Just Friends Chords Analysis

One classic jazz standard that everybody needs to know is Just Friends. This is a great tune that explores diatonic jazz harmony but with some twists and turns and some great harmonic lessons.
So, in today's video, I'm going to go over a full-on in-depth chords analysis of Just Friends, so we can understand how these chord progressions work.
This lesson comes out of my brand new eBook and Companion Course "The Jazz Standards Playbook Vol. 2." Check it out here: www.learnjazzstandards.com/th...
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[@zachwalgren1694]

I have a bit of a problem with this analysis and seemingly every analysis everywhere else on the internet. It seems that (probably because of the Real Book oversimplifying things) everyone is interpreting bars 3 and 4 incorrectly. To me, having listened to recordings by Earl Hines, Charlie Parker, Clark Terry, Barney Kessel, Lee Konitz, Dizzy Gillespie with Oscar Peterson, most great players (who all learned to play before jazz education and the Real Book) play either Cm6, CmMaj7, or F7 (in the key of G) in these measures, never Cm7. The sound of minor plagal in functional harmony is *always* Cm6, not Cm7. They are different chord qualities with different functions, and conflating them confuses the beginning improviser's ear. There are some examples of Cm7 being used, Paul Bley sometimes does it with Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins (who notably do not do the same), Russ Freeman and Chet Baker, and Dexter Gordon. But the thing is that those are also great players who were deliberately playing Cm7 as a hip substitution (same with Bbm7 to Eb7 instead of Bbdim7 in bars 7-8), probably paying tribute to works like Lady Bird, and that somehow ended up in the Real Book. Since most people just look in the Real Book and never bother to check out recordings, these substitutions became ubiquitous but aren't really the way most great players interpret the tune, and really shouldn't be the default way to play the tune, which it seemingly has among amateur and even professional musicians. I've been lucky enough to have knowledgeable people clarify these falsehoods and help me understand tunes more holistically but this stuff really should be common knowledge. Recordings of masters are the final authority on how jazz should be played, not lead sheets.

[@saxd0ct0r]

Another way of looking at the backdoor dominant is a substitution of the F7 for an F#dim7 from minor. The F#dim7 is enharmonic to the Ebdim 7, or 3-5-7-b9 of D7, the V7 of Gmaj7.

[@joetessy]

I can't overstate how much your videos have helped me improve my jazz piano playing and overall understanding of jazz music theory. When I started, I knew my scales and how to play minor/major 251s. When learning standards, I just couldn't understand the chord choices, where the music was going, or WHY we are playing certain 251s over others. I only watched two of your harmonic analysis videos (Stella by Starlight and Just friends) and they they introduced me to the following concepts. - Backdoor dominants - Tritone substitution - Chromatic 2-5 - Thinking about the 2-5 as leading us into a 1 of a different scale degree (2-5 to the four etc) After this, suddenly the music makes sense and I'm able to learn new standards quickly, and surprisingly I'm also able transpose them on the fly. Just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

It's my pleasure! I'm glad it has helped you a lot.

[@boogiejed5485]

Thanks for the help, I've been slowly learning some standards but without such in depth roman numeral analysis, this is helping deepen my understanding.

[@musicbyvec1955]

"One classic jazz standard that everybody needs to know is 'Just Friends'. This is a great tune that explores relationships and communicating your feelings with others"

[@Soberan]

This harmony analysis videos are great. Please keep them coming! Thanks for the effort.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Sure thing! Thanks for watching.

[@robertosozio3425]

@@Learnjazzstandards NIce analisys good

[@ethanweisman3577]

I have to play this for districts and this was so so so helpful. Thank you!

[@rudyayon6699]

Perfect love the way you teach

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks Rudy, glad you find it helpful!

[@ruby_gleyzes]

Very nice!

[@nicolabrigati74]

Thanks Man!!!

[@eddiekent1997]

Thank you. Memorizing

[@alienflash8137]

Just so biggest thanks!

[@yihanhu3361]

Thanks for the effort！

[@Learnjazzstandards]

My pleasure!

[@kewlfonz]

Very useful lesson. Thanks.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

You are welcome!

[@34tttttaa]

This is great! I love the format. Is there a similar analysis done for a simpler song? I'm starting at this. I'll take a peek at the course you link in case :)

[@joaofofes]

Great !

[@user-gt2zg5on7n]

Thanks a lot!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

My pleasure!

[@001jinete]

hi, thanks so much again and since you demand it, I'd say just to collaborate, that my teachers call it Symetries and harmonic progresions but it's the same Idea, just different terminology, again thanks! I really enjoy your explanations.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks Tony!

[@eduardocampos4808]

😀👍❤ thank you

[@rik-keymusic160]

sorry if i sound nerdy but should it not be the ii-V of the b(flat)III for the first purple box? :p

[@groxirnakk9161]

It looks like the "III" here is used as the "the third chord in G minor", which actually corresponds to the "bIII" chord in G Major. You are right, that is "ii-V" of the "bIII" chord in G Major.

[@williamkao5381]

Ha was listening to this a few days ago by JJ Johnson

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Nice!

[@barisaxo]

When 'super imposing the chromatic II V' it's called side stepping, and generally it would be a two measure II V squished into two one measure II Vs and approached chromatically from above.

[@wojciechgrochowski82]

Thanks Brent! Great as always :) I have got a concern here as a laymen, what about IV- to bVII7 back door movement, is it also applied in jazz? Cheers!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Hey Wojciech! Absolutely, I did a whole video on it: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zn7cn2uepqprgJo

[@wojciechgrochowski82]

​@@Learnjazzstandards Thank you! :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2SVZouYicSVpqM

[@4gcole]

Hi Brent how about a Bb dim in the 7th and 8th bar :) Thats what I hear on Pat Martinos El Hombre recording of this tune...Love it Keep it up!

[@bartcorver5579]

I think the original version uses a dim chord in that part. It's a dim chord resolving to the II-7 of the home key. For me it's easier to hear the chromatic resolving if played as a dim chord

[@zachwalgren1694]

You're right, that's the original change, but whoever wrote the Real Book heard someone play sub ii-Vs and that's become the default way to play the tune for some reason...

[@RoyHorbison]

So many 5s and 7s and 9s - THE EVEN NUMBERS NEED SOME LOVING TOO!

[@clementinemonf]

Hi Brent, thanks for the video. You refer to Gminor as the parallel minor of Gmajor. I thought that the parallel minor of G would be E?

[@rafo807]

E is the relative minor and G the parallel one.

[@JanvanKnip]

Hi Brent, interesting video again but I'm still wondering how such an analysis helps me improvising over this song, other than just 'knowing' the chords?

[@LukeBelcher27]

It's showing you where the key centers are so that you can improvise based on the keys rather than chord to chord. Also allows you to know where all the 2 5's are so you can use your 2 5 1 licks (altered slightly if it's not going to the one) and guide tones. Also if you see other standards that are using these same sorts of progressions then you can quote the melody that's happening over that progression and put it into your solo. But also, the more of this that you do, the better you'll become at knowing what to use over other standards with similar chord progressions.

[@JanvanKnip]

@@LukeBelcher27 Thanks a lot, Luke. That's helpful 👍

[@rockstarjazzcat]

This the chord analysis, and the chords imply chord-scales, each demanding certain treatment to make harmonic sense. This video addresses the “what” side of things. Understanding the implication of each element, and “how” to treat each, is the other half of the battle.

[@williamkao5381]

Hey um could i ask for a favour? i have this performance coming up and i want to do just friends but i can't find any backing tracks in any of the right keys so if you could help me maybe set up like a backing if that's ok.I would've sent you an email but i couldn't find your gmail so if you could help that would be great! thanks -William Kao

[@notyourordinaryangel_jd]

Im a bit confused here. Isnt Em the parallel minor of G major?

[@bartcorver5579]

Good but what is the point of analysing harmony if you don't discuss possibilities of scales and notes to use on those chords. Harmonic minor bars 3, 4

[@lloydenglish7656]

Back door dominant?? Studied harmony and jazz and taught and played for decades but have never heard this term.

[@axeman2638]

In most of the versions I've listened to they play b3Dim in bars 7 and 8 not the real book ii-v there.

[@robmusic9]

I´m not agree with you ...I recommend you to hear the original version first..

[@hazemraafat4572]

Not a good way to analize