Examples of tritone substitutions in music?

**MilesBehind** · 04-10-2019, 05:54 PM

Hi all,
I hope this is the right forum for this question...

Does anyone know of examples of tritone substitutions in printed scores or lead sheets? (I'm doing a video presentation on augmented sixth chords and wanted to include an example from jazz.) Any help is appreciated, thanks!

**paulkogut** · 04-12-2019, 07:47 AM

Check out Sippin' At Bells, tritone subs bars 4 and 10 Miles Davis "Sippin' at Bells" Sheet Music (Piano Solo) in F Major - Download & Print - SKU: MN0129609

PK

**joe2758** · 04-12-2019, 07:55 AM

here's D7 going to Db. They are probably in most lead sheets in the "real book."
Examples of tritone substitutions in music?-maxresdefault-jpg

**ragman1** · 04-12-2019, 08:55 AM

Well done, Joe. Presumably the OP means tritone subs which are actually written in by the composer, not ones that we might sub for ourselves.

I was racking my brains a bit, it has to be said. Satin Doll has the Db7 instead of G7, I think.

**KirkP** · 04-12-2019, 09:58 AM

Just for fun, I did a quick search for examples of tritone subs in “classical” music. I found this mention of Chopin's Prelude #8.
Chopin's Prelude #8
That’s not to suggest that Chopin thought of them as tritone subs, but perhaps they served a similar purpose in allowing some chromaticism in the melody?

**ragman1** · 04-12-2019, 10:29 AM

Oh, there's tons of it in classical music. The Wiki sites have quite a few examples.

Tritone - Wikipedia

Tritone substitution - Wikipedia

**joe2758** · 04-12-2019, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by ragman1

Well done, Joe. Presumably the OP means tritone subs which are actually written in by the composer, not ones that we might sub for ourselves.

I was racking my brains a bit, it has to be said. Satin Doll has the Db7 instead of G7, I think.

Oh okay, that's what i thought he meant by lead sheet. That D7(should be D9 imo) in bar 7 is almost mandatory as part of the tune. I don't think it's in the original though. I can barely hear anything else there.

**ragman1** · 04-12-2019, 10:47 AM

The Db7 (or Abm7/Db7) is in every sheet I've seen. What was the original?

We're talking about Satin Doll, bar 6, I assume.

**joe2758** · 04-12-2019, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by ragman1

The Db7 (or Abm7/Db7) is in every sheet I've seen. What was the original?

We're talking about Satin Doll, bar 6, I assume.

No I was talking about Body and soul. I do have the original for that, but don't have it for Satin Doll (yet. I collect it). I'll take a look, but I'm thinking it isn't a tritone sub

**ragman1** · 04-12-2019, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by joe2758

No I was talking about Body and soul. I do have the original for that, but don't have it for Satin Doll (yet. I collect it). I'll take a look, but I'm thinking it isn't a tritone sub

Satin Doll? I'd say so. The Db7 comes after a D7 and before a C. Just where you'd put a G7 :-)

**MilesBehind** · 04-13-2019, 05:04 PM

Thanks a lot everyone! I'll link my video about +6 vs tritone sub for anyone interested, when I'm done with it. (Those chords actually differ in both theory and practice.) It's dry theory for most, but some people like it.

**Stanford J17** · 04-15-2019, 04:00 PM

Girl from Impanema is another one that jumps on my mind when thinking about "composed" tritone-subs.

**jameslovestal** · 04-15-2019, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by joe2758

No I was talking about Body and soul. I do have the original for that, but don't have it for Satin Doll (yet. I collect it). I'll take a look, but I'm thinking it isn't a tritone sub

For Body and Soul and bar 2 I like using: Am7, D7b9 instead of an Ab chord (and I never liked the sound of D7 there).