Backdoor versus dominant in the chromatic circle

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

and

jazz harmony Jazz harmony is the theory and practice of how chords are used in jazz music. Jazz bears certain similarities to other practices in the tradition of Western harmony, such as many chord progressions, and the incorporation of the major and mi ...

, the

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

from iv⁷ to

VII VII or vii may refer to: the Roman numeral 7 Art and entertainment * The Vii, a video game console * vii, leading-tone triad, see diminished triad * ''VII'' (Blitzen Trapper album) * ''VII'' (Just-Ice album) * ''VII'' (Teyana Taylor album) * ...

⁷ to I (the tonic or "home" chord) has been nicknamed the backdoor progressionCoker, Jerry (1997). ''Elements of the Jazz Language for the Developing Improvisor'', p.82. . "Back Door Progression As A Substitute For V7 The I chord, in a given progression, is often preceded by IV-7 to VII7, ''instead of the usual V7 chord''.". or the backdoor ii-V, as described by jazz theorist and author

Jerry Coker Jerry Coker (born November 28, 1932) is an American jazz saxophonist and pedagogue. Coker was born in South Bend, Indiana. He attended Indiana University in the early 1950s, but left school to become a member of Woody Herman's Herd. Coker eventua ...

. This name derives from an assumption that the normal progression to the tonic, the ii-V-I turnaround (ii-V⁷ to I, see also

authentic cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999) ...

) is, by inference, the "front door", a metaphor suggesting that this is the main route to the tonic. The VII⁷ chord, a pivot chord

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from the

parallel minor In music theory, a major scale and a minor scale that have the same tonic note are called parallel keys and are said to be in a parallel relationship. Forte, Allen (1979). ''Tonal Harmony'', p.9. 3rd edition. Holt, Rinehart, and Wilson. . "Whe ...

of the current tonic major key, is a

dominant seventh In music theory, a dominant seventh chord, or major minor seventh chord, is a seventh chord, usually built on the fifth degree of the major scale, and composed of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. Thus it is a major triad t ...

. Therefore, it can resolve to I; it is commonly preceded by IV going to iv, then VII⁷, then I. In C major the dominant would be G⁷: (the notes GBDF), sharing two common tones with B⁷: (the notes BDFA). The notes A and F serve as upper

leading-tone In music theory, a leading-tone (also called a subsemitone, and a leading-note in the UK) is a note or pitch which resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper leading-tone, respectively. Typically, ''th ...

s back to G and E (when the chord moves to the tonic, C major), respectively, rather than B and F serving as the lower and upper leading-tones to C and E in a conventional G7-C major (V7-I) cadence.

Alternative usage

The term "Backdoor" has been used by author Shelton Berg to refer to another entirely unrelated progression. The unexpected

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created through the

substitution Substitution may refer to: Arts and media *Chord substitution, in music, swapping one chord for a related one within a chord progression *Substitution (poetry), a variation in poetic scansion * "Substitution" (song), a 2009 song by Silversun Pic ...

of the highly similar I^maj9 for iii⁷ (in C: CEGBD and EGBD) at the end of the ii⁷-V⁷ turnaround to a tonicized iii (ii⁷/iii=iv⁷, V⁷/iii=VII⁷, iii), arrives at 'home' (the temporary tonic of iii) through unexpected means, the 'back door' instead of the 'front door'(iii⁷, the individual notes EGBD, being entirely contained within I^maj9, the individual notes of the C major chord, CEGBD, and the seventh of the dominant seventh chord still resolving downward).Berg, Shelton (2005). ''Essentials Of Jazz Theory'', p.105. Alfred Music. . The resolution of a dominant seventh chord up a step (in this case a half-step, also called a semitone) is called a

deceptive cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999) ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Backdoor Progression Cadences Chord progressions Chord substitution Jazz terminology

Alternative usage

See also

References