Jazz Piano Tutorial - Modal Interchange and Borrowed Chords
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
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This Jazz Piano Tutorial is about Modal Interchange or Borrowed Chords.
Modal Interchange is used to add ‘colour’ to your chord progression, or to make your chord progression a bit more interesting
Modal Interchange is a very common devise employed in Jazz and is found in many Jazz Standards
It’s useful to make a similar differentiation between Modulation and Modal Interchange:
- Modulation = Changing key for a long period of time
- Modal Interchange = Changing key (using chords from a different key) for a short period of time while retaining the same ‘tonal centre’ (root note)
What ‘a long period of time’ compared to ‘a short period of time’ means is subjective.
It’s also worth quickly explaining the difference between a relative key and a parallel key:
- Relative key = two keys that have the same notes but a different root note (C Major & A natural minor)
- Parallel key = two keys that have different notes but the same root note (C Major & C natural minor)
In Modal Interchange you ‘borrow’ a chord from a ‘parallel key’
This is why using ‘Modal Interchange’ is also called using ‘Borrowed Chords’.
You can ‘borrow’ a chord from a parallel key or mode, and as long as the chord progression is still leading towards the ultimate tonic chord, it won’t sound like you’ve completely changed key - it won’t be ‘Modulation’.
And if modal interchange is just borrowing a chord from a parallel key, then there’s no reason you need to limit yourself to the modes of the Major Scale or the melodic or harmonic minor. You could also use chords from the modes of the harmonic minor or melodic minor or from the diminished or augmented or wholetone scales.
So you can borrow any chord from any scale, as long as the root note (or ‘tonal centre’) stays the same.
If you enjoyed this Jazz Piano Tutorial on Modal Interchange or Borrowed Chords, please subscribe.
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NewJazz, Jazz Duets and Walk That Bass. Blessed times for learning music. Thank you.
Couldn't agree more. I've learnt the theory from them. 🤘🏻
This was definitely a level up for me, thanks 🙏🏼 definitely satisfied a lot of my questions
All my study for borrowed chords led me to this video. This video filled the last few remaining gaps in my knowledge. Thank you
I am crying! This is just too awesome! I am just a simple guitar player who is trying to learn some theory. Most videos explain basic diatonic harmony but lets be honest, most songs dont stay in one key. I was really frustrated because of this and this video sums up everything I need to know! I also love it that you give examples and dont dumb it down! And everything is so clear!
My next question would be how to solo over these borrowed chords? Do you just use arpeggios? Or how do you determine which scale to scale? Just use the scale of the key and change the two or three notes that change bcause of the borrowed chord? But that would be a lot to think about while playing right?
You should write a book that explains jazz theory as clear as this video! I would buy it within 2 seconds! Especially if it doesnt use too much notation (like in the video) since I cant read notation (I am a guitar player eh :P).
Thanks a lot man, I subscribed and will check out your other videos!
Hey mate,
Glad the video helped :)
So when soloing over borrowed chords, you have the following choices:
1. Ignore the borrowed chord and just play over it with the regular diatonic scale (this will create some dissonance but if it's for a short period of time, that's ok). So just play C Major over the progression: Fm7 Bb7 CMaj7
2. Play arpeggios of each borrowed chord
3. Play the regular diatonic scale but modify the notes to fit the borrowed chords. So over a Fm7 | Bb7 | CMaj || Play CMaj but change to an Ab and Eb instead of A and E over the Fm7 chord and Bb instead of B over the Bb7 chord.
4. Play an appropriate scale over that particular chord (like F dorian over Fm7). I've got a separate video that explains how you know what scales fit over what chords: ua-cam.com/video/7NW8XB0_FyE/v-deo.html
Those are all pretty standard options and they're not too hard when you get the hang of them.
Hope that helped.
And writing a book is definitely on my to do list. Just gotta find the time :)
Cheers
Hey man!
Thanks a lot for these tips, I can really use these. I love how you explain everything systematically! BTW I saw that you recommended Mark Levines Jazz Theory Book. I read that a lot of people say (there are some heavy discussions on this) it misses jazz that is based on functional chord progressions, like the standards. A lot of people recommend Jazzology by Robert Rawlins to fill this gap. I think you already know this but just in case :P.
And I hate to ask but could you do some more harmonic analysis of songs? For example Sunny, a stupid simple chord progression but I find it hard to determine the key etc.
Sorry for all these questions!
Thanks again and I will probably donate in the future, although it itsnt a big amount due me being a student :P =[.
Very useful info here. I've been slowly learning what all the ideas in my head have been meaning, and videos like this are really helping me form ideas on purpose, rather than by accidentally hearing ideas in my head. Life saving tips for needing to compose on a deadline. Whew.
You are the best teacher that I have ever learned!
God finally! been trying to figure out the reason behind modes all day. thanks!
No worries :)
There is a lot to learn here. I’ll be watching this one again. Thank you for making it so clear.
I have been watching your videos for a while. And i am grateful that you took your time to share this knowledge.
While studying all the degrees of the Bb major scale in the "I got rhythm" section, i noticed that the sixth degree of the Bb mixolydian (Eb maj) should be a Gm7 instead of a Bm7.
Once again, thank you very much for your videos. They brought me a ton of understanding for music.
I connect so much with the way you think and it becomes so easy to follow.
Each time you answer all the question that are/were in my head!
Peace,
From the Netherlands;
born in Colombia and raised in Aruba.
Very good lesson. Thank you!
It would take me months to put something like this together, and it wouldn't be half as good. It's great how you can put all of this in one place, and I always learn something new. Thanks for doing these!
No worries, Bass Player. Glad to hear it was what you were after.
Very interresting !! And your explanation is clear and comprehensible.
Your videos are great. They are clearly presented and the concepts are explained with clarity. You have a great knowledge of music and you're an excellent teacher. Thanks for all your efforts.
Man, your videos have seriously helped me improve my theory skills. Thanks a bunch!
Thanks, thanks, thanks for this video, no other comment needed for this great lesson and explanation!
Thanks, Petr :)
you are the very best. like no one ever was. earned a sub.
best theory lessons ive ever read or viewed !!!!
Glad you like it.
Thank you kind sir!!!!!! Finally explained in detail that I can put into practical use.
First video I've seen with only likes and 0 dislikes. Keep up the good work!
This is an amazing channel.. already extrapolated some fantastic discoveries of my own by proxy of meditating on your information. I really enjoy that you don't dumb down the information or patronize the viewer whatsoever.. you assume that we know what you are talking about!
That's exactly it. I'm trying to just explain the basic tools of music - then it's up to you what you build. Glad you like it, mate.
really a level up for me. ty dude
Part of the family.. subscribed!!
Good stuff in one video
So clear now... your are the man.. Thanks a lot
superb explanation
Really great teaching bro :) Thank you VERY much
mind opening, very helpful! thanks a lot!
Thanks, alemanito :)
Pure gold
thanks for this lesson ive got an idea on this video its awesome id really enjoyed on your video
Outstanding! WARNING: musical theory in this lesson, its dissection, and harmonic analysis is so profound that you may need to come back and review to really digest its artifacts. Well done, Sir 👌 #respects #salute @walkthatbass
¡Excellent teacher!
WOW. This was just really clearly explained. Thank you!! :)
Thanks for this tutorial! I'am studying a jazz piano book from Berklee College and doors of understanding are opening
Amazing Lesson! This is something that I have been working with my guitar instructor Juan Antonio (he has a youtube channel here...shameless plug) and your lesson completely opened my eyes and understanding! I am glad I found your channel and webpage today! I will definitely be using it and recommending it!
Been looking this for awhile.. thanks!
😊
Thank you very much! This was awesome. God bless.
this is so clear, thank you!
thank you very much
Thank you sir for a valuable lesson. Amazing!!!
Thanks, Nimesh.
i'm a guitar player and i say "thank you" for this video. So nicely explained. Can you please show me the link to your video on secondary dominant chords?
No worries, mate. Sure, it's here: ua-cam.com/video/alDSEBsxJIw/v-deo.html
thanks again!
Thanks from Brazil teacher !! Very good explanations!
Thanks Silvio :)
Thank's for your absolutely clear and great explanations ;-)
Thanks, good lesson!
No problem, glad you liked it.
thanks a lot!! you're awesome!!
Thanks, that cleared up a muddy area for me. great video and clear explanation style, subscribed :-)
Thanks, Andy. Appreciated :)
wow, what a huge information. but, tried to understand, but could't memorize... thanks for passionate explanation
Great stuff man!
Thanks.
Hey walkthatbass !!! As usual thank you for your great work. I loved the slides for this video, the one when you compared the different the modal interchange interpretation is great! Very well done. Also I would like to know what sources (books, videos etc...) you used for this lesson. And more generally, a lot of your videos made me want to learn more about the subject (for instance the one on the postbop), so if you could put some sources for every video it will be great for those who want to study more on tne subject. Take care and thank you again for sharing freely all this knowledge !
Hi Matthieu,
Glad you liked the lesson. Yeah, this one took quite a bit of time and effort to create precisely because those slides are quite detailed, and I thought the best way to explain this concept was to gradually introduce it with examples.
Over the years, I have learned a lot of from books, teachers, and videos. I've also learned a lot from listening, transcribing, playing and thinking about these things myself. So it's hard to point you to a single source.
But some of the best Jazz Books I've read, that I think are essential reading, are:
- 'The Jazz Piano Book' by Levine
- 'The Jazz Theory Book' by Levine
- 'The Chord Scale Theory and Jazz Harmony' by Nettles & Graf
These books are at times quite academic and dense - so are a little difficult to understand. So just keep this in mind.
Modal Interchange, specifically, is covered by the last of the three books. However, the book already assumes a lot of knowledge so uses very technical language. I try to keep my lessons a little simpler with less assumed knowledge so a wider range of people to comprehend the concept.
If you're interested in Post-bop, a must read book is: 'The Studio Recordings of the Miles Quintet, 1965-68' by Waters. It's a brilliant (but also dense) book.\
Let me know what you think.
Thank you for your answer ! I already have the two books of Mark Levine. Personally I learned a lot from harmonic theory by the two books of Enric Herrera but I dont know if there exists an english version (the one I have is in spanish) and at the moment I am waiting for the book of Dave Liebman about chromatic harmony I ordered last week (I am a sax player by the way). Ill definitly try to get those two books you mentioned, maybe as a christmas present hahaha. Take care and thanks again for your work.
I have the Liebman book but have not yet read it. Thank you for reminding me. I'll make sure to read it in the next couple of weeks.
Great video! Question: Your explanation covers situations where you’re in a major key and you want to borrow a chord (or two) from any scale. What if you’re in a minor key, for example, in a ii-V-i minor chord progression? I’m assuming you can still borrow chords from any other scale.
you have some odd voicings for your chords like the GMa7. A 'D' in the bass and an F# and G a semitone away from each other. Gives it an unusual sound I think for purposes of demonstration a more standard voicing would be better. It would more clearly demonstrate the perfect cadence from D7 to G(Ma7) in the Lydian mode. unusual voicings 'muddy' the water as it were.
What an awesome video, which brings me a question : can we really talk about modal interchange to explain the blues? I mean, modal interchange seems to be really meaningfull when playing in a complete tonal logic (for example the IVmin which usually succeed a IVmaj in a major song sound to me as if the piano was saying "look, you thought i was going to stay major, but here a little ambiguity for you, enjoy!"). So what i want to say is that this modal interchange seems to find his importance on his own existence, of course this harmony can be analysed in the entire structure of the song, but have importance when it's occured (the same exemple, even if the song repeats, the IVmin always seems "surprising"). But in the blues (as an exemple too), it doesn't seems that way. I could take the I7 which seems to tell us that blues is a langage hardly construct around tritone, but i will take the I - IIIb - IV progression, like in Purple Haze by Jimi, all major, even 7 if we want too. This IIIb doesn't sound like a modal interchange to me, because when it occurs, i don't think "wow a chord borrowed in another mode". It seems natural in a blues context, for a huge blues listener, like if blues had his own "scale". I don't like this word for talking about blues sound, because the "tonal" scale doesn't obey to the same rules (for example the third in blues is very wild, can be minor or major, or both in the same time!). So that's why i was saying that modal interchange seems to be very "tonalish", and blues, even if can be explain by tonal way of thinking, has his own "malleable scale", and that's why for me the I-IIIb-IV sequence is in the same "scale" (for the reason that mooving the third up or down is not a big deal in blues!). Thanks for all of your work, you really help me in my comprehension of music :) (sorry for my english i'm french!)
Hi Kaito. Yes, I agree. The Blues is different and has it's own theory and underlying ideas that are a bit different to 'standard tonal' music.
Modal Interchange is one way to analyse a chord progression, but it is not the only way (as I mentioned in my video). It is more useful when analysing Jazz-blues chord progressions (like Bird Blues or Count Basie Blues).
But your more classic Muddy Waters Chicago Blues or Hendrix Rock-Blues is better analysed in a different way - so you are correct.
I will try do a lesson on 'Blues Theory' in the future, though it's nowhere near as complex as Jazz.
Nice! great video, but I found an error in the 3:18 chord table, the chord of the harm min seven level is diminished 7th.
If I am playing in C Ionian, then my #1 chord is Cmaj and over this chord I would play the C Ionian scale. My #2 chord would be Dminor and over this chord I would play the D dorian scale.
Similarly, if I am playing in C Dorian, then my #1 chord is Cminor and my #2 chord is also Dminor.
My question is what modes would I play over C minor and D minor if I am playing in C dorian?
thank youuuuuu
Why in the harmonic minor the 5th degree is x7b9? I know that the only substitution on the 5th degree of harmonic minor is x7#5.
Can we replace a chord from 5th chord for example with a 2nd or 3rd chord from another scale? I mean the chord number in the two scales are not the same? Or does it have to be the same number like 5th for fifth and 6th for 6th and so on?
Praise God 🙏 super explainin can you help me how to connect you reg sum other doughts please...
do you have any charts for public or sales for all keys other than c acale? Love it
I have a question, why 2 5 1 with 2 and 5 from Lydian mode is modal interchange, while both Lydian and Ionian have Cmaj7 in 1 chord? Isn't it just 2 5 1 whole in Lydian in that case?
Endriu 5 My understanding is that what you say is true when the 2-5-1 is out-of-context, but that exercise is based on the assumption that that the rest of the chord progression around that 2-5-1 is Ionian.
great examples for these concepts. awesome vid. - - - - - any chance that you can do a video of proper fingerings of modes for piano??? i have yet to find those in print or done as a tutorial on youtube. i'm down to send you some money for it if you can get me a printable document. thanks.
Just sent you an email. Let me know if you were after something different. Otherwise, hope that helps.
Interesting ! :)
Thanks, Samy.
My question to you sir, when you are playing a Melody and notes from that scale but in the middle if I borrow a chord from parallel key, do I need to change the melodic notes to the one from that parallel key
Hey mate.
So you can do one of three things:
1. Stay in the original scale
2. Change to the new scale (from which the chord was borrowed)
3. Alter the original scale to include the non-diatonic notes from the borrowed chord.
So say we are in C Major and we borrow Fm7 (iv chord) from C Aeolian. We can:
1. Keep playing C Ionian over the Fm7
2. Play C Aeolian over Fm7
3. Play C Ionian but play Ab instead of A and Eb instead of E (so we have C D Eb F G Ab B)
Personally I would do number 3. This is what very many musicians do as it's simple and sounds more related/consistent as you change fewer notes.
Hope that helps.
Walk That Bass yes sir this looks like a plan , thanks for the help
C harmonic minor is just G7 there is no flat 9?
The notes are C, D , Eb , F, G, A b , B
Also C harmonic minor 7 th chord is B dim 7 not Bm7b5?
Thank you
Sorry, but I have to correct you that Modal interchange becomes modulation when I get 2-5-1 in the new key actually. In a major chord progression I can put a 1000 of chords took from the parallel minor key, until when I decide to use the chords took from the parallel minor key to use them to make 2-5-1 in the new key.
Is fly me to the moon tonicization or modulation?
can i use any chord following after borrowed chord ?
Yep, you can. Though it's often best to go back to the tonic chord or at least a diatonic chord to re-establish the key/tonal centre, as if you leave it too long it will become modulation.
thanks ! :)
This is cool for composing purposes when sitting behind the piano, but holy shit how can someone memorize all these different modal chords to choose from when improvising or jamming haha. It's too much.
Thanks as always! I am very curious about how Bill Evans reharmonizes the first few notes at the start of Here's That Rainy Day for a long time. It seems he reharmonizes each note with a chord, and it sounds quite amazing and colorful. Here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/VkpXzZYPhqo/v-deo.html
Do you know what does he do?
There's actually a transcription of that song online, if you google it. But yeah, he plays a chord for each melody note.
He uses really beautiful voicings but he doesn't do anything too complex with the actual chords he's playing.
He plays it in the key of B Major
Original progression:
BMaj7 | D7 | GMaj7 | CMaj7 |
C#m7 | F#m7 | BMaj7 | F#m7 B7 |
After a little 2 bar intro where he just moves back and forth between F#7sus and G7/F# with an ascending soprano voice he goes into the song:
BMaj7 F7 EMaj7 | BMaj7 D7 | GMaj7 C#Maj7 | CMaj7 |
C#m7 BMaj7 | EMaj7 F#7 C7 | BMaj7 G7 | F#m7 B7 |
And he just makes sure he uses voicings with the melody note on top, so each melody note is harmonised by a chord.
As you can see he uses a few approach chords and often reharmonises with diatonic chords:
Bar 1: BMaj7 (Tonic) to F7 (approach chord) to EMaj7 (IV Chords)
Bar 2-4: BMaj7 (Tonic) to D7 to GMaj7 (V-I) to C#Maj7 (approach chord) to CMaj7
And he, of course, inserts a few counter-melodies and ornamentals and basslines. And it comes out very pretty.
If you can't find it online, I'm happy to email the transcription to you. Just give me your email, either here or as a Private Message.
Cheers
Thanks for your comprehensive elaboration on my question and I find the transcription online! Actually I think you can even make one or few mini lectures on his approach to voicing or harmony if you want to do so. I am always deeply impressed by his performance and interested in your way of analyzing it.
Thanks, I'll have a think about it. I'm planning an advanced 'four way close voicing' video (as a follow up to my existing one) which covers similar ideas. But I'll look into some more chord harmonisation ideas.
Can U explain what this jazz technique is? which I have heard in a lot of songs, like in this yamaha piaggero demo song- ua-cam.com/video/Km3Vp-CS__k/v-deo.html
from 0:38-0:42
Thanks in advance!!
Hey, as far as I can tell, they are using a technique called 'approach chords'. This is when you play a quick passing chord one semitone or one tone away from your target chord. So if you wanted to play a CMaj7 you could play Db7 and then play the CMaj7. I have a video on passing chords here: ua-cam.com/video/e7En25foxgs/v-deo.html
The chord progression for that particular section looks to be this:
| Am11 AbMaj7#11 | Dm11 DbMaj7#11 | B13 | DMaj7 EMaj7 |
- except they use a power chord (only root and 5th) for the last tow chords (DMaj7 and EMaj7)
Hope that helps.
Except that it is not correct. Modal Interchange is NOT just borrowing chords from a parallel key. Go and look at your standards again but look at the more contemporary tunes like those from Wayne Shorter and others. Try explaining those chord progressions in a way that makes sense with your misguided notions about modal interchange. How would your limited notions explain a progression like CM7, DbM7, EbM7, AbM7, BbM7, CM7#11..... Borrowed chords cant explain that and yet modal interchange does. So what you are calling modal interchange is not that at all.
Actually the chord progression you gave as a counterexample just confirms what he said in the video. CM7 = I Ionian, DbM7 = II Phrygian, EbM7 = III Dorian, AbM7 = VI Phrygian, BbM7 = VII Dorian.
So I guess you should go and look at your theory again before being so arrogant.