In this mini lesson, you’ll see an example of chord voicings for the A-section of a rhythm changes in Bb. I combine drop-3 and rootless chords to create clear, practical voicings that work well for comping, chord solos, and expanding your jazz guitar vocabulary.
The diminished chord voicing in measure 1 and 2 often raises questions.
Here’s what’s going on:
- The Bbmaj7 chord is reharmonized as a dominant 13th chord to lead into Cm7. This is a typical backdoor dominant (bVII7).
- Instead of keeping Bb in the bass, the bass note is shifted to the ♭9, producing a Bb13/♭9 voicing.
Although this voicing doesn’t include a ♭5, I still label it a diminished chord because that’s its harmonic function in this spot, and that’s how it sounds in context.
Backing Track
Listen & Play-Along
Bonjour
J’ai mis un peu de temps à retrouver à travers ton exercice, le standard que je jouais voilà quelques années : ain’t Misbehavin’ …
Merci pour ce rafraîchissement
Cordialement
Thanx so lot for this little exercise! Don’t understand the complete theory but it sounds very nice and conclusive 🙂
Such a beautiful and accessible arrangement. Thank you as always, Dirk. I can’t wait for your version of Part B.
good one
As has already been pointed out by another contributor in the comments, there is a mistake. Effectively, measure 5 is missing (usually Fm7 – Bb7 moving to the IV chord). If that is inserted the chart makes sense and sounds good. The Bb6/9 at the end becomes the first measure of the second 8 measure section.
En fait c’est plutôt les mesures 9 16.
La.confusion sur.les accords vient du fait que ce sont des substitutions.
Le thème vient de aint’ Misbehavin’
Sorry, but this is not the normal progression in rhythm changes… you have to resolve to to the IV-chord in measure 6, not in measure 5. To do that you have different options in measure 5: Bbma7 Bb7 or Fm7 Bb7.
Cet accord est superbe … je l’utilise souvent sur un accord de dominante.
Why do the Diminished 7th chords have an added 6th/13th?
And why are the chords not renamed accordingly?
I am having a difficult time with this lesson myself. I see m7b5 chords by a different name rather than the dim7, and 7sus4 chords instead of add6/9, or min75b chords rather than 9th chords by a different root name. I was taught rather simply by those chords in the context of the key rather than recontextualizing the chords without a root, which I find very confusing and difficult if not impossible for me to do on the fly.
Very very nice!!!👍
A brilliant, compact yet comprehensive lesson. Thank you!
excellent rappel !! cool exercice..
Love this! Please B section?
This sounds great!!