• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Jazz Substitutions in Rock/Pop Music

Progfan44

Progfan44

Aug 4, 2012
104
36
29
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
#1
I've just started my first year in a 4 year jazz program and have been really enjoying it. I'm really liking getting a full knowledge of lots of advanced harmonic concepts such as subsitiutions and advanced chordal extensions I had only scratched the surface of before (Altered Dominants, Tritone Substitutions, Odd Scale Choices etc.). This knowledge is of course very helpful and mandatory for a proper jazz vocabulary, but how do you guys feel about the use of these concepts in a rock setting? Do any of you guys who are schooled in jazz harmony find yourself using those "out" sounds in rock and pop playing, or do you guys reserve it for jazz walking and soloing and only jazz walking and soloing? To take it a step further, are there any rock/pop players you can show who make frequent use of jazzy concepts in their playing? Thanks in advance, I'm really looking forward to having discussions on this!.
 
#2
...I would say Steely Dan used some of these devices on their Rock/Pop albums.
Even on those earliest albums before the sessioneers (who were often Jazz musicians) took over.

Zappa, too.
 
#3
All that 'cool' harmony is fun, but it can be over done in any circumstance. There's a time and a place for everything. Rock music tends to be important rhythmically, so think of it as a horizontal type of music. Jazz is more harmonic, so think vertical. Still, all elements are available for any kind of music. Taste and moderation to all things.

Steely Dan is an excellent example.
 
#4
Mu chord - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

steely dan mu chord

Locally I have heard a very talented high school metal guitarist playing modal over metal changes at a music store demo with Rob Chapman playing rhythm.

and a great local blues guy I know (Moses Oakland) will play with the 'chordal extensions' in his solo breaks.

Both of these situations kind of wake up your ears, but as mentioned it can get overdone.
 
#8
IMvHO jazzy chord subs in straight ahead rock to be used very sparingly - things start sounding "jazzy" pretty quick and just doesn't fit the style. Save it for solos.
Can be used a little more in rock blues and R&B.
A lot more in rock fusion and mainstream pop.

But music is a matter of personal taste. Perhaps you're a player that can use subs in an interesting way that still fits into rawk! No hard set rules.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back