A Level Jazz Theory Harmony Ear Training Workbook V3

Jazz AoS: Harmony, Theory, Ear Training Workbook

Harmony, Theory and Ear

Training WorkbookIntervals 3

TASK 1: 10

TASK 2: 11

Inverting Intervals 13

Triads 14

TASK 3: 15

The Major Scale and the II-V-I Progression 16

TASK 4: 16

Modes of the Major Scale 17

The Ionian Mode and the Major 7th Chord 18

TASK 5: 18

The Dorian Mode and the Minor 7th Chord 20

TASK 6: 20

The Mixolydian Mode and the Dominant 7th Chord 22

TASK 7: 22

TASK 8: 24

The II-V-I Progression 24

TASK 9: 24

TASK 10: 25

Basic Voice Leading 26

Other Common Chord Progressions 27

TASK 11: 33

TASK 12: 33

TASK 13: 33

More Chords, Extensions and Scales 37

The Major Scale 38

The Lydian Mode and the Major 7th #4 chord 38

The Mixolydian Mode and the sus chord 39

The Phrygian Mode and the susb9 chord 40

The Melodic Minor Scale 41

The Minor II-V-I and II-V Progressions 441


The Diminished Scale 44

The Half-Step/Whole-Step Diminished Scale and the V7b9 chord 45

The Whole-Step/Half-Step Diminished Scale and the Diminished Chord 45

The Whole Tone Scale 45

The Bebop Scales 47

The Bebop dominant scale 47

The Bebop Dorian Scale 47

The Bebop Major Scale 48

The Bebop Melodic Minor Scale 48

TASK 14: 48

The Blues 50

TASK 15: 55

Reharmonisation 56

Tritone Substitution 56

TASK 16: 57

TASK 17: 59

Ear Training 60

Websites and Apps 60

Transcribing 60

Further Resources 60

Useful Bits 61

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Intervals

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TASK 1: Play through each of these interval examples:

• On your instrument (to hear them)• On the piano (to see them)• Singing them (to internalise them)

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TASK 2: Complete Exercises 28,29,30 below

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Inverting Intervals

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Triads

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TASK 3: Go back over the list of intervals and triads above and establish a routine of singing them every day. (Breaking into manageable chunks throughout the week)

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The Major Scale and the II-V-I Progression

The II-V-I chord progression is the most common chord progression in jazz, and being able to

recognise it aurally and visually is crucial to understanding how jazz tunes work. All chords are

formed from notes of a scale, and the original source of the II, V and I chords are the modes of

the major scale.

Here are some example II-V-I progressions.

TASK 4: Play through each example above and listen to the sound of the II-V-I progression

TIP: Make sure you can identify relationships between notes easily. Being able to spot ‘II’ and

‘V’ away from another note is very important.

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Modes of the Major Scale

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The Ionian Mode and the Major 7th Chord

TASK 5: Write out the following major 7th chords

C major 7th, F major 7th, Bb major 7th, Eb major 7th, Ab major 7th, Db major 7th, Gb major 7th, B

major 7th, E major 7th, A major 7th, D major 7th, G major 7th

Make sure you play them through on your instrument / piano too!

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www.essential-music-theory.com


The Dorian Mode and the Minor 7th Chord

TASK 6:Write out the following minor 7th chords

C minor 7th, F minor 7th, Bb minor 7th, Eb minor 7th, Ab minor 7th, Db minor 7th, Gb minor 7th, B

minor 7th, E minor 7th, A minor 7th, D minor 7th, G minor 7th

Make sure you play them through on your instrument / piano too!

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The Mixolydian Mode and the Dominant 7th Chord

TASK 7: Write out the following dominant 7th chords

C dominant 7th, F dominant 7th, Bb dominant 7th, Eb dominant 7th, Ab dominant 7th, Db dominant

7th, Gb dominant 7th, B dominant 7th, E dominant 7th, A dominant 7th, D dominant 7th, G dominant

7th

Make sure you play them through on your instrument/piano too!

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The I, II, and V chords – major 7th, minor 7th, and dominant 7th – are the three most commonly

played chords in jazz. Since each chord has a perfect 5th, only the 3rd and the 7th are the

variables. They determine whether the chord is major, minor or dominant – that is, they

determine what’s called the quality of the chord. The following rules sum up the differences

between the three chords:

•Major 7th chords have a major 3rd and a major 7th

•Minor 7th chords have a minor 3rd and a minor 7th

•Dominant 7th chords have a major 3rd and a minor 7th

TASK 8: Learn the qualities of the major 7th, minor 7th and dominant 7th chords in order to be able to

construct or recognise them on any given note.

The II-V-I Progression

TASK 9: Think through the II-V-I in every key, you don’t need your instrument to do this.

II-V doesn’t have to end with I, and V-I doesn’t have to be preceded by II. Also, II chords, V

chords, and I chords often occur randomly, seemingly unconnected to the chords around them.

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TASK 10: Try playing through the above chord sequence on a piano (or other chordal instrument), feeling

and hearing the movements between the chords.

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Basic Voice Leading If you are playing these II-V-I progressions on a piano, you’ll want to voice the chords in a

certain way in order to bring out the ‘pull’ of each chord.

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Other Common Chord Progressions

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We have seen that different types of chord can be formed from different modes of the major

scale. These are the modes and chords we know so far:

Ionian – Major 7th

Lydian – Major 7th

Dorian – Minor 7th

Aeolian – Minor 7th

Phrygian – Minor 7th

Mixolydian – Dominant 7th

There is one mode of the major scale we’ve not looked at yet, and from it we can create a new

chord quality.

The Locrian mode and the Half-Diminished Chord

If that is a half diminished chord, what is a diminished chord? Let’s explore that later.

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TASK 11: Using the table on the next page, learn the order of the modes of the major scale. This acronym will help:

I Don’t Play Lousy Music Any Longer (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian)

TASK 12: Analyse each mode of the C major scale and work out the tones and semitones, and the notes

the characterise the sound of each mode.

For example, the Dorian mode, starting on D, has a flattened third and flattened seventh if we

were to compare it directly to a D major scale.

TASK 13: Using your understanding of how each mode of the major scale is constructed, try and write out some of the modes in different keys:

•C Dorian – remember the Dorian mode is the 2nd mode (I Don’t), so if C is the second note,

you need to be thinking in Bb major. C Dorian is just the 2nd mode of the Bb major scale.

•C Aeolian

•F Mixolydian

•A Lydian

•Bb Phrygian

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Here are the modes of the major scale, analysed and written out all starting on the note C, so

you can see the relationship between each note more clearly. You may find it easier to learn the

modes of the major scale in this way (eg Lydian has a #4, Mixolydian has a b7)

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More Chords, Extensions and Scales In the early days of jazz, there were no courses in improvisation, jazz theory, and the like,

because there weren’t any jazz schools. Musicians improvised mainly off the melody of a tune,

and off the notes of a chord.

“On a D minor 7th chord, play D-F-A-C, the root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th of the chord.”

In the 1930s, musicians such as Duke Ellington might say

“you can also play E-G-B, the 9th, 11th, and 13th of a D minor 7th chord”

These are called extensions. You learnt about the major scale, but only checked out the root,

3rd, 5th and 7th of each mode to discover what chord is derived from that mode.

E, the 9th of the D minor 7th chord, is a 2nd above D, is it not? G, the 11th, is a 4th above D. A B,

the 13th is a 6th above D. Why not call E, G, and B the 2nd, 4th and 6th? Because chords are

usually built in 3rds, and to keep this continuity going, numbers bigger than 7 are needed.

Remember:

•The 9th of a chord is the same note as the 2nd

•The 11th of a chord is the same note as the 4th

•The 13th of a chord is the same note as the 6th

We can now view the D Dorian mode like this:

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The reason jazz musicians think of scales, or modes, when they improvise is because it’s easier

than thinking in terms of chords.

If there seem to be endless chord possibilities in jazz, does that mean there must be endless

scales? No – you can interpret almost all chord symbols using just these four scales:

•The major scale

•The melodic minor scale

•The diminished scale

•The whole tone scale

The Major Scale We’ve already looked at some chords derived from the modes of the major scale, but let’s look

at a few more.

The Lydian Mode and the Major 7th #4 chord

We know that the mode starting on the fourth note of any major scale is called the Lydian mode.

The Lydian mode has a #4 in it. Take a look at this example, all the chords are Major 7th #4, or

Lydian, chords. Jazz musicians often think of Lydian chords are very modern, but the chord in

the sixth bar of “Happy Birthday” (written in 1893) is a Lydian chord.

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The Mixolydian Mode and the sus chord

The fifth, or Mixolydian, mode implies a Dominant 7th chord, but it can also imply a sus chord.

The ‘sus’ in the chord symbol refers to the suspended 4th of the chord. In traditional harmony,

the 4th of a sus chord usually resolves down to become the 3rd of a dominant 7th chord. In

contemporary music, the 4th often doesn’t resolve, which gives sus chords a floating quality.

Here are some nice sus voicings:

You might see this same Gsus chord notated as G7sus4, Gsus4, Fmajor7/G, F/G or D-7/G. The

last three variations are slash chords, the left part of the symbol indicating to a pianist what

chord is to be played over the bass note indicated in the right part of the symbol. F/G describes

exactly what’s happening in figure 3-28 above. D-7/G describes the function of a sus chord,

because a sus chord is like a II-V progression contained in one chord. The II-V progression in

the key of C is D-7, G7.

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The Phrygian Mode and the susb9 chord

Because the Phrygian mode has a minor 3rd and a minor 7th, it can be played over a minor 7th

chord. In C major, this mode runs from E to E. C, the b6 of Eminor7, sounds very dissonant

against the chord.

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The Melodic Minor Scale The only difference between the major scale and the melodic minor scale is that the melodic

minor scale has a minor 3rd. (NB in classical theory, there are two melodic minor scales, one

ascending and one descending – the descending is identical to the Aeolian mode of the major

scale, so jazz musicians think of the ascending scale as the ‘melodic minor scale’)

However, melodic minor harmony sounds completely different – much darker and more exotic –

than major scale harmony. Let’s look at why:

The C Major scale

The C Melodic Minor scale

Notice the difference between the types of diatonic 4ths there are within each scale. In the

melodic minor scale, the last diatonic 4th sounds as a major 3rd. It also contains 2 tritones,

instead of 1 in the major scale.

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All seven of the above chords formed from the melodic minor scale have an interchangeability

to them. For the most part, there are no ‘avoid’ notes in the chords (unlike in major scale

harmony). This means that almost everything in any melodic minor key is interchangeable with

everything else in that key. Take a look at this:

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The Minor II-V-I and II-V Progressions

The Diminished Scale A diminished scale comes in two forms: One alternates half-step/whole step, the other

alternates whole step/half-step. The diminished scale has two unique characteristics: it is an

eight note scale, and it is symmetrical – its interval pattern is regular.

This means that the G, A#, C# and E half-step/whole step diminished scales are all exactly the

same – they just start on different notes. Everything repeats at intervals of a minor 3rd.

Therefore, there are only three diminished scales:

•The one that starts on G, A#, C# or E

•The one that starts on Ab, B, D or F

•The one that starts on A, C, Eb or F#

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The Half-Step/Whole-Step Diminished Scale and the V7b9 chord

This scale, running from G to G, goes with some kind of G chord. When a scale looks as though

it has both a minor and a major 3rd, the ‘minor 3rd’ is a really a #9. The complete chord symbol

for this would be G7b9,#9,#11. Most jazz musicians write this chord as G7b9, although G7#9 is

occasionally used.

Like their scales, these chords are largely interchangeable.

The Whole-Step/Half-Step Diminished Scale and the Diminished Chord

This scale is played over diminished chords. The symbol for a diminished 7th chord is the root

of the chord, followed by a small circle. Remember – a half diminished chord has a slash

through the circle.

Again, because everything repeats at the interval of a minor 3rd, these chords are

interchangeable. (F with Ab, B and D)

Beginning with the bebop era, jazz musicians began to replace diminished chords with V7b9

chords. Few modern jazz musicians actually write diminished chords into their tunes anymore.

The Whole Tone Scale

Look at the 3rd and 7th of the scale. Because this scale has a major 3rd and a minor 7th, it goes

with a G7 chord. The alterations are the C# (the #11) and the D# (the #5). The complete chord

symbol would be G7#11 #5. The traditional shorthand for this chord is G7#5, often written with

a plus sign, as in G7+, and occasionally as G +7. The ‘+’ refers to the 5th, and has nothing to do

with the 7th.

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Because the whole tone scale is symmetrical, there are only two whole tone scale. The G and

the Ab. Again, there are no avoid notes in whole tone harmony so everything is interchangeable

within the harmony of a given scale. Anything you play on G7#5 will sound good on A7#5, B7#5,

C#7#5, D#7#5 and F7#5.

Whole tone harmony is not used very much.

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The Bebop Scales The bebop scales are traditional scales (the Ionian, Dorian and Mixolydian modes of the major

scale, and the melodic minor scale) with an added chromatic passing note. The bebop scales

were an evolutionary step forward. Louis Armstrong was playing the bebop dominant scale as

early as 1927, but they didn’t become an everyday part of the jazz language until the 1940s. All

bebop scales have an added chromatic passing note, transforming them from their seven note

origin into eight note scales.

The most commonly played bebop scales are the:

•Bebop dominant

•Bebop Dorian

•Bebop major

•Bebop melodic minor

The Bebop dominant scale This is the Mixolydian mode with a chromatic passing note added between the 7th and the root.

It is usually played over V chords and II V progressions.

The Bebop Dorian Scale This is a Dorian mode with a chromatic passing note added between the 3rd and the 4th notes.

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The Bebop Major Scale This is a major scale with a chromatic passing note added between the 5th and the 6th notes.

The Bebop Melodic Minor Scale This is a melodic minor scale with a chromatic passing note added between the 5th and 6th

notes.

TASK 14: Write out the Bebop scales in different keys

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The Blues

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TASK 15: Write out the Blues scale in F, G, Bb and Eb.

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Reharmonisation

Tritone Substitution Reharmonizing can mean replacing one chord with another, or using a substitute chord. A

substitute chord is just what is sounds like: a chord that substitutes for the chord written on the

lead sheet.

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TASK 16: Play through the above Figures, the first four bars of Jerome Kern’s “All The Things You Are”.

Which chord progression sounds smoothest?

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Here’s how Tritone Substitution works:

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You need to be able to identify a tritone substitution. This becomes easier when you know why

they are used:

There are two reasons for playing tritone substitution on the melody of a tune:

•To create a chromatic bass line

•To make the melody note more interesting

A tritone substitution is when you replace a chord with a chord a tritone away from it. Usually it

is chord V that is replaced, creating a chromatic line towards chord I.

If you can see a chromatic bass line, you have likely spotted a tritone substitution!

TASK 17: Complete this table showing the tritone substitution over a II-V-I progression in each key.

KEY II VTritone Substitution

of VI

C Dm7 G7

Db Ebm7 Ab7

D Em7 A7

Eb Fm7 Bb7

E F#m7 B7

F Gm7 C7

Gb Abm7 Db7

G Am7 D7

Ab Bbm7 Eb7

A Bm7 E7

Bb Cm7 F7

B C#m7 F#7

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Ear Training This workbook is filled with examples that should be played on your instrument, the piano, and

sung. Hearing (playing them on your instrument), visualising (playing it on the piano) and

internalising (singing) these chords, modes, intervals, shapes and harmonic ideas regularly is

going to help develop your musical ear.

Since jazz is a language learnt by ear, it only makes sense for you to improve yours!

Websites and Apps There are plenty of resources online to help you improve your musical ear.

Check out https://www.musictheory.net/exercises

And https://www.teoria.com/en/exercises/

There are also lots of apps for your mobile device you could download and use.

Transcribing This is an amazing skill to start to develop as a musician, and one all the great jazz players

have! Find a melody you really like and try and play it note by note on your instrument. You’ll

need to start slowly and simply – YouTube’s playback settings is a great help with this.

Further Resources There are so many resources available to help you and further your understanding.

Countless YouTube channels breaking down elements of Jazz theory

The Jazz Theory Book – Mark Levine (where much of this workbook was taken from)

http://www.thejazzpianosite.com/jazz-piano-lessons/

Jamey Aebersold has a wealth of books and playalongs etc - http://jazzbooks.com/jazz/SFNT

https://www.apassion4jazz.net/

https://www.freejazzlessons.com/

https://www.learnjazzstandards.com/

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Useful Bits

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Documents

A Level Jazz Theory Harmony Ear Training Workbook V3