II-V-I Alterations

Today, I want to talk about some basic II-V-I alterations. If you refer to my blog from October 22, 2017 entitled “Be A Close - Talker”, I discussed 4-way close voicings. Today, I’m going to build on that, so please review that blog before reading this one! This blog will mainly benefit chord instrumentalists like Piano and Guitar players, but single note instrumentalists, feel free to arpeggiate these up and down to get a good feel for them and to get your ear used to the sound of these. As always, I am available for questions via the “Contact” area on this site, or message me on twitter @peterrpowers .

I am going to show you four basic alterations used when playing “5th Cycle” chord progressions. The II-V-I progression is the most basic of this type of progression. Usually occurring at the end of a cadence. If we work backwards and add a couple more chords at the front end, we have III, VI, II, V, I, just to show an example of continuing the 5th-Cycle motion progressions beyond the II-V-I. But I digress, onto the topic at hand!

THE BASICS:

First, let's look at the progression with no alterations (I showed this progression on the “Close Talker” blog and the two ways to play it: Voicing it bottom to top - 3, 5, 7, 9 OR 7, 9, 3, 5 and alternating from chord to chord in the 5th-Cycle motion to allow for better voice-leading. I also included what I would typically play in my left hand to accompany the right hand. A basic shell voicing consisting of the root and either a 3rd or 7th. In this first example, we have Dm7 voiced bottom to top in the right hand: 3, 5, 7, 9. Followed, by G7, voiced 7, 9, 3, 5. And finally, the C major 7, voiced 3, 5, 7, 9.

ALTERATION 1:

This is the most basic alteration. All we are doing is changing the V chord from a G7 to a G13. The 13th note replaces the 5th. (E will replace D for the G7 chord).

ALTERATION 2:

The next alteration will build on the previous one. On the V chord, we are keeping the 13th in place of the 5, but now we will also alter the 9th note, flattening it to create a G13(b9) chord. (Note: Most of these alterations happen in the V chord and the I chord). Because of this alteration, The I chord is also slightly altered to provide better voice-leading. The Ab note (b9th of G), resolves down a half-step to the G (5th of C) and the B (3rd of G) also resolves down, but a whole step to A (6th of C) to provide some parallel motion, creating a C Major 6 chord. The 6th is functioning in place of the 7th - This is important to remember because if we are to use the other 4-Way-Close voicing for this chord, the bottom note would be the 6th note (6, 9, 3, 5).

ALTERATION 3:

The next alteration is, again, building on what was done in Alteration 2. For the V chord, which already has a flat 9th, we will also flatten the 13th note, making the chord a G7(b9, b13). [Pro Tip: A chord is typically named for it's highest unaltered extension note. An extension is anything above the 5th. That's why this chord is named G7(b9, b13) and not something like G,b13(b9). Compared to the previous example, which was called G13(b9) but because the 13th is now altered, the main part of the chord's name reverts back to 7] The resolution for the I chord will be a C major 13. It’s called a 13 instead of a 6 because we already have a 7th in this chord (Which is the first extension above 5. If there was no 7th, we can call this note 6th, as in the previous example. Having the b13th also adds another dimension of voice-leading. The Eb note (b13th of G) moving downwards a half-step to the D (9th of C). The C major 13 chord would be voiced 3, 13, 7, 9 (The 13 is functioning in the place of the 5).

ALTERATION 4:

The last alteration for today is a slight variation to Alteration 3. However, this one is actually more commonly used. On the V chord, we will keep the b13th note, but instead of a b9, we will sharp the 9. This choice will again affect the resolution of the I chord to provide better voice leading. So, on the V chord, we have 7, #9, 3, b13, and on the I chord, we have 3, 13, 7, 9.

If any (or all) of this stuff is flying above your heads, don't worry. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me for a simpler explanation, or perhaps a better explanation of some of the basic building blocks that these examples come from. On the other hand, if this stuff is too simple for you, please also let me know and I welcome any and all topic suggestions that you may want to recommend!

Thanks!