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 ...
, a constant structure is a
chord progression consisting of three or more
chords
Chord may refer to:
* Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously
** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning
* Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve
* Chord ...
of the same type or quality.
[Rawlins, Robert (2005). ''Jazzology: The Encyclopedia of Jazz Theory for All Musicians'', p.131. .] Popularized by pianists
Bill Evans
William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
and
Herbie Hancock, the combination of
functional and nonfunctional chords provides cohesiveness while producing a free and shifting
tonal center.

For example, the progression F
maj7–A
maj7–D
maj7–G
maj7–C
13sus4 contains four
major seventh chords (and one
thirteenth chord), none of which are
diatonic to the
key of F major except the first.
In contrast, the vi–ii–V–I or
circle progression from classical theory contains four chords of two or three different qualities: major, minor, and possibly a
dominant seventh chord; all of which, however, are diatonic to the key. Thus diversity is achieved within a stable and fixed tonal center.
See also
*
Parallel harmony
*
Side-slipping
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constant Structure
Jazz techniques
Music theory
Jazz terminology