Tritone Sub The Two!

From Digging Deeper Jazz - Video #159

Tritone subs are a staple of jazz composition and improvisation, and are endlessly interesting.
If you haven't yet, look over Digging Deeper #156 to get up and running with the idea. Here,
we'll expand our thinking to using a tritone sub on the II chord. Yes, it's allowed!

The underlying rules of what makes a tritone sub truly work (3rds and 7ths interchanging)
don't really apply when subbing a II chord, but we aren't going to let that slow us down.

#1 - Typical ii - V - I progression #2 - Tritone Sub on II chord (bVI- V - I)

Dm7 G7 C^7 A¨7 G7 C^7
œœ œœœ bb œœœ œœœ
& œœ œ œœ & b œ œ œœ
œœ œœ
ii V I bVI V I

#3 - Using a Tritone Sub over a ii - V - I

Dm7 G7 C^7
& bœ bœ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
Here we are thinking
Ó "Ab melodies" over
Ab tonality the measure of Dm7.

#4 - John Coltrane (Wheelin')

Dm7 G7 C^7
bœ . œ bœ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& ‰ œJ bœ bœ œ bœ bœ bœ J œ
Ab tonality

#5 - Dexter Gordon or Sonny Rollins . . . ?

b œ Dm7
b œ œ
G7 C^7
& J bœ bœ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ Ó
Ab tonality

© Atonal Licks Music • 6/2020

Jeff Antoniuk • DiggingDeeperJazz@gmail.com