and popular music, to add variety and complexity to the harmony. The substituted chord often provides new and creative harmonic interest while maintaining the original chord progression’s overall structure and direction. Chord substitutions work because they often have the same (or nearly the same) harmonic function as the original chord, share the same common tones, or produce smooth voice leading that resolves the progression. 5 Jazz Chord Substitutions You Need to KnowĪ chord substitution is a musical technique where a composer or chordal player chooses to use a different chord instead of the original chord.The Importance of Learning Jazz Chord Progressions Before Practicing Chord Substitutions.You’ll get access to many courses taught by professional jazz musicians, including music theory lessons on what makes a chord substitution work and how to use them when comping or improvising.Ĭome See What The Inner Circle Is All About However, if you want a deeper dive into what makes a chord substitution work, check out the Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle. This post is a great starting point to learn how chord substitutions work in music theory. In this post, we will answer the question, “ What is a chord substitution?” and go over 5 essential chord substitutions you need to know when learning jazz.

The freedom to substitute chord changes and create different kinds of harmonic movement is one of the great allures of playing jazz music. Whether or not you are a chordal player, you still need to understand chord substitutions because they are a fundamental part of the jazz language.Ī jazz tune’s lead sheet or “Real Book” chord progression is just a starting point or suggestion.

Chord substitutions are sometimes written into compositions by composers, and, other times, they are the deliberate choice of the chordal player or an improviser who is implying a chord substitution by their note choices. When this happens, it’s called a chord substitution.

Do you find yourself listening to a jazz tune where the piano player or guitarist plays a chord that stands out but somehow still seems to work? In jazz, it’s common for chordal players to substitute certain chords for different chords.

Chord substitution chart jazz piano pdf