For example, for a C7 you can substitute Gm (a fifth above C7), or play Gm followed by C7. Given a seventh chord, you can add or substitute the minor chord that is a fifth above it. Instead of just playing a C chord, you can play Am or a C followed by an Am. For example, A is the sixth note in the C major scale, so Am is the relative minor of C. That’s the minor chord that’s a sixth above the major chord. Relative Minor Substitutionįor a major chord, you can often substitute or add the relative minor. For example, instead of C7, you could play C9, C7 augmented (C7+), or C13, just to name a few, because all these chords are C7 with an extra note added (a ninth, a sharp fifth, and so on). You can substitute any chord from the same chord type as the given chord. There are 21 substitution ideas in my book-here are four of them, as well as tips on playing my arrangement of “Red River Valley.” Direct Substitution At other times, you can play a whole series of chords where only one chord was written. Sometimes it’s a matter of substituting one chord for another, like playing a C9 instead of a C7 (more on that later). You can make it fancier or simpler, busier or less cluttered, and change the tone and feel, depending on your mood. While there are no substitution rules, there are some common ideas that allow you to vary a given chord progression, so you never have to play a song exactly the same way twice. It’s out, but here’s a sneak peek at a few jazzy ideas to start you on the road to thinking like a jazz player.

Well, uke maven Jim Beloff noticed this, and asked me, “How do you come up with those jazzy chord changes?” My resulting book and CD is called Jazzing Up the Uke, and it’s about chord substitution. Employing the mystic art of jazz alchemy, they enhance simple chord progressions and make them more interesting, subtler, and prettier. You may have noticed that jazz players seldom play the chords exactly as they’re written in songbooks or fake books.

Jazz chord progressions