Understanding Tritone Substitutions by John Mark Piper Understanding the basics of tritone substitutions and how they typically function are an important aspect of music. Having good command of them can help a musician's reading, hearing, performing and memorizing music. First off, it's important to understand what a dominant chord truly is. If you're reading this or planning to use it as a teaching device, you and your students probably already know that the dominant chord is the "V7" chord. But why? The word dominant means ruling, governing, or controlling; having or exerting authority or influence. When I explain the "dominant" chord, to my students I always include the following fundamental demonstration that I believe helps to solidify an understanding of dominant chords and their tritone substitutions. Demonstration:

1. Play the C major scale up to and stopping on the note "B" and sustain it. What does this note (B) want to do? Anyone with a musical ear will hear it wanting to continue and finish on "C". This is very "dominating" and almost requires a resolution to C. I then play the scale beginning on C (above middle C) descending to the note F and sustain. This note wants to continue down to E which is the third of the key.

2. I then play the notes F and B together and resolve them simultaneously to E and C which sounds like a cadence to C major. I tell the students that this is probably why these notes together are referred to as "dominant".

3. Next, if you add the root G to the notes, you will have a complete V7 to I cadence. 4. If necessary, mark the 3rd and 7th degrees (B and F) on your vibe or other keyboard with

a small piece of tape or paper to follow the next part of the demonstration more easily. 5. Now, follow the same steps in the key of Gb. The tritone (3rd and 7th degree) will be the

same but with switched identities due to the different roots - the third of the G7 (B) is the b7 of the Db7 (Cb) and the 7th of the G (F) is the 3rd of the Db.

Being able to wrap your mind around the dominant chords and their tritone substitutions can be tricky at first so here are a few exercises that will help. Try to always know what you are doing intellectually as well as recognizing the patterns and sounds that are created.

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‰jœœbŒ ‰

jœœb Œ

œœ œb

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Basic Tritone Substition Pattern: Bass note plays both roots of each tritone.

‰jœœbŒ ‰

jœœ# Œ

œbœ œb

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‰jœœ

Œ ‰ jœœb

Œ

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5 œœ

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bœœœbbœœœ

bœœ

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Tritone Pattern with octave variation of tritone. œœ

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bœœœ#œœœ

b

bn

œœ

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bœœœ#œœœnb

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9 ‰jœœbŒ ‰

jœœb Œ

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Basic two-bar tritone pattern modulating up in half steps.

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jœœb Œ ‰

jœœbŒ

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œn

‰

jœœ Œ ‰

jœœb Œ

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ww

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13 ‰jœœb Œ ‰

jœœbŒ

œœb œ

œb

Basic tritone substitution pattern modulating by major second.

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jœœb Œ ‰

jœœbŒ

œ#œ œ

œn

‰

jœœ# Œ ‰

jœœn Œ

œbœ œb

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‰

jœœb Œ ˙

˙œbœ˙˙b

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17 ‰jœœbŒ ‰

jœœb Œ

œœ œb

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‰

jœœ Œ ‰

jœœb Œ

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‰

jœœbŒ ‰

jœœ# Œ

œœb œ

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jœœbŒ ˙˙##œœ˙˙

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21 ‰

jœœ Œ ‰

jœœb Œ

œœb œ

œ#

‰

jœœb Œ ‰

jœœbŒ

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‰jœœ

Œ ‰ jœœb

Œ

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‰jœœb Œ ˙˙##

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‰

jœœ# Œ ‰

jœœn Œ

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jœœbŒ ‰

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27 ‰jœœ# Œ ‰

jœœn Œ

œœb œ

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‰jœœbŒ ˙˙

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‰

jœœbŒ ‰

jœœ# Œ

œœb œœb

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jœœb Œ ‰

jœœbŒ

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‰jœœbŒ ‰jœœ# Œ

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jœœb Œ ˙˙##

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Tritone Substitution Exercises for Keyboard Mallet Instruments Piper

©Piper's Loft, Inc. 3/07

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33œœœ

bœœ

œ

œœ

œb

bœœœ#

Basic tritone substitution pattern modulating up by major thirds

œœœb œœœbœœœ#

œœ

œb

b œœœb

œœ

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œœ

œb

bœœ

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b wwww

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œœ

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b œœ

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b œœœnn

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38 œœœb

bœœœbœœœb

bœœ

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n œœœb

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49

˙˙˙˙##

F 13 B 13

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Exchanging upperstructures of dominant tritone substitutions.

˙˙˙˙##

Bb13 E 13

wwb

˙˙˙˙#

Eb13 A 13

wwb

˙˙b ˙˙n

Ab13 D 13

wwb

The above exercise has identical notes as below. However, applying a different root creates different color, texture and names.

˙˙bb

˙˙n

Db13 G 13

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˙˙bb

˙˙n

Gb13 C 13

wwb

ww##

B Maj7

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56

˙˙˙˙##

B7(#9b13)F7(#9b13)

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B7 (b13

˙˙˙˙##

E7(#9b13)Bb7(#9b13)

ww#

˙˙˙˙#

A7(#9b13)Eb7(#9b13)

ww#

˙˙b ˙˙n

D7(#9b13)Ab7(#9b13)

ww#

˙˙bb

˙˙n

G7(#9b13)Db7(#9b13)

ww

˙˙bb

˙˙n

C7(#9b13)Gb7(#9b13)

wwb

ww##

B Maj7

ww#

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