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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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
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 minor s ...
, the chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
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
Jerry Coker (November 28, 1932 – January 14, 2024) was an American jazz saxophonist and pedagogue.
Coker was born in South Bend, Indiana. He attended Indiana University in the early 1950s, but interrupted his studies in 1953 when Woody Herman ...
. 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 () 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). ''The Harvard Concise Dict ...
) 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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*Pivot joint, a kind of joint between bones in the body
*Pivot turn, a dance move
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borrowed from the parallel minor of the current tonic major key, is a dominant seventh
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* World domination, structure where one dominant power governs the planet
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. 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 subsemitone or 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, leading to ...
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.
A backdoor IV-V is also possible, moving from VIM7 to VII7 to I. This is also commonly known as "Mario Cadence".
Alternative usage
The term "Backdoor" has been used by author Shelton Berg to refer to another entirely unrelated progression. The unexpected modulation
Signal modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a periodic waveform in electronics and telecommunication for the purpose of transmitting information.
The process encodes information in form of the modulation or message ...
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 (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
{{Jazz theory Cadences Chord progressions Chord substitution Jazz terminology