What's so Special About the iii Chord?

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Pianist and author Jeremy Siskind talks about what's unique about the iii chord and how we can learn to play less obvious modes by "dipping" into key centers.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:42 Skylark and the "Diatonic Walkup"
02:50 The problems with the iii Chord
05:30 Treating the iii chord like the I in first inversion
07:05 Different mode possibilities
11:52 The melodic minor and "dipping" into key centers

[@joshhampton7628]

Great video, as usual. To quote my college professor, “Be melodic, make a phrase, hit a cadence. The notes are the least important.” Of course he drilled us on what scales to play over chords constantly.

[@JeremySiskind]

I love that quote. Easier said than done, right???

[@joshhampton7628]

@@JeremySiskind absolutely. That’s why we practiced so much other stuff.

[@lutherhughes7091]

Another winner Jeremy!

[@JeremySiskind]

Thank you, Luther!!!

[@benjaminmorris811]

I enjoy your style sir. Thanks a bunch!

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks much, Benjamin! I appreciate that feedback!

[@davidl8094]

Good practical video...and good playing. Thanks.

[@JeremySiskind]

AWesome! I'm glad you got something out of that.

[@MrFedemoral]

Thanks jeremy

[@JeremySiskind]

My pleasure! It's a very interesting subject for me, so I'm glad it's interesting to others!

[@MIE_Jazz]

Great video Jeremy! Thanks for sharing.

[@JeremySiskind]

My pleasure - thank you for taking the time to watch!

[@wayne3686]

Great video, Not only explains 1/3 of this solution idea，but also tried to explore a better sound in this "wrong" way of thinking, I love this outside sound, when on Ab Ionian, i was exclaimed at the same time with you, what a beautiful sound

[@JeremySiskind]

Nice! It’s such an interesting harmonic moment full of musical possibilities!

[@brendaboykin3281]

Thanx, Maestro 🌹🌹🌹

[@JeremySiskind]

My pleasure, Ms. Brenda!

[@romanstudia]

Hi Jeremy! Thank you for your videos! Just purchased your books 📚 My question: what are good voicing choices for Phrygian and Phrygian dominant scales/chords when playing in a modal context (say, Coltrane’s “Ole” or a similar tune)? Thank you one more time!

[@TommyCosterMusic]

Great video…Ty

[@JeremySiskind]

Thank you, Ty! I apprecaite your eyes and ears. :)

[@chrisbigred1]

Thanks Jeremy. You didn't really say so much about voicings for the iii chord. Barry Harris always complained about jazz students always using the same voicings for minor chords regardless of whether they are ii, iii or vi chords. For the same reasons as you mention here, the 6 and 9 'problems'. If you want to stay diatonic and not treat the iii as a root with the three in the bass either, then your choice of voicings is really limited (and kinda boring), don't you think?

[@kjasgfuyhgvuhibkgh7009]

I think the implicit argument is that what's written as "iii" on lead sheets is often better understood as I in first inversion (due to the real book and other sources being generally sloppy), so it's harmonically clearer if you voice it that way. I and iii are similar chords but they're not the same. (I know classical music is a different idiom, but especially if you look at pre-Romantic stuff, you see a lot of I in first inversion and not a lot of iii, with the iii typically coming in modulations. And trying to blindly sub in iii for I6 would be wrong, or at least not idiomatic. Maybe Jeremy can clarify whether jazz is the same way?)

[@JeremySiskind]

My evasive answer is "it's complicated" and a lot is up to the performer. They can avoid the 9th and 6th and then we'll never quite know which chord it is. They can play the 9th/6th from the chord of the iii chord, and then we'll know it's a iii chord. Or, they can play the diatonic 9th/6th and then it will sound more like the I chord. I think when you see the iii in a leadsheet, it can be any of those things.

[@caseydahl1952]

It took me so long to think of the iii chord as just I/3! I think you can get away with the LH shell voicing 7-nat9-3-5 more than the 3-5-7-nat9 because in the former, the note outside of the key is tucked within the voicing, whereas in the latter the note outside the key is the top of the voicing, making it more prominent.

[@JeremySiskind]

Great insight! Yes, that three chord is so often just the I chord in inversion.

[@rainerschnelle1]

Thanks for your content which I find very helpful. But your audio definitely could be louder. I always need to adjust the volume watching your videos and then have to turn it back down again for other videos.

[@tanhongzhi2637]

I agree with the audio part. even at max volumes, sometimes, it is still soft.

[@leandroharo]

Jeremy love your content and agree with this advise! Thanks

[@jankafka7330]

The volume on this video matches the level of the video I watched prior to it. I had no reason to adjust the volume. Maybe the perceived problem is with your device.

[@rainerschnelle1]

@@jankafka7330 After watching Jeremy‘s video on my iPhone there was indeed not much to complain about the level. But on my computer there definitely was. I don’t understand how that would make a difference but it did. Where did you listen to it?

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks much! I'm always trying to work on getting my audio better and I'm trying to remember to put my microphone closer to my mouth! I appreciate the reminder. :)

[@theoooms7277]

interesting, as always!

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks much, Theo!

[@chodaldomination]

The traditional way to play the iii chord would be with the phrygian ( chord-scale ), meaning you categorise the b9 and b13 as 'avoid notes' or 'unavailable tensions' on your chord. Is the main idea here that if you do a subtle reharmonisation, and play it as an Eb/G, the reordering of the way you're playing the notes allows them to not be 'avoid notes' anymore ? because the dissonant intervals created by the avoid notes become softened i.e the flat 13 of the chord (Eb) gets played on the bottom and thus only creates a maj7 interval with the D rather than the undesirable flat 9 interval.

[@kjasgfuyhgvuhibkgh7009]

See my reply to Chris Dinant's comment above for one view on this.

[@JeremySiskind]

I think you've summarized it well! I think the iii chord opens up lots of options. You can "avoid," play diatonic, or play in the "world" of the iii.

[@bethanylowe8773]

Good to see the written notation, but it's not like we can see what notes you are pressing down on the piano keyboard, because of the 2D aerial view. (Of your 10 digits over the keys, some are playing notes and some just resting for any chord.) If you're not using a midi keyboard, how about putting the keyboard camera at more of an angle, so we can see which keys are going down? Cheers!

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks for the comment! I'll work to better. :)

[@bethanylowe8773]

@@JeremySiskind Cheers mate - really appreciate your videos! 🙂🎹👍

[@janevonmaltzahn2667]

He can play holding a pen in his right hand!!!!