(Tune-Up) What is this harmonically? (E-7 / A7 / Bbmaj7)

**Helgo** · 11-20-2012, 04:31 PM

Hi guys.

So I´ve been practicing Tune-Up by Miles Davis.
Great tune, good II V I workout and there´s some really nice recordings out there... Miles Davis, Grant Green, Chet Baker...

So how do you analyze the changes in the ending?
The last 4 bars go:

I E-7 I A7 I Bbmaj7 I E-7 A7 II

The Bbmaj7 sounds great there. No question. Very "majestic".
But what is it harmonically/theoretically?

Thanks,
Helgo

ps: I play B7 in the last bar to lead back to the E-7 in the first bar, but that´s just an aside...

**danjw** · 11-20-2012, 06:05 PM

for me it plays on the fact that Dm7 is a iii sub of Bbmaj7. making the progression a minor ii-v-i with a straight em7 subbing for the more usual m7-b5.

**mr. beaumont** · 11-20-2012, 06:07 PM

Deceptive Cadence?

**Bryan T** · 11-20-2012, 06:16 PM

If you imagine yourself playing in D major, then Bbmaj7 can be thought of as being borrowed from the parallel minor, D minor.

**M-ster** · 11-20-2012, 11:24 PM

Hmm ... aren't the last 4 bars (in vanilla 7th chords) like this?

... | E-7 | F7 | Bbmaj7 | A7 :||

**mike g** · 11-20-2012, 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by M-ster

Hmm ... aren't the last 4 bars (in vanilla 7th chords) like this?

... | E-7 | F7 | Bbmaj7 | A7 :||

Yes they are

**JonR** · 11-21-2012, 05:44 AM

There's various ways it could work (ie could be heard), but I agree with Bryan T, it's most like a borrowed bVI from D minor.

It's worth looking at the whole sequence:

|Em7 |A7 | Dmaj7 | Dmaj7 |
|Dm7 |G7 |Cmaj7 |Cmaj7 |
|Cm7 |F7 |Bbmaj7 |Bbmaj7 |
|Em7 |A7* |Bbmaj7 |A7 ||

|Em7 |A7 | Dmaj7 | Dmaj7 |
|Dm7 |G7 |Cmaj7 |Cmaj7 |
|Cm7 |F7 |Bbmaj7 |Bbmaj7 |
|Em7 |A7 |Dmaj7 |Dmaj7 ||

(* I have chart which shows F7 in place of this A7. It also shows all the dom7 chord as 7#9s.)

Obviously it's based on ii-V-Is descending in whole steps, via the clever device of the major I becoming the minor ii of the next key.
So by the time we get that Bbmaj7 in bar 15, we've already heard it as a tonic in bars 11-12.
The Em7-A7 then pulls our ears back towards a D keynote, but the Bbmaj7 comes back momentarily to suggest the upcoming key might be D minor after all. (It would only be a B natural in the Em7 chord that would persuade us to D major; there is no B or Bb in the melody, and there's a C natural on the A7 chord.)

IOW, there's a little more going on with the Bbmaj7 than a plain bVI in D. In that other chart I've got (which I think is from Jamey Aebersold), the F7 sub seems to contradict the previous Em and re-establish Bb as (temporary) tonic. That makes the move back via A7 to D major more surprising, as the tonality seems to flip-flop before settling back.
(Personally I think the F7 sounds odd - anyone else seen or heard an F7 being used there?)

**M-ster** · 11-21-2012, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by JonR

... (Personally I think the F7 sounds odd - anyone else seen or heard an F7 being used there?)

The OP mentioned Grant Green's recorded version, and I believe Green uses the F7, for one ...

**Helgo** · 11-21-2012, 04:41 PM

Hi everybody.

Thanks for your suggestions.

I´ll try the E-7b5 and the F7 solution and decide which one sounds better.

All the best,
Helgo

**Tony DeCaprio** · 11-21-2012, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by Helgo

Hi guys.

So I´ve been practicing Tune-Up by Miles Davis.
Great tune, good II V I workout and there´s some really nice recordings out there... Miles Davis, Grant Green, Chet Baker...

So how do you analyze the changes in the ending?
The last 4 bars go:

I E-7 I A7 I Bbmaj7 I E-7 A7 II

The Bbmaj7 sounds great there. No question. Very "majestic".
But what is it harmonically/theoretically?

Thanks,
Helgo

ps: I play B7 in the last bar to lead back to the E-7 in the first bar, but that´s just an aside...

Major third sub movement. Tune-Up inspired Coltrane to write Countdown.

Although, most versions have E-7 F7 / Bbmaj7//

This is clearly "major third movement" as foundation for Giant Steps and Countdown.

Just as chords can be substituted minor 3rds apart as in C: F-7 Bb7 to Cmaj7 (forming a "back-door cadence" as Ebmaj7 is a minor 3rd away from Cmaj7 and we also have Ab-7 Db7/ Cmaj7// and B-7 E7/ Cmaj7//, chords can be substituted via MAJOR THIRD MOVEMENT. In C: F#-7 B7/ Cmaj7//

You look at D aug triad. Usually E-7 goes to A7 to Dmaj7 (and many versions do not even use the Bbmaj7; instead it is Dmaj7 (Many versions also produce E-7 F7 to Bbmaj7), so you can see that Bbmaj7 is subbing for Dmaj7 due to it's augmented relationship. Daug produces D F# A# ("Bb"). There is the relation. Instead of the tritone subs as reultants of the cycle of V ( where F7 goes to Bbmaj7), we are now utilizing the cycle of III. A7 can go to Bbmaj7 as it is "borrowed" from it's augmented root distanced relation. The subs come via major third movement. Thus E-7 A7 Bbmaj7//

There are several ways to view the matrix. As a resultant of the Overtone series, the Cycle of V crosses the Cycle of III just like streets and avenues connect.

Go back to the Cycle of V and back cycle from E-7 and see how E-7 leads to Bbmaj7 via the Cycle of V: E-7 A7/ D-7 G7/ C-7 F7/ Bbmaj7.

Coltrane was fascinated with major third movement.

**JonR** · 11-22-2012, 05:54 AM

Originally Posted by M-ster

The OP mentioned Grant Green's recorded version, and I believe Green uses the F7, for one ...

You're right. He makes it sound OK, anyway

**TOMMO** · 04-06-2013, 01:08 PM

Sorry for bringing an old thread back (necroposting?

).

Jazz beginner here. Thanks for your takes on how the harmony works. This is only the third jazz standard I'm working on - it's absolutely beautiful and a series of classiv ii - V - I changes. As for the part discussed above: seems like (at least to my ears) the notes of E locrian fit perfectly over these changes....

**ecj** · 04-06-2013, 01:27 PM

I thought it was the genesis for the idea of cadences within cadences.

It's a ii-V-I in D going back to the home key, but within it you delay the resolution by inserting another cadence. The half step motion between the two different root pairs is what makes it sound smooth. I think of it like:

[E-7 - (F7 - Bbmaj7) - A7]

Makes more sense to me that way than trying to understand it as a substitute based on major 3rd movement and overtones series.

**docbop** · 04-06-2013, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by Tony DeCaprio

Major third sub movement. Tune-Up inspired Coltrane to write Countdown.

Although, most versions have E-7 F7 / Bbmaj7//

This is clearly "major third movement" as foundation for Giant Steps and Countdown.

Just as chords can be substituted minor 3rds apart as in C: F-7 Bb7 to Cmaj7 (forming a "back-door cadence" as Ebmaj7 is a minor 3rd away from Cmaj7 and we also have Ab-7 Db7/ Cmaj7// and B-7 E7/ Cmaj7//, chords can be substituted via MAJOR THIRD MOVEMENT. In C: F#-7 B7/ Cmaj7//

You look at D aug triad. Usually E-7 goes to A7 to Dmaj7 (and many versions do not even use the Bbmaj7; instead it is Dmaj7 (Many versions also produce E-7 F7 to Bbmaj7), so you can see that Bbmaj7 is subbing for Dmaj7 due to it's augmented relationship. Daug produces D F# A# ("Bb"). There is the relation. Instead of the tritone subs as reultants of the cycle of V ( where F7 goes to Bbmaj7), we are now utilizing the cycle of III. A7 can go to Bbmaj7 as it is "borrowed" from it's augmented root distanced relation. The subs come via major third movement. Thus E-7 A7 Bbmaj7//

There are several ways to view the matrix. As a resultant of the Overtone series, the Cycle of V crosses the Cycle of III just like streets and avenues connect.

Go back to the Cycle of V and back cycle from E-7 and see how E-7 leads to Bbmaj7 via the Cycle of V: E-7 A7/ D-7 G7/ C-7 F7/ Bbmaj7.

Coltrane was fascinated with major third movement.

I hear ya. I'm sitting here trying to analyze Coltrane's 26-2 which is a contrafact of Parker's Confirmation. My ear is understanding it more than my brain at this point.

**TOMMO** · 04-06-2013, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by ecj

I thought it was the genesis for the idea of cadences within cadences.

It's a ii-V-I in D going back to the home key, but within it you delay the resolution by inserting another cadence. The half step motion between the two different root pairs is what makes it sound smooth. I think of it like:

[E-7 - (F7 - Bbmaj7) - A7]

Makes more sense to me that way than trying to understand it as a substitute based on major 3rd movement and overtones series.

That's the way I perceived it myself - but who am I? (LOL!)

**TOMMO** · 04-06-2013, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by docbop

My ear is understanding it more than my brain at this point.

That seems to be the way my ear works: I seem to be able to hum chord changes and melodies without being able to figure them out....

**Reg** · 04-06-2013, 08:22 PM

There are a million different analysis which will justify just about any harmonic or melodic approach.

I played the tune a few nights ago and harmonically we went...

Imaj...bVII...bVI...V7... D was I. This was overall harmonic analysis... I, bVII, bVI, V

Then actually harmonically played...

Emm to A7 lydb7 to Dmaj7 (did cover the b7 of E- , it's basically heard and implied)

Dmm to G7 lydb7 to Cmaj

C-7 dorian to F7#11 to Bbma7#11 to G-7 dorian

E-7 dorian to F7#11 to Bbmaj7#11 to A7altered

back to implied I, through deceptive or delayed resolution. ( E- A7)

I'm using chord scales just for harmonic reference... once the tune is played... you begin to have target references within the tune for creating different relationships and develop from there.

They could be The I, bVII, bVI and V tonal areas. They become tunes in them selves to develop. While your developing the relationships between the four target tonal areas. (I bVII bVI and V)

Your usually developing these harmonic ideas melodically... but there are implied harmonic references... (At any give point there are tonal references... they come from these references and relationships...)

I don't quite think this way when I'm playing... If I hear a melodic phrase and it implies a tonal reference... I react... I either go with or wait and keep the original reference... almost like a pedal. If that's where the tune is going... we're off. The whole time... keeping the original tune, the original reference in perspective.

**TOMMO** · 04-07-2013, 06:10 AM

Originally Posted by Reg

Emm to A7 lydb7 to Dmaj7 (did cover the b7 of E- , it's basically heard and implied)

Dmm to G7 lydb7 to Cmaj

C-7 dorian to F7#11 to Bbma7#11 to G-7 dorian

E-7 dorian to F7#11 to Bbmaj7#11 to A7altered

back to implied I, through deceptive or delayed resolution. ( E- A7)

Reg - Thanks for taking the time to post your analysis - much appreciated!

But I don't get the lydianb7 sections: lydb7 - which root? As an example in the first four bars - if it's E lydb7 there'd be a A# (#4) in there, A lydb7 the #4 would be D#, D lydb7 it would be G# - none of these note choices seem to make sense to me...

**Reg** · 04-07-2013, 10:50 AM

TOMMO...

Sorry was confusing....

So the vanilla basic analysis of Tune Up...

II-7 / V7 / Imaj7 / Imaj7 /

I-7 / IV7 / bVIImaj7 / or ( II V of bVII)

bVII-7 / bIII7 / bVImaj7 / IV-7 / ... or ( II V of bVImaj7 with the IV-7, (G-7), being either IV-7 or relative Min. of bVImaj7)

The last 4 bars are usually...

E-7 / F7 / Bbmaj7 / A7 /....

II-7 / bIII7 / bVImaj7 / V7 / ...or (F7 can be temp sub V of E-7... or V of Bbma7)

...usually harmonic motions keeps the F7 as relating to E-... temp subdom tonal area. Then bVImaj7 and A7alt. again a temp target subdom areas... so the V7, (A7), chord typical resolution is deceptive... becomes part of the II-7,(E-) all very Subdom.

If you played instead...

E-7 / A7 / Bbmaj7 / E-7 A7 / basically same thing... E-7 A7 are functioning as one chord...the E-7 or subdom harmonic motion, and the melody note "C" is blue note... going to Bbmaj7 again subdom harmonic motion (function)
and the last bars, E-7 A7 could be either... delayed V7 function, (A7 going to Dmaj) or subdom harmonic motion.

You could also use modal interchange with D harmonic min.... bVImaj7 to V7b13b6... pretty dated.

So as I said... the other night we played...

1... E dorian (or E melodic Min.) to A7 lydian b7..(A7#11 from E melodic min) to Dmaj7
or
2)...A13sus...to A13#11 to Dmaj7
or
3) A13sus.... A7b13b9...D6/9

Then same harmonic motion pattern to Cma and Bb etc

The Lydianb7 is just a name for 4th degree of Melodic Min. in the 1st four bars... the A7 was A... lydianb7. The voicing or version of the chord... can be what ever we choose, and when we use Melodic Min. it's fairly common jazz practice...to be able to use any chord built on the E mel.min. reference ...

Think about the analysis... and feel free to ask me to explain any detail. If it doesn't start making sense...
Reg

**TOMMO** · 04-07-2013, 11:23 AM

Hi Reg - Thanks again for taking the time to help out a newbie. I will check it all out and try to wrap my head around it...(LOL)

Until then I'm getting along fine with seeing it as a series of ii-V-I changes, playing trough them with dorian (or melodic minor) over ii-V and then major over the major chord and E locrian notes over the E-7/F7/Bbmaj7/A7 chords. May not be very sophisticated but having only tried my hands at stuff like this for about three months I'm not exactly dissatisfied....(another LOL!)

Thanks again

TOMMO

**Reg** · 04-07-2013, 05:47 PM

Hey TOMMO...
No problems,

**Jeff M** · 05-19-2013, 05:58 PM

Bbmaj7 is pretty much just modal interchange with D min, functions as subdominant minor, more or less, subing for iv-7 in Dmaj.

Could think of it as gmin7/9 with no root.

I suppose you could also consider it a nepolitan 6th to dominant key, giving a temporary attempted change into A maj, and delaying or modifying the final cadence.

**Cunamara** · 06-14-2013, 10:51 PM

Wow. Lots of ways of looking at this question. The simplest (and fastest to deal with while playing the song) is that it's just a straight sub for D minor. Bbmaj7 contains a D minor triad- think of it as a Dmin6 with the bass on the 6th, if you must. The bass movement is what gives it the majestic sound the OP commented on.

**yerffoeg** · 05-18-2017, 06:11 PM

I came across this thread whilst recently trying to work out what's going on in bars 13 to 16 of 'Tune up'. It just goes to show what a useful resource this forum is.

I can't add much to what was said on this thread a few years ago, but Mark Levine makes an illuminating comparison of 'Tune up', and the song it probably inspired, 'Countdown', on page 360 of 'The Jazz Theory Book'.

**rintincop** · 05-24-2017, 04:42 PM

I think of it as as a series of basic ii V I's thru 3 keys... simple

with a (deceptive) surprise cadence at the turnaround (Bb and D- being highly relative)

Debussy pioneered the motion of Dom 7th chords resolving to any chord.

Surprisingly nobody mentioned that A7 resolves to Bb.
The A is a leading tone to Bb
The C# is a leading tone to D
The E resolves to F