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  • What Is Diatonic Chord Substitution?

    Diatonic chord substitution lessonWhat Are Chord Substitutions?

    Chord substitution is to replace a chord by another one to add more harmonic interest to a piece, a song or a chord progression. In jazz music, this technique is widely by composers and improvisers. It can be useful to reharmonize a chord sequence or a jazz standard. There are two types of substitutions :

    • Diatonic substitutions (chords that have the same tonal function) :
      • Relative minor.
      • Secondary relative minor.
      • Dominant minor (II-V).
    • Chromatic substitutions (Formed with chords from other keys or modes) :
      • Tritone substitution.
      • Secondary dominant chords.
      • Chromatic common tones.
      • Chord quality substitution.
      • Adding II-V progressions.

    This post is focused on diatonic substitutions, chromatic substitutions will be discussed in another topic.

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