| Last issue we
met the neighbors. If you recall, the neighbors are 1/2 step
above and below the fam. What I didn't tell you (because the
last issue was too long already) is that the cousins have
neighbors too.
Let's take a quick look at those
neighbors -- the cousin's neighbors -- and then we'll discuss
what to do with these neighbors.
Cousin II has two neighbors -- we
could call them II# and IIb if we wanted. In the Key of C the
II chord is D, so 1/2 step below D is Db (or we could term it
C#), and 1/2 step above D is D# (or if you prefer, Eb).
Cousin III also has 2 neighbors, but
the upper neighbor is a family member -- IV. The lower
neighbor would be Eb in the Key of C, or we could enharmonicly
term it D#.
Cousin VI also has 2 neighbors -- VI#
and VIb. In the Key of C that would be A# and Ab.
And cousin VII has 2 neighbors too,
but the upper neighbor is family member I. The lower neighbor
is VIIb -- in the Key of C, that would be Bb.
So that's all the neighbors. You've
met the entire neighborhood, and you've noticed that some of
the neighbors have more than one function. They can be family
members as well as neighbors and cousins as well as neighbors,
just as happens in everyday life. My neighbor might be my Mom
or my grown daughter or my cousin, or he might be unrelated to
me. But he/she is my neighbor nonetheless.
So what, you might say.
Here's what.
As you move from the I chord to the V
chord, you might "cut through the neighbor's yard" on your way
there. For example, if you are playing in the Key of C and
you're on the C chord but the next chord is G, you might very
well play the Ab chord and slide down to G. Or you might play
F# chord and slide up to G. That's known as a "half-step
slide", and can be very effective when creating your own chord
progressions and/or chord substitutions. (In a later issue of
this newsletter we'll discuss color tones, and how to "dress
up" these half-step slides with 7ths and 9ths and so forth,
but for now, just get the main idea of sliding off the
neighbors onto the target chord).
Here's your neighborhood assignment:
See how many yards you can cut
through as you move from the:
I chord to the IV chord
I chord to the V chord
II chord to the V chord
IV chord to the V chord
V chord to the I chord
...and so on.
It won't be long before you see there
are ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES for chord substitutions just by
"taking shortcuts through the neighbor's yard" and then
"sliding into" the next chord.
Next issue we'll talk more about 1/2
step slides and how to voice them, but meanwhile, check out
"Half-Step Slides" in the Pro Secrets series at
http://www.piano-playing-by-ear.com/
or click on the banner below. |
