Tritone Substitution and Scales

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This Jazz Piano Tutorial is about the scales you can use over a dominant chord with a tritone substitution.
One of the most common chord substitutions in Jazz is the Tritone Substitution. This is a way of substituting Dominant 7 chords. So a G7 would become a Db7 (the root note is a tritone away). They work because the guide tones (3rd & 7th) are the same in both chords.
G7 = G B D F
Db7 = Db F Ab B
Ordinarily over a II-V-I in C Major you would just improvise using the C Major scale, or the equivalent modes. But what if the chord progression was 1/2 a bar of G7 and 1/2 a bar of Db7? Or if someone was comping and you didn’t know which chord they were going to play?
Db Mixolydian doesn’t quite fit over the G7 chord; and
G Mixolydian doesn’t quite fit over the Db7 chord
You have a number of options when improvising over G7 and/or Db7:
Play G Mixolydian but avoid the C
C is an avoid note for G7 and Db7 - so just omit it
Scales that fit over G7 and Db7
Wholetone Scale = G A B Db Eb F
Dominant Diminished Scale = G Ab Bb B Db D E F
Ab melodic minor = Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F G
AKA G Altered Scale
AKA Db Lydian Dominant
D melodic minor = D E F G A B C#(Db)
AKA Db Altered Scale
AKA G Lydian Dominant
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[@sssbbb]

Criminally underrated video

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

just noticed I was subscribed but didn't ring the bell.. I didn't used to know what it did. Nice lesson.. I do a simplified version of this on a two five one.. all root positions Four note chords.. d f a c. db f ab b c e g b.. Great lesson my head hurts ..

[@thejazzisthis]

Thanks I talked to my music teacher at school about tritone substitution when I learned it at my piano lessons and she made fun of me, now I have something to show her!

[@WalkThatBass]

Yeah, Tritone substitutions are great. Good luck.

[@RandySpaulding]

This is great, thanks!

[@WalkThatBass]

No worries, Randy :)

[@carloscruz2218]

I´ve got a question, how did you figured out those were the scales to use in this case (tritone sub)? Is there an analisys so we can get an answer obout what scale use over a given chord o chords like the example you have made in this video?

[@WalkThatBass]

Hi, Very simply, you can use a scale over a chord, if that scale contains all the notes of the chord (it's actually a bit more complex than this). I explain how we know what scales we can use over a given chord in detail here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bX-6aYt4ZcR5r6c You also want to generally choose scales that minimise the number of avoid notes over a particular chord. I explain avoid notes here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWeqoaKYr8aYhKc And how to select scales here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXi7eoR7YqaNmZI I think these videos will answer your question. If not, feel free to ask again.

[@carloscruz2218]

Thanks for the answer. If there's a conclusion i can use a scale that doesn't have avoid notes and that includes the 3rd and the 7th. That means that i could have the scales we know and other more that includes this "rules" by creating combinations with the intervals, can i?

[@hansolo3087]

Lydian Dominant AKA Mixolydian #11, right? Excellent tutorials, very well structured and comprehensive. Thanks a lot!

[@WalkThatBass]

Yep. #4 and b7. Thanks, Hans :)

[@anthonyschrayer7752]

Why does the Db Mixolydian work over a Db7 chord? It has that Gb which is a flat 9th above the F, the guide tone (3rd) of the Db7 chord.

[@nicholashoffman259]

i think any time you play mixolydian mode over a dominant chord the 4th note of the scale clashes with the 3rd of the chord (where the root and start of scale is the same like in this example Db mixolydian over Db7 chord) and is considered an avoid note. more generally based on some of his other videos i forget which one i think it was selecting scales he says if the scale has the 3rd and the 7th of the chord youre playing over you can play that scale. and in his available tensions lesson which is sort of an extension of avoid notes he says on dominant chords you can have flat 9 intervals on the root and 5th of the chord but not the 3rd and the 7th. so yes i think db mixolydian you would not play the gb over db7 chord. and g mixolydian over db7 chord you wouldnt want to play c because its a half step above the 7th of db7 but the e (half step above the root Db) and the a (half step above the 5th Ab) are okay to play for the reasons he said and theres nothing interfering with the 3rd. why its this way im not exactly sure but maybe with more videos or more research ill make more sense of it. these videos are great just theres so much info so many questions im in the same boat alot of the time

[@rafaelmarfil]

🖤🖤🖤