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It occurred to me that you can probably resolve a phrase to any scale degree.
Then I thought about it and realized that I've heard phrases resolved to any scale degree in the wild.
Then it further occurred to me that this might be an important thing to practice to sound more authentic.
Grouped by function:
The triad
1 - Home base
5 - Similar stability but not as final
3 - Resolved but with character
Sneaky ones
2 - Bebop sneak
6 - Cool blues
7 - Tense but still familiar
Weird
4 - Used occasionally but gives a suspended sound
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12-05-2025 04:29 AM
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Chords and harmonic sequences also influenced by voicings and voice leading already provide an element of tension/resolution.
What is the context of this worthy exploration?
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Yes, chords do influence the resolutions a lot. I'm talking about melody note, since I always think about the melody note regardless of if I'm playing single note or chordally.
Originally Posted by bako
The context is I'm scheming about ways to sound more authentic. It occurred to me that since bop lines are resolved to any scale tone (and sometimes chromatic tones) that I should practice doing this. At least 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7.What is the context of this worthy exploration?
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Could you clarify...? Originally Posted by Strat-itis
- "resolve a phrase to any scale degree"
Scale degree of the chord resolved into (the target chord)?
- "since I always think about the melody note regardless of if I'm playing single note or chordally"
Thinking about its scale degree? With reference to the key, or the present chord, or a target resolution chord?
Progressions have multiple different resolutions, so if meaning the scale degrees of the resolution chords, the "scale degree view" must be changing throughout the tune.
If so, many of those resolutions might need to land on extensions and alterations... the scope of the project suggests exploring resolving onto any element of the resolution.
Might even be a good time to reorganize the scale degrees...
tonic
supertonic
mediant
subdominant
dominant
submediant
leading note
reverse order so up/down is higher/lower
reorder with tonic central
rename leading note to subtonic
rename the others per super/sub
.................................................. superdominant
...........................supermediant
..........supertonic
tonic
..........subtonic
...........................submediant
.................................................. .subdominant
Now you have a clear consistent perspective for resolution targeting.
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Right. Depending what chord you are resolving to, not only the I. Do you not know how phrasing works in jazz (soloing)? :P
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SBSL.mp3
ok
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Well I know you can play, and I know you understand the thread. :P
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A worthy exploration, indeed.
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If you come from more or less western tradition of music (as jazz does) - the melodic resolutions and tensions are defined by the harmony And it does not matter if the harmony is really represented with chords in accompaniment, or if you think about it or not - it is implied because it is the context where this music lives.
Modal conceptions can have different tension/resolution based on interval principle or on metric/rhythmic relations or on repetition. I would say modal relation rely much more on linear disposition (what is followed by what, how spacious or dense it is, how long does it sound etc.).
In traditional functional harmony all this can be represented in a very concentrated form of vertical harmony.
It can be also both - some kind of modal harmony which is quite common in jazz.
So when you - for instance - resolve to any scale degree and hear some colors, or special features (like you classified in your post with a triad and sneak ones etc.), it happens because of these background context relations I descrived above that you imply (not even thinking about it maybe)
And this is what actually makes it and artistic vocabulary - because you hear different 'meanings' and them build up a certain 'statement/story/' with them.
So basically yes - you can resolve anything to anything - and in modern jazz concept it is extremely open.
As I say often - harmonically too - in jazz any chord as it is can work as any chord as function depends how you hear it and what relations you imply.
So when you really want it you can make C major scale to be resolved in Db - I mean just a melody... but you will have to bring in some relations that will make it convincing at least for you.
It is possible that others will not hear it... when I was younger modal jazz sounded to me like something that has no tensions, no form, no beginning and no end... later when I began to play it more I started to hear the logics of and why something goes there or here and what makes it a form and where it is resolved etc.
But if I take Indian folk music for example - for me it is all the same - I do not hear anything except more or less nice sounds, I cannot really make difference between different pieces...
as well as actually for many people a solo of Parker and solo of Lester Young will sound as more or less the same music.
Or the cannot hear difference between Mozart and Haydn just by ear... their hearing of this language is poor and very general, mine is more trained and specific so I notice characteristic idioms in much more details.
So I would say you are absolutely right... only when you begin to classify it, you invent your own artistic vocabulary - which is also great.
For example - you called it all 'a resolution'... but is it really a resolution if it has - as you say - 'a suspended sound'? It is unresolved then? It is about words of course, but words also define our thinking often so it is important to choose the right ones when we describe something.
Or you can call it a resolution but then it means something creates tension with it? But what? What was resolved?
You also take only a scale and then you involve a triad based on root on this scale. Why only one triad? And why a triad and not a 7th chord? Or 9th chord? Or 11th?
So you kind of base yourself on chord/scale system. From point of view of this theory 13th chord can contain all the notes set in 3rds, so based on this you can justify a resolution to any scale note, but will it sound as a resolution?
chord/scale system works musically only in bigger context. F also belongs to a few triads in major scale (but then you probably already involve the key and functions) etc. etc.
I think all this is important and interesting things to discover and investigate. This is what makes us musicains.
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^ Thanks for the write up! Yes, this is basically also what I've been thinking. There's complexity to it, the resolution can relate to the harmony at the time, or the tonal center, it can be interpretive depending on the musician or listener, and the deeper ones will require context.
I think it's actually possible to resolve to any tone in the chromatic scale like you were talking about, but I decided to start this thread just with a diatonic scale. Some are common like #9 or #11, others will be more Monk-ish. While 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 definitely occur commonly and should be worked up as standard.
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Of course you can do anything to anything, it just won't all sound good.
yeah yeah "define good" I think you know what I'm saying.
What you can do that's not so shocking to someone with non-hip ears is get there with a couple chords in between. Then everyone's happy. except "mr. cool too out there for you to understand guy"
Edit: sorry, harmony is not the topic i see
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Jazz Musician starting out "Man! Everything I played was chord tones on the strong beats. I had great night!!!"
Jazz Musician some years later "Man....Everything I played was chord tones on the strong beats. I had a terrible night.."
PK
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Exactly why I phrased it: the chromatic scale is theoretically possible, while 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 literally are always used in the wild, and form legitimate consonant resolutions in jazz, yet I doubt we all use them so they could be good to practice for further authenticity. Originally Posted by joe2758
Last edited by Strat-itis; 12-10-2025 at 04:28 AM.
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yeah im a muppet, lol sorry man
Last edited by joe2758; 12-10-2025 at 12:03 PM.
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I've heard/seen at least one occasion where Miles Davis had the temerity to resolve on the fourth, FWIW.
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liked for use of temerity
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Exactly what I meant... and during the history at certain periods there was always a major musical trend/language more or less till mid 20th century. So there was certain convention on what sounds good and what sounds bad, and changes were often revolutionary (even if the process behind was evolutionary). Originally Posted by joe2758
But from 2nd half of 20th century there was more and more of a fusion in culture. There can be many reasons for that - also social - democratization is expanded also on arts. Everything is allowed. And with internet it keeps developing more and more. Nothing really surprises, everything can be. No limits (I am not sure that it is good by the way, but we have what we have).
And I think jazz reflects this trend very well.
So what one hears now sounding bad, the other one can hear as good.
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He's also the musician I thought of as justification that phrases get resolved to the 4th in the wild. Originally Posted by James W
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Yes, you can resolve a phrase to any scale degree, but whether it sounds resolved depends on the harmony, time feel, and context at that moment. In jazz, landing on non tonic degrees works when the line clearly relates to the target chord, often as a chord tone or a stable tension. Practicing intentional resolutions to 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 over real progressions is a solid way to internalize that sound and make lines feel more authentic. Originally Posted by Strat-itis
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I have kind of a whole sequence on this. Like … eighteen or nineteen of these PDFs by this point. Here’s the first one:
bop lines 1 - stick the landing.pdf - Google Drive
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Thats what I did for this piece, is a great exercise!
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Fine technique and chord work.. Originally Posted by Basshead
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