CounterpointinChordSymbolsChordsymbolsdomuchmorethanshowachordrootandquality;throughcloseinvestigation,onecanfindhiddenlinesofcounterpointmadeexplicit.Thiscounterpointissomethingthatcanberevealedandplayedwithinperformance,especiallyinjazz,wherethesechordsymbolsaretreatedasaspringboardforcreativeexpression.

ThetunewewillusetoexplorethisisBillieHoliday’sGodBless’TheChild(https://youtu.be/Z_1LfT1MvzI)listentothesong,followingthisleadsheet,beforecontinuing.

Toexplorehiddenchromaticlinesinthistune,wewillsimplifythechoralaccompanimenttoasimplefour-voice“SATB”choraletexture.Pleasenotethatthisisanexplorationofimpliedmelodicmotionratherthan“by-the-rules”polyphony,soourconcernisnotwithpartwritingprinciples(suchasparallelfifths,voiceranges,etc.).

ThesongbeginswithaharmonicpatternofEbMaj7–Eb7–Ab6.Withtheremainingvoicesaswritten,completethesechordsbyaddingnotestothe“alto”voice(topline,stemsdown).Notethatthesymbol“Ab6”isanA-flatmajortriadwithanaddedmajorsixthabovetheroot(F).

Checkyourworkagainsttheanswerkeybeforecontinuingandnotethechromaticlinethatisrevealedsimplythroughcompletingthechordsymbols.

Nowcontinuebycompletingthemissingvoicesinbars3-10.

Again,checkyourworkagainsttheanswerkey.Returntothemusicandplaythroughitonapiano,exploringthesoundscreatedbythesechromaticlinesandaccentuatingtheminyourperformance.

NowtryasectiononyourownbycreatinganSATBharmonizationofthisphrase.NotethattheG7(b9)chordwillrequireafifthtone,orelseyoumayomitthechordfifth.Andrememberthatm7(b5)isjazz-codeforahalf-diminishedseventhchord.

Onepossiblerealizationisintheanswerkey(yoursmaydifferbasedonhowyouvoicedthechords).Common-tonesmayalsoberevealedthroughfindingpitchesinchordsymbols.Forinstance,thesymbolsDm7(b5)–G7(b9)maylookcomplicatedbecauseoftheiralterations,butaninvestigationofthechordsrevealsthatthesealterationsreflectasonorouscommon-tone:Ab.Thisisafrequenttropeinjazzharmony,especiallyintheminormodesincethesetonesrefertothediatonicsixthscale-degree.Itispossibletohearthisprogressioninamajormode,however,suchasinbar18:

Notethat,intheanswerkey,theBb7chordhasanextra“optional”inclusionofthechordfifthsincedoublingtheBbmakespossibletheresolutionofthetenseflat-fifthoftheFm7(b5)chord.

ANSWERKEY