BTW -- Bird and Diz and the other original inventors of Bebop used to call it, "Playing from the 9 forward" as a way of explaining the ability to hear and use the natural harmonic extensions of a chord.

Along the way, do not neglect the study of the Tritone and how it relates to the Blues Scale and Blues Chording, early jazz players named it the "flat five" change. In effect, the Tritone is the halfway point between octaves, or six half steps in interval.

Each tritone consists of "only" the 3rd and 7th of a dominant 7th chord. And in reality, that is all you need to imply the whole chord. The bass player's job is to play the root, you see. One should play the tritones and strive to be able to hear the root in their head at the same time.

Here's where it gets tricky, the same tritone actually covers TWO chords. The only difference is the bass note chosen.

For example, the tritone of C7 is an E and a Bb. Play it. Now play it while playing a single C bass note with the LH. Hear that?

Now play the same E and Bb above with the RH, but play a Gb instead with the LH.

Those same two notes are the 3 and b7 of C but are also the b7 and 3 of Gb.

There are only six tritones that cover all twelve keys.

This ispowerful stuff and is at the beginning of playing the all-important (to jazz) Shells with the left hand.

Drill on them daily, preferably to the blues first, in swing time, in all keys.

Because the "Tritone Sub" is a good thing to know at all times. All it means is that if I'm in the key of say, F in the blooz and then that means the turnaround chord is the C7, I know I can substitute the Gb7 in its place. Try playing the C in the bass and playing the Gb mixolydian scale (major scale with b7) with the RH at the same time.

This is where the very simple can get to seem very complex. Worth. The. Time.


--Mac