One bar in Misty

[Average Joe]

So, this is probably a daft question, but there's a change in the bridge of Misty I can't really figure out - it's the D7-F7, leading to Gm7b5-C7.

What's that F7 doing there? I tend to think of the D as the 5 of the preceeding Am, but how is that F leading to Gm?

[Al Haig]

A, D, G, C, F, Bb is a 4, 7, 3, 6, 2, 5 circle of 4ths progression leading back to the 1. F7 is just a sub, a backdoor dominant, whole step down from the target, in the focal point of the melody.

[djg]

So, this is probably a daft question, but there's a change in the bridge of Misty I can't really figure out - it's the D7-F7, leading to Gm7b5-C7.

What's that F7 doing there? I tend to think of the D as the 5 of the preceeding Am, but how is that F leading to Gm?

you're on the right track. bar 5 and six of the bridge. which key are we in?

[Al Haig]

The entire song is in Eb.

[Average Joe]

A, D, G, C, F, Bb is a 4, 7, 3, 6, 2, 5 circle of 4ths progression leading back to the 1. F7 is just a sub, a backdoor dominant, whole step down from the target, in the focal point of the melody.

Thanks. I'd considered whether it could be a back door 5, but I dunno that I've encountered one leading to a minor chord before (or maybe I just haven't noticed)

[Al Haig]

You're welcome. It's the same thing. Another way to look at it is the BH way where subs on a dominant chord are just minor 3rds away. So subs for D7 would be F7 - backdoor, Ab7 - tritone, and B7 - implies leading to the target chord's relative minor.

[Average Joe]

I'd say G major, and I thought of the backdoor 5, but I thought thouse would always resolve to major

you're on the right track. bar 5 and six of the bridge. which key are we in?

[Al Haig]

It's the same idea. Everything isn't cookie cutter in music, you can bend and break guidelines. The entire song is in Eb, it just jazzes it up. Bar 7 and 8 of the bridge is a standard 3, 6, 2, 5 turnaround in Eb. Bars 5 and 6 just extend the cycle back further with a 4 and 7. The F7 is a sub of the 7 (D7).

[garybaldy]

So, this is probably a daft question, but there's a change in the bridge of Misty I can't really figure out - it's the D7-F7, leading to Gm7b5-C7.

What's that F7 doing there? I tend to think of the D as the 5 of the preceeding Am, but how is that F leading to Gm?

The Gm7b5 is also a Bbm6. F7 to Bbm6 is a V i.

[djg]

I'd say G major, and I thought of the backdoor 5, but I thought thouse would always resolve to major

yes. you're temporarily in G and the F7 is Cm6, so IVm in G. i'd personally hesitiate to call it backdoor. that's a rather vague term like alt.

[Al Haig]

No, you're not temporarily in G, it's just part of a cycle in Eb. Jazz doesn't use all diatonic chords, it uses modal mixture to embellish the harmony of traditional cycles. It's all in Eb but you can view it as having tonal centers to simplify soloing if you choose. Just like the Bb-7 to Eb7 to Abmaj7 doesn't mean you changed key to Ab, it just went to the 4 chord.

[pamosmusic]

A, D, G, C, F, Bb is a 4, 7, 3, 6, 2, 5 circle of 4ths progression leading back to the 1. F7 is just a sub, a backdoor dominant, whole step down from the target, in the focal point of the melody.

I would second this, i think.

To me it’s the Am7 that sounds weird, rather than the F7.

[djg]

To me it’s the Am7 that sounds weird, rather than the F7.

i really like the Am out of thin air. that part is really uplifting the melody. and again up, to Cm6 (of F7 if you must), adds to that

[pamosmusic]

i really like the Am out of thin air. that part is really uplifting the melody. and again up, to Cm6 (of F7 if you must), adds to that

Yeah it’s beautiful.

I just mean that to my ear, that’s the “out of thin air” part and the F7 or Cm6 is the one that sounds like it’s bringing us back to where we started

[Question]

As Peter said, the Amin is the place that seems "out of thin air", but notice that is where the lyric says "how hopefully I'm lost".

Just like a lot of Beatles, Paul Simon songs etc, placing the right word on the right melody and harmony is what often makes those songs so memorable.

Maybe that was the main consideration when composing the song. The original meaning of these songs is often lost when playing them instrumental.

[djg]

Yeah it’s beautiful.

I just mean that to my ear, that’s the “out of thin air” part and the F7 or Cm6 is the one that sounds like it’s bringing us back to where we started

yep. and for cycling make the F7 an Am7b5.

|Am7 / / / | D7 / Am7b5 Ab13|Gm7b5 / C7 / | etc

i find it such a beautiful and weird thing that Am7b5 and Gm7b5 both can sub for a I chord.

[djg]

As Peter said, the Amin ist the place that seems "out of thin air", but notice that is where the lyric says "how hopefully I'm lost".

Just like a lot of Beatles, Paul Simon songs etc, placing the right word on the right melody and harmony is what often makes those songs so memorable.

Maybe that was the main consideration when composing the song. The original meaning of these songs is often lost when playing them instrumental.

the lyrics were added later. iirc misty was written about a rainbow that garner saw from a plane. but the lyricist may have been inspired by the chord.

[pamosmusic]

So I listened to a few …

In the Erroll Garner one from Original Misty (key if Ab) the bass is playing F to Bb in both bars. So in the real book key, that’s Cm F7 Cm F7 over the fifth and sixth bars of the bridge. Then instead of the walkdown from the iii chord, he does a little line cliche from the root of ii to the third of V. So that whole four bars is just a long ii-V. (EDIT: in Ready Take One he plays Am7 D7 --- dramatic walk-down --- Cm)

Samara Joy — Am7 D7 Cm7 F7 which is cool … (originally in C, so F# B, A D in the recording)

Sarah Vaughn the bass is pretty much what’s written

the lyrics were added later. iirc misty was written about a rainbow that garner saw from a plane. but the lyricist may have been inspired by the chord.

Makes you wonder if it's actually the opposite, and the chord is a re-harm from vocal versions to fit the lyric.

EDIT again ... the Original Misty version is the one from Contrasts, which is his first recording. The Ready Take One stuff is from the late sixties. So maybe that reharm was added for the vocals later. Someone knows better than me on this one.

[AllanAllen]

I don't play an F7 there, just a bar of D7, and I'm not sure why I dropped it. I checked iReal and it matches the RB sheet you posted. Interesting.

[Mick-7]

So, this is probably a daft question, but there's a change in the bridge of Misty I can't really figure out - it's the D7-F7, leading to Gm7b5-C7. What's that F7 doing there? I tend to think of the D as the 5 of the preceeding Am, but how is that F leading to Gm?

That's because the Real Book has a wrong chord change after the F7, it's followed by Fm7 or Bb7, not Gm7b5/C7.

Also, some play Cm7/F7 rather than D7/F7 in that measure.

[pamosmusic]

That's because the Real Book has a wrong chord change after the F7, it's followed by Fm7 or Bb7, not Gm7b5/C7.

Not really sure on the (b5) part of the Gm7, but a lot of versions go to the iii chord there.

[Mick-7]

Not really sure on the (b5) part of the Gm7, but a lot of versions go to the iii chord there.

The original lead sheet has: D7-F7 | Bb7-Eo7 | Fm7-Bb7 |

Gm7(b5) does not sound right to me there.

[pamosmusic]

The original lead sheet has: D7-F7 | Bb7-Eo7 | Fm7-Bb7 |

Yeah I mentioned that on the original recording he plays ...

Cm F7 Cm F7 Fm Edim Fm7 Bb7 (line cliche)**

but you also probably shouldn't expect the real book to be pulling from the original for most of these tunes. They're going to be going for more characteristically jazz versions. A lot of the vocal versions (and Garner's later ones, it seems) are different.

**transposed to Eb. He's playing in Ab.

[ragman1]

but how is that F7 leading to Gm?

It's the backdoor dom, i.e. a sub for D7. But the real genius is that it sounds so good with the melody.

[Mick-7]

Amended Misty lyrics: "Don't you notice how hopelessly I'm lost ... that's 'cause I'm following the Real Book."