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The term "Backdoor" has been used by author Shelton Berg to refer to another entirely unrelated progression. The unexpected
In 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, 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 VII7 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. 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) is, by inference, the "front door", a metaphor suggesting that this is the main route to the tonic.
The VII7 chord, a pivot chord borrowed
''Borrowed'' is a 2022 drama film directed by Carlos Rafael Betancourt and Oscar Ernesto Ortega. The film explores the relationship between two men living in South Florida. ''Borrowed'' stars Jonathan Del Arco and Héctor Medina, and had its worl ...
from the parallel minor 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-tones 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 modulation
In electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a periodic waveform, called the '' carrier signal'', with a separate signal called the ''modulation signal'' that typically contains informat ...
created through the substitution of the highly similar Imaj9 for iii7 (in C: CEGBD and EGBD) at the end of the ii7-V7 turnaround to a tonicized iii
III or iii may refer to:
Companies
* Information International, Inc., a computer technology company
* Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company
* 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company
Other uses
* Ins ...
(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 Imaj9, 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.
See also
* VII-V7 cadenceReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Backdoor Progression Cadences Chord progressions Chord substitution Jazz terminology