Secondary Dominants and Inside to Outside Scale Choices

from Chapter 32 of An Approach To Jazz Piano

Dominant scales can either reflect the tonality of the key center or can imply a direction away from it. The direction away from a tonal center using the dominant scale/chord as the medium, can be either towards the flat direction, or towards the sharp direction. A combination using elements of both directions may be used to modify one direction or the other. In Figure 1 the cycle of sharps and flats is presented to help illustrate direction ideas.

Figure 1

If G7/mixolydian is the most inside dominant 7th chord/scale in C, G altered dominant has the most notes out of the key of C that a G7 can have while still retaining a dominant 7th quality (see Figure 2).

Figure 2

Before outlining directional intent in secondary dominants, it is necessary to discuss the primary dominant (G7 in C major) in order to establish a working order of dominant scales.  This working order of dominant scales will include those that are more inside the key and will progress incrementally to those that have a more outward direction. Even if the order is only loosely defined it should benefit the thinking behind scale choices when improvising and composing. A problem that many beginning improvisors have is that there is no graduation of dominant scale choice used.

As a result, many improvisers often play either mixolydian for an inside dominant (mistakenly in the secondary dominants of III7, IV7, VI7 and VII7) or go directly to the altered dominant scale. As a result, the more inside scale choices are never really explored, and understanding and expression can be limited.

When working with dominant harmony, the two extremes of the inside-the-key and outside-the-key direction respectively as stated, are the dominant scales of mixolydian and altered dominant. All the other dominant scales between those two extremes, use combinations of altered extensions, and, have a more or less defined order of “in-ness” and “out-ness” of a key by virtue of the notes in those chord/scales that are in or out of that key.

The looseness of definition arises from the fact that “inside” notes like 9 can be combined with altered extensions like #11 and b13. The same is true of the 13 (an “inside” tone) which can be combined with b9, #9, and #11. This is where the term: “color” in melody and harmony comes in to play (see figure 32-5). In a dominant chord, the 9 and/or 13 can be considered: “bright” (or neutral) and are inside the key. Altered tones of b9, #9, #11, and b13 are often considered “dark” and create an intensity, and, have a tendency to move.

For example:

• in a V7(b9), the b9 tends to fall to the root.
• in a V7(#9), the #9 tends to rise a half step to resolve to the major 7th of the tonic—or will often fall to b9 and resolve from there.
• in a V7(#11) (often with a 9th), the #11 tends to rise. This extension often is considered bright or dark depending on the context—it is definitely intense.
• A V7(b13) chord (often with extensions of a 9th or b9, (and/or #9) and/or #11 is considered darker—with b13 implying the minor third of the intended tonic.

Figure 3 (32-3) outlines a proposed order for an inside-to-outside order of dominant 7th scales. The example used will be a G7 which is the primary dominant of C major. 

Figure 3

Secrets of the Sound: S1 used in Chord Progressions.

The Sound One (S1) in chord progressions, used exclusively to create that jazz piano (or guitar, or arpeggiated for horns) sound:

I once ran a showcase band at MacEwan, and was getting into some arrangements that called for this S1 sound. I was working with a very interesting go-to-kind of guy on guitar in the band. He didn't know how to voice a G7(#9#5) chord per se, but he knew how to voice dominant 13 chords. So I asked him on the spot to play a Db13 chord / G bass and lo and behold we had the asked for G7(#9#5) chord voicing.  He was surprised but realized that basically, he already had voicings for altered dominant chords which were virtually the same as V13 chords a tritone away.  I was prompted to tell him this, because I had been working this "Sound" thing and that was an action that came out of that study.  So why do this and not stick exclusively to the "normal" extension replacement of seventh chord tones (9 for 1, 13 for 5 etc.)?   Because with the "Sound" there is a built in system for adding color and urgency in a seventh chord in an incremental way.

This blog will deal with S1 in progression in a parallel motion without much voice leading. Inversions and voice leading will be an open topic in future blogs on this "Sound" topic. The change in color from V13 to V7(#5#9) represents the most radical change in color and vertical tension change possible in a V7.   Future blogs on this topic will deal with the graduations of vertical (chord) tension between these two essentials. Primarily these voicings are thought of as left hand comping (rootless) chord voicings, but they can be played as in the right hand too as part of a comping framework and, they can even be a point of departure/arrival in improvised soloing.

Just using the S1 chord (Ma7[b5]) for convenience, these C major and related A minor progressions emerge and are used here as a set of examples. These examples are played in the right hand with the appropriate root in the left hand.

Example 1: V13 — V7(#9#5) — I

Chord symbol Bmi11(b5)———E7(#9#5) —Ami6/9

Function          iimi11(b5)———V7(#9#5) —Imi6/9

Sound/Root     FMa7(b5)/B—G#Ma7(b5)/E—Cma7(b5)/A

S1/Root           FS1/B———    G#S1/E——  CS1/A

Numeral         bVS1/I———— IIIS1/(1)—  bIIIS1/I

Example 2: V13 — bII13 — I

Chord symbol G13———— Db13——— I
Function V13———— bII13——— I
Sound/Root FMa7(b5)/G—BMa7(b5)/Db—I
S1/Root FS1/G——— BS1/Db—— I
Numeral bVIIS1/I—— bVIIS1/(1)— I


Example 3: V7(#9#5) — bII13 — I

Chord symbol G7(#9#5) —— Db13 ——— I
Function V7(#5#9)—— bII13——— I
Sound/Root BMa7(b5)/G—BMa7(b5)/Db—I
S1/Root BS1/G——— BS1/Db—— I
Numeral IIIS1/I———— bVIIS1/(1)— I


Example 4: iimi11(b5) — V7(#5#9)— Imi6/9 
(NB The Sound is used in all three of these voicings)

Chord symbol Bmi11(b5)———E7(#9#5) —Ami6/9
Function iimi11(b5)———V7(#9#5) —Imi6/9
Sound/Root FMa7(b5)/B—G#Ma7(b5)/E—Cma7(b5)/A
S1/Root FS1/B——— G#S1/E—— CS1/A
Numeral bVS1/I———— IIIS1/(1)— bIIIS1/I


Example 5:   iimi11(b5) — bII13— Imi6/9 
(NB The Sound is used in all three of these voicings)

Chord symbol Bmi11(b5)———Bb13— — Ami6/9
Function iimi11(b5)———bII13 —— Imi6/9
Sound/Root FMa7(b5)/B—AbMa7(b5)/Bb—Cma7(b5)/A
S1/Root FS1/B——— AbS1/Bb—— CS1/A
Numeral bVS1/I———— bVIIS1/(1)— bIIIS1/I

I like to learn these in all keys keeping track of voice-leading line movement and inversion to inversion through these progressions.

I experiment with these progressions by sometimes reversing the V7(#5#9) with bII7(#5#9) it does make a difference. I hope you'll try it