Jazz Theory In 15 Minutes (Everything You Need To Know)

Summary

In this video, the instructor breaks down essential music theory concepts for playing jazz, focusing on understanding key signatures, chord progressions, and scale harmonization. Using the jazz standard 'My Shining Hour' as an example, the video covers building seventh chords, diatonic functional harmony, and relative major/minor keys. It also introduces modal harmony, exemplified by Miles Davis' 'So What', and emphasizes the importance of chord tones in jazz improvisation. The video is a comprehensive guide for beginners looking to improve their jazz playing and understanding of harmonic concepts.

Takeaways

• 😀 Understand key signatures using the circle of fifths, e.g., E flat major has 3 flats.
• 😀 Memorize the circle of fifths to know how many sharps or flats are in each key.
• 😀 Jazz harmonies often involve seventh chords, not just basic triads, for richer sound.
• 😀 Chords are built by stacking thirds on top of each scale degree, forming triads and seventh chords.
• 😀 Chord progressions in jazz can be understood through Roman numerals, e.g., I, IV, V.
• 😀 Relative minor and major keys share the same key signature (e.g., E flat major and C minor).
• 😀 Diatonic functional harmony involves understanding the scale degrees and building chords accordingly.
• 😀 Modal harmony, such as the Dorian mode, allows for improvisation with less strict chord progressions.
• 😀 The second mode of the major scale (Dorian) is commonly used in jazz improvisation.
• 😀 Modal harmony in jazz, like in 'So What' by Miles Davis, focuses more on modes and less on traditional key centers.
• 😀 Jazz improvisers focus on chord tones and connecting them within the scale for more musical solos.

Q & A

What is the Circle of Fifths, and how is it used in music theory?

The Circle of Fifths is a visual chart used in music theory to show the relationships between different key signatures. It helps musicians determine how many sharps or flats are in a key and shows how keys are related to each other. For example, it helps identify that the key of E flat major has three flats.

What is the significance of understanding key signatures in jazz music?

Understanding key signatures is essential in jazz as it allows musicians to recognize the tonality of a song, determine which chords are likely to be used, and helps in improvisation. The key signature guides the chord progression and harmony throughout the piece.

What is the difference between a triad and a seventh chord in jazz?

A triad is a basic chord made up of three notes: the root, third, and fifth. A seventh chord, which is more common in jazz, is built by adding a fourth note (the seventh) on top of the triad, resulting in a four-note chord. Seventh chords add more harmonic complexity and color to jazz music.

How do Roman numerals relate to chord progressions in jazz?

In jazz, Roman numerals are used to represent chords within a key. Uppercase numerals indicate major chords, while lowercase numerals represent minor chords. This system is used to describe chord progressions regardless of the key, allowing musicians to understand the structure of a piece without knowing the specific notes.

Why is it important to memorize chord formulas for jazz improvisation?

Memorizing chord formulas is important because it allows musicians to quickly build and recognize chords, especially seventh chords, which are essential in jazz. Knowing the formulas helps in understanding why a chord is major, minor, or diminished, and enables musicians to effectively navigate chord progressions during improvisation.

What is a '2-5-1' progression, and how is it used in jazz?

A '2-5-1' progression refers to a common chord sequence in jazz where the second chord (a minor chord), the fifth chord (a dominant seventh chord), and the first chord (a major chord) follow one another. This progression is a fundamental building block of jazz harmony and is often used to resolve back to the tonic or home chord.

What is the concept of relative minor in jazz, and how does it relate to major keys?

The relative minor of a major key shares the same key signature but starts and ends on a different note. For example, C minor is the relative minor of E flat major. Understanding relative minors is crucial for jazz because it allows for smooth transitions between major and minor modes in chord progressions.

How does modal harmony differ from functional diatonic harmony in jazz?

Modal harmony in jazz focuses on using modes (scales derived from different degrees of the major scale) over chords that may not be closely related to a key center. In contrast, functional diatonic harmony revolves around chords that are derived from a specific key and follow traditional chord progressions (like the 2-5-1). Modal harmony offers more freedom and is often used in modal jazz, such as in 'So What' by Miles Davis.

What are the main modes of the major scale, and how do they apply to jazz improvisation?

The seven modes of the major scale are Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. Each mode starts on a different degree of the major scale and has a unique sound. Jazz musicians use these modes over different chords in a progression to guide their improvisation and create more varied melodic lines.

Why should jazz musicians focus on chord tones when improvising?

Focusing on chord tones ensures that the improvisation is harmonically grounded, meaning the solo will align with the underlying chords of the progression. It helps create a musical and coherent solo, as the improviser targets the most important notes (root, third, fifth, seventh) of each chord to outline the harmony clearly.