Why Should I Care About Tritone Subs?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
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I love watching piano videos as a guitarist.
Funny you would say that. As a keyboardist, I like watching guitar and bass videos.
Me too!
Just play both.
You should try drum videos too.
I feel like playing one instrument no matter what it is gives you the ability to have so much more respect than a non musician for every other instrument.
Man, the level of clarity on this is supreme. And I get to use this video, for free? Dude, this is insane, thank you! I will be using this as a means to teach my students this method. Man, you can tell you're an educator by your sequencing.
Sequencing?
@@tronlady1 sequencing and progression of information/concepts within the lesson
One of the best explanations I ever received for "why" the Tritone Sub works so well is that, as far as Western music theory is concerned, all music is basically built around two somewhat disparate principles: 1. strong dominant to tonic motion, and 2. parsimonious voice leading (in other words, movement by half-steps or whole-steps to the next target tone).
What the Tritone Sub is doing is substituting the strong dominant-tonic motion FOR parsimonious voice leading. It is the synthesis in practice of every principle Western music is built around.
And if that's true, how wild is that?!
👍🏻
Wow.. mind blown🤯
lovely insight, thanks for sharing
Nice job Adam. #11 Dom. Subs, Lyd. Dom., Triad Pairs, diminished concepts. Huge colorings & soloing.
Kind of like German augmented 6 chords. They were one of the first chords to resolve a half step away from the root, granted you would most commonly see them move to the dominant from the tonic, but still. It’s like the Dm - Ab - G - C - the the Ab7 spelled as a German Aug 6 chord would be spelled AbCEbF# and resolves to G. Fun stuff.
This is honestly a GOAT channel
Herbie Hancock, on ‘SLY’ from the first Headhunter’s album, plays the first 16 bars of the Rhodes Solo in Bb, over a bass line outlining E7…it’s so badass, could you possibly do and episode on that? Thanks for all you do!
This might be the best lesson I’ve seen on tritone subs. Key takeaways for me: 1) use the Lydian Dominant (#11) instead of just the Dom7 tritone. Brilliant. 2) you can tritone sub to any chord, not just to the I (as in a ii-V7-I). 3) You can use it whether or not the bass or piano choose to do it.
Excited to continue working with these concepts. Thanks!
I like how musicians live and breath music so much they tend to forget just how bad new players are, a V - I definitely isn't a first piano lesson subject lol.
What if your mom is your bass player though? I feel like you should at least give her the look first.
Enjoying this video to the max then I get trolled by an ad with a bunch of cocky millennial "producer" kids selling the unison midi chord pack. I had to laugh!
i'm a guitarist and this was very insightful for me as well even without a bit of piano ability. thanks for your sharing your knowledge of theory in an accessible way but without sparing the technical aspects. great instruction, your enthusiasm is refreshing.
jazz is literally the audio interpretation of brain damage, like someone loaded up big on the chems and let the brain damage play out.
The thing to know also is that the reason the Tritone sub sounds so good is because the 3 and b7 of the V are also In the tritone sub.
So G7-> G B D F
Db7-> Db F Ab B
All these notes lead to Cmaj9by a half step (or is the same note)
Db-> C
F-> E
Ab -> G
B-> B
And if you add extensions
G7b9#11-> G B D F Ab C#(Db)
---> Db B Ab F D G
It’s all the same notes rearranged
If you are interested in music theory, particularly in jazz or other forms of contemporary music, understanding and using tritone substitutions can greatly expand your harmonic palette and help you create more interesting and complex chord progressions.
In jazz, the use of tritone substitutions is quite common and can add a level of sophistication to your playing or composing. It can also provide a way to create tension and release in your music, as the tritone substitution creates a sense of harmonic instability that can be resolved in a satisfying way.
Additionally, learning about tritone substitutions can also improve your ability to recognize and analyze harmonic progressions in music. This can be particularly useful if you are interested in transcribing and studying the music of other musicians.
Overall, understanding and using tritone substitutions can enhance your understanding of music theory and add another tool to your musical toolkit, which can help you create more interesting and complex music.
Did chatgpt write this
This was great but bro why did you say C Flat 😳😵hurting my soul. I know we got Db in there but Cb is gnarly hahahaha
Music theory is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be... unnatural.
@@0tf850 I hollered bro
Wonderful lesson for me, a 78 year old amateur guitar hack! Thank you!!
So glad I found your channel! I've teach and play classical piano but jazz has always been an unknown world to me. These videos and your courses are so helpful!
15:12 I love using tritone subs going into the V. So sophisticated and beautiful sounding. If you simply think about tritone subbing in your improvisation, your flavor palette grows exponentially!! Great video!!
Especially if on arriving on the V you play a 4-3 suspension e.g. Ab13 - G13sus which you then resolve to some type of G7.
Exponentially ? You mean there is many steps of growth each one proportional to the growth itself?😅😅😅
Haven’t gotten through the whole video yet but something that I noticed wasn’t mentioned is why the Tritone works so well as a substitution for the V chord:
The 2 strongest tones that dictate the quality of a chord are the 3 and 7! When using a tritone sub in place of the V youre still using those same 3 and 7 tones from the V chord. I.e. Key: Cmaj - Your V chord will be G7 and those 3 and 7 tones are B & F but your tritone sub (bii7) will be Db7 which uses those same B & F tones as it’s 7 and 3 tones (respectively)!!! Super cool theory to me
yea! just wanted to note he does mention this at 14:10, mindblowing stuff
This is so digestible, you're an absolute mensch. Thank you.
I was sitting down to the keys and decided to grab my guitar instead, and you were like grab your instrument, any instrument…. Read my mind, and I’m in the future 🤣
Groovy
Nice Lesson Adam. Isn't it just like applying the altered scale over the V Chord? Probably just another way of thinking but you get the same notes since Lyd Dom is the 4th Mode of MM. The possibilty to apply it in front of the other Chords was new to me. Thanks for that
This is how I think about it as well. I also find myself using the half whole diminished scale for a tri-tone sub when I want that flavor.
Yeah. There are at least three scales you could play over a Db7#11 chord.
Dbdim
DbAlt. (DmMelodic)
GAlt. (AbmMelodic)
Yeah I’m confused about this too. If you’re not voicing the bass and eg only playing a shell, then it’s 100% up to the bass player as to whether you’re doing the tritone sub or not.
But I guess if the chord symbol says Eb7#11 or A7alt (b9, #9, b13) those are interchangeable (use Eb Lydian Dominant or A altered which are both Bb melodic minor modes) but if the chord symbol says Ebalt or A7#11 then you want to use E melodic minor, right?
So I guess my question is whether tritone substitution is really a meaningful concept if we don’t discuss what the root is doing. It’s more an issue of how the Dominant is being altered. If I see Eb7#11 and Aalt, am I ever going to think about them differently other than the root?
5-1... okay. Dunno what that is, but go on. Cadence... okay, who is she? Oh we're moving on okay "see major" I'm looking... did I miss it?! Let me rewind... FUCK MUSIC ISN'T FOR ME BYE
That thumbnail gets u weak
My humble no1(online)Teacher, please could you take in consideration nice to study more Tunes together with Focus on L.H. bass paterns(soloing) or N.R.-L.Hands than R.H. voicings> simple soloing, for instance Solar, Tune Up, Yarbird, or Double Nelson? or any other Beboppish kind a Tunish...Tune I mean sir? Please consider the Fun of working together educating us noops in to Masters a bit faster a bit sooner..in 5 years I will be ready to fly to- fky with the cats, or dance with the (fusion) Dolphins in L.A. or NewYork or Detroit. V.S. here I come 2 years rag-time 3 years of scales a bove 190 all 1200 standards my own real book just for security, my Nicest most Beatiful woman that could ever be my living Muse...my little private jet..am I hallucinating a bit over the Top...sorry but I meant what I asked you...Please enlighten us in a standard-standard kind of Way like the 25 most interesting ones like On Green Dolphin Street Dear John(Frederic Hubbard) and Happy Mango son Rick Eling Actual Proof Spain and a Few of Stern or Steps Ahead...I am dying to learn thos etunes under Your Guidanse Adam & Peter you Rock & Groove!!! Keep up the Crazy Teachings I love them!!! me Green Jazz Apple on youtube
I dont understand the voicings for the 7#11's? Like for exmp. At the Db7#11 left hand has f (3)/ab(5)/b(7)/eb(9) but where is the #11 and why dont we call it a Db7/9 or Db9? Can some help me understand?
Great video, great explanation. I had always thought of this sound and motion as a sort of upper leading tone that resolves with a "flat" half step to Do, as opposed to a V-I resolution with the lower leading tone resolving up, or sharp, to Do. Now I see the theory connection, can probably incorporate this more.
Hi, thanks for your show. As I teach jazz and people ask me what to play over the tritone substitute I will say Lydian Dominant as well But, and I think this important for guitar players, I bring that back to the original melodic minor scale. They subsequently find that both for the lets say G7 and the Db7, the Ab melodic minor scale works as this makes for the Altered scale in the context of G7 and the Lydian Dominant scale in the context of Db7. So effectively you can do the same but against a different backdrop.
True that, and the overdone ‘cry me a River lick’ in Ab mi over the G7…
I was hoping the video was going to deal with “jazz face”… you called it “stank face” on the thumbnail, I think.
About 15 years ago, my friend’s brother was going through jazz school, and we’d catch all his performances at the tiny venues the students played at around town.
Then, one show out of nowhere, they all started doing “jazz face” during their performances. I remember asking to my friend if they take a specific class on perfecting “jazz face” in jazz school.
I suspect that there are courses dedicated to “jazz face”, and that jazz musicians practice their “jazz face” in their bathroom mirrors, but that there is also an unspoken rule about not acknowledging that this happens.
Not unlike how, I’m pretty confident, that Robert Plant practiced all his great rock n’ roll moves in front of wall-length mirrors or while singing in the shower… but he’ll never admit that, because that’s not a very rock n’ roll thing to do.
"Hey Ma, I'm using a tritone sub."
"That's nice, honey. Now when are you gonna give me some grandkids?"
"Yeahokaythanksbye-"
I've been looking for this language for a long time. Thousand Thanks as we say in Gernany :))
Your mic is in the way of the view of your left hand, we can really see what u do, and also you're not using the synthesia system to show what you do...
Tritone subs are so easy, guys. These are perhaps the beginning of getting the jazz sound in your playing. Look for b9 in the melodies, try it, and you'll think -- wow! But don't over use them. These are older cliches in jazz, so using every verse makes you sound real '40s. Now. swing is great, but don't overuse. Instead, think about how easy it is to sub the Dom V7, look for other possibilities. The diminished scale is your friend this time. Cheers.
you got me with the thumbnail I was hoping to hear a breakdown of Cory Henry's solo. I recognized the left-most stankface which is the other keys player... It was from Lingus by Snarky Puppy.
"please click the like button to tell us what you like"
when you click every like button because you like everything....
Maybe it's because I'm more into trad jazz, but as a horn player I really can't quite wrap my ears around playing a tritone sub in my solo when the chord player is playing a dominant chord, unless he is adding b9 and #11. Actually it does work in minor keys, even playing trad jazz, but in major keys really bugs my ears.
There is a lot of info missing on this video, there is only 6 tritones, triton is the interval of the 3rd and 7th dominant
7:49 you can also use half whole diminished scales. Maybe even Phrygian dominant. Of course you can use maj7 and m7 chords too. Instead of subbing out G7 with Db7 try using Dbmaj7 or even Dbm7. Those chords can also just be inspiration for scales to use (eg. on a ii7 V7 I in Cmaj play D Dorian, Db Lydian .. oooorrrr D Dorian followed by Db Dorian,, ooorrr Ab mel.min and Db alt…..)
Great lesson, Adam. Just a little comment, I think it would be nice if you play a little impro over the changes, just like an example. Thank you very much for the great job you are doing.
Maybe at the end of the video, but for people still trying to get their heads around certain concepts, that can prove distracting. I think that he's struck a nice balance here without being overwhelming for some people.
That freaking evil six slaps in Forget me nots are soooooo anoying! And it such a cool and known baseline that one must know it right?
I remember the frustration ND I'm up for it once more. I'm picking up my bass after 3 years
This absolutely opened up a bunch of stuff, pulling together things I already knew. Solid lesson. 👍🏽
I transposed a gospel progression for piano to guitar once, with a tritone substitution. An hour later, 5 women were pregnant. Substitute with tritones responsibly kids
I’ve never understood why people enjoy this, it sounds like a bunch of random sound put together non-harmoniously. Frankly, it sounds terrible. Like nearly ever jazz song I’ve ever heard, it makes me wonder what’s in the heads of those who listen and genuinely find it to be sonically appealing in any sense of the word, like a bunch of different cat horns going off in traffic while your family argue in the car with some pointless talk radio going on in the background. Someone pleasure tell me what’s to be enjoyed
The sneaky V7 is commonly called “secondary dominant”
G7 - Cma9 vs Db7 - Cma9 is the tritone sub sure. Another way to think about it is simply to flatten the 5th of the V7 chord = G7b5 - Cma9; this movement and substitution being rather common in Brazilian/Bossa Nova - Jazz too.
Db7 = Db-F-Ab-B
G7b5 = G-B-F-Db
G7b5b9 = G-B-F-Db-Ab
Just another cool way to work around it and explore tensions in voice leading.
You seem like a cool dude, thanks for the coaching
I like how musicians live and breath music so much they tend to forget just how bad new players are, a V - I definitely isn't a first piano lesson subject lol.
Your keyboard sounds so good. Very rich and authentic. I'd really like to know what equipment you are using.
Adam, I am your father
First thing I thought when I heard the example was Vince Guaraldi and that Christmas album, oh, what’s it called 😊
Classical music has tritone substitutes, for the dominant it is called neapolitan. Also, putting a dominant before any chord is called secondary dominants.
Pareces un muñeco salido de una película de Tintin 3D, buen video! 👍
At 8:36, all I can hear is that first chord from “Graveyard Theme” by Vince Guaraldi
I like my tritone subs with lettuce, onion, tomato, oil and vinegar. But the tritones have be slow cooked and well seasoned.
The last example was Vince girauldi all day this is what I was looking for to play that stuff.
dont they create alot of tension cause of that minor 9th interval? (between the 7th of the 1 and 7th of bii) and you can just make the 2 chord a 6th chord? to avoid that minor 9th
Wrong thumbnail card? I clicked wanting to know about stank face and got this,
I have no idea why you have John Mayer in there.
John Mayer doesn't know anything beyond a pentatonic off the root.
I find that this sound often goes for minor shapes (the IIm of the tritone sub), with the Maj7 sound (which is the #11 on the dominant).
In many of those examples here it's actually a minor chord outline.
So it makes more sense in my mind to think of it as a minorMaj7 sub, just to keep it aligned in terminology with the actual color I'm going for. (So a tritone sub sound for G7 would be a Ebmin color, always b6 degree of the dominant).
Maybe other people also like to think of it in minor terms? (-:
Ugh. Music theory technical deep dives suck out the joy in music.
Be careful. It's hard to go astray with a 5-1. It's easy to go astray otherwise. What do I mean?....well, for example let's take a 251 in C (dm G7 Cmajor7). And lets say we want to set up the 2-chord (dm). We would use the Eb Lydian Dominant. You are playing over C maj7. That gives you b7, b9 and b3 of the Cmaj7. That is a lot of opportunity for failure. All of this would have been more evident had he played chords in the example backing tracks. It's all about the line rather than the concept.
but you wouldn’t play eb lydian dominant over the whole ii-V-I, you’d just play it leading into the dm so you’re not playing it over cmaj7. i feel like he explained that pretty well
thanks for the video! it's probably the simplest (and at the same time detailed) explanation on youtube. just for fun: you're using keyscape, right? I asked them once if they think that this overtone on B1 isn't too subtle, so they answered that this is by design, adds character and no one would notice ;)
That’s funny. That specific note was making me think Adam needed to get his piano adjusted 😂
Am I correct to assume that the Lydian dominant is the same scale as the altered (super Locrian ) five chord?
When I realized that tritone subs are just a shortcut to altered sounds, they made a lot more sense.
We should open a Jazz sandwich shop and name the subs after the chords for a menu.
Do you use C lydian dominant scale over all chords except the tritone?
Please add a midi display to your videos, thank you, very helpful videos
Love this. the way you talk about it is just great. I am so happy you didnt talk about history of TS, or similar nonsense. This is straight to the meat and playing around.
Triton subbing secondary dominants. great, great. TY
Massive Ah Ha! Total epiphany! Thank You!
At Berklee in the 70's we called that a "substitute dominate".
I'm loving your videos! Truly great material. Quick question: could you also use the dominant 7 flat 13 scale in place of the dominant 7 sharp 11 to get a slightly different ambiguous sound on the tritone sub?
Fantastic content. I love you guys! I always feel like I walk away from these videos a better musician.
Thanks so much! I play chords on my a high-register bass guitar, using only 3rd and 7th. Fits perfectly!
i love you Adam!!! This is just THE bomb I've been searching for!!! 🙂
This is hands down the best explanation of the tritone sub I've ever heard: that bit about simply playing a dominant chord one half-step above the target chord.
This is becoming my go-to channel for music theory lessons.
This was epic, had a few stank faces throughout the video.
Thanks for the hoos while I impovise. It really helps.
This is so great and useful, to have the instruction and also a built-in practice that includes a bass part. A lot of these harmonic concepts make a lot more sense over a bass part.
The Simpsons theme may be the best known Lydian Dominant tune.
It really ends up being just a half step higher than the tonic.
Man! Awesome video bro. By far the best video I've seen that really helped understand and play along. Blessings to you and your family brother.
Hearing a tritone step down in the low register always makes me laugh
The lydian dominant scale is enharmonic with the alt scale a tritone away.
I don't get it. Maybe because I can't read chords yet.
One question was not addressed in this video...
What if I WANT to call my mom and tell her I'm gonna do a tritone sub?
That's your call George. Just a head's up: she might not approve.
Hi,Adam,Thanks a lot! Best regards to you and Peter!
Totally awesome. You broke this down and made it simple. Definitely adds tools. Thanks for the tips. Do you have something on chord voicing?
i thought his name was Adam Menace at first and was like wow
This was incredibly helpful for me, thanks so much.
A tritone sub, what is it?
Say you have G7 going to Cmaj7.
G7 contains G(1)-B(3)-D(5)-F(b7).
Inside of that chord is an extremely dissonant interval: the tritone (meaning that from B to F are the 3 tones of B to C# and C# to D# and D# to F).
That interval of the tritone (also called #4 or b5), which is contained inside of that Dominant 7th chord is also contained in one other Dominant 7th chord.
Take the 3 (B) and b7 (F) from the G7 chord, and view B as b7 and F as 3.
So F is 3 of Db7, and B is b7 of that Db7 chord.
The same tritone of B to F, or F to B, which is an extremely dissonant interval is in both G7 and in Db7 (its tritone sub).
So both V to 1, and bII to I, contain the same tritone (but flipped around).
That, my friends, is a tritone sub.
Genius! I get it. Tritone sub of a secondary dominant. 🙏
I have a grad degree in composition from a Fancy School, where this was NEVER discussed, and this is the first time I’ve understood the concept 100%.
I finally get it. Thanks for the vid.
Couple of questions: 1 - how come that in the first progression you have 3,5,7,and 9 of Db but you call it "sharp eleven"? 2 - the same with the secon progression. You have 7,9,3,5 of Ab major but you call it #11. Also you play it differently from how it's written (F insted ofEb)
This is great! After 40 years of jamming, starting with pentatonic pattern, and gradually introducing dissonance and resolution, I do some of this!?! Or, one could just study this for a bit,,, !!!
This is only part of the whole picture though. You can substitute any of the other dominant chords derived from the same diminished, not just the one a tritone away. G7 > Cmaj7, Db7 > Cmaj7, Bb7 > Cmaj7, or E7 > Cmaj7.
Amazing explanation.. it's like that sound of jazz finally clicking in my brain and in my playing (I still don't have the chops but it's a start for sure..) where's the super thanks button?!
Great stuff, but probably best not to have the mic obscuring your left hand on the keys.
I thought is was a type of long sandwich.
Interesting.
Thank you.
Top, TOP, lesson! And I love those, 'Wooooooooooo' ideas (22:17) :-)))