progressions

[Sailor]

can someone explain the harmonic progression in Surrey With The Fringe...

BbM7 - Cm7 - Dm7 - Cm7 - BbM7 - Cm7-........

Also, similar. The Emily Remler Summertime...

Am7 -Bm7- Am7 - Bm7 - Dm7 -Em7 - Dm7 -Em7....

Are these just vamps....I don't get the harmonic functions of songs that dont go I-iv-vii-iii-vi-ii-V-I

Thanks, Sailor

[Banksia]

The original Gershwin chart of Summertime is fairly different from the way most folk/blues/rock players play it. The common Summertime is usually:

Am - Am/G - Am/F# - Am/F - E7 (A "Needle and the Damage Done"-type progression) but Gershwin wrote it as:

Am6 - Bm6 - Am6 - Bm6, etc.

With Surry, the Cm7 - Dm7 - Cm7 is a standard filler for repeated bars of Bbmaj7. Imaj7 - iim7 - iiim7 - iim7. It can also be a progression (rather than a filler) as in "Here, There and Everywhere" by the Beatles, or "Where or When" by Rodgers/Hart.

[ksjazzguitar]

Yeah, with "Surrey", I just think of all that as an expansion of Bb. The chords are changing, but the harmony is all Bb. You can call that a modal vamp if you want. It's not that different from the A section of "Milestones" where he goes Gm7-Am7-BbMaj7 - the chords are changing, but the harmony is all Gm (Dorian) - it's just now that the chords are im7-iim7-bIIIMaj7. Summertime often has an Am-Bm or Am-Bm-CMaj7-Bm vamp on it too. It's all just a way to create a little movement without changing the underlying harmony.

I'm sure we could come up with many examples. The beginning of "Four," the beginnings of the A and B sections of "My Favorite Things," the bridge on "My Funny Valentine," etc. Even if not written in the part, it's very common to add them if you are stuck on a chord for a long time - they have such a trivial effect on the harmony, that they are very safe.

Peace,
Kevin

[Sailor]

Thanks Kevin and Banksia

After looking at Surrey..I was thinking that the BbM7 is I, the Cm7 passing, the Dm7 a sub for I...etc...all Tonic as Kev said but the Cm7 doesn't support the melody. So really just a I and iii vamp with a passing chord? Good analysis??

Thanks, Sailor

[ksjazzguitar]

Yeah, the "BbM7 is I, the Cm7 passing, the Dm7 a sub for I" idea works. It's basically saying the same thing. The important thing to realize that the underlying harmony is all just BbMaj7. Those other chords are just expanding the tonic harmony - filling it out without affecting it's basic function. I just hesitate to think of that as a iii chord because to my ears it isn't acting as one. It's nominally a iii chord, but not functionally. I just don't people to get too caught up in the individual chords. This is one time when even a dyed in the wool anti-scale, pro-harmonic thinker like me thinks that you can just play the chord/scale - this is essentially modal since there isn't any voice leading. Unless the tempo is kinda slow, I'm not going to be catching those individual chords.

My initial explanation just explains what's happening on a macro level. What you're saying is basically the same thing but explaining the nuts and bolts. Both explanations work and are compatible.

Peace,
Kevin

[Banksia]

Isn't the melody note over the Cm7 is an F, isn't it? If so, try Cm11:

8x886x or 8x8866: play the first Cm11 on the F melody - chicks + ducks, etc, then play the second Cm11 on "scurry" and it gives you the F and Bb melody notes.

Cm11 will serve both functions: the bottom notes are passing from Bb to D and the top notes are harmonising your melody.

[ksjazzguitar]

Originally Posted by Banksia

Isn't the melody note over the Cm7 is an F, isn't it?

To me, that kind of just speaks to the whole idea that that Cm7 is not functional. I don't think that it was in the original, just added by jazz players who wanted to add a little movement. The sheet music version that I have just had an 8-7-6-5 line progression in there over the tonic chord.

As you point out, if you're voicing the melody in there, you will need a Cm11.

Peace,
Kevin

[Aristotle]

Originally Posted by Sailor

can someone explain the harmonic progression in Surrey With The Fringe...BbM7 - Cm7 - Dm7 - Cm7 - BbM7 - Cm7-........
Are these just vamps.

Walking vamp?