Mandolin · Level 9 · Expert
Tritone substitution in G major on Mandolin
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A tritone substitution replaces V7 with the dominant chord a tritone away. The bass then slides down by half steps into I — a signature jazz sound.
Am7
Notes: A · C · E · G
A♭7
Notes: A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭
Gmaj7
Notes: G · B · D · F♯
HOW TO PRACTISE IT
Six steps to a clean loop.
- Play each chord on its own: Am7, A♭7 and Gmaj7. Press play on the chord card, then match the sound.
- Mandolin frets are close together, so reach with the fingertips and press each pair of strings evenly.
- Set the tempo to 75 BPM and play the progression with one chord per bar. Play the bass line alone first: it moves down a half step from ♭II7 to I.
- Strum down on every beat, then try the bluegrass “chop”: a short, muted strum on beats two and four.
- Raise the tempo to 100 BPM once you can play the loop three times without stopping.
- Record one take, listen back and check for the chromatic slide in the bass.
Listen for
Aim for the chromatic slide in the bass. A common mistake is thinking of ♭II7 as a random chord rather than a stand-in for V7.
Why it works
V7 and ♭II7 share the same tritone between their third and seventh, so either can resolve to I.
G major has 1 sharp; its relative minor key is E minor.
Questions
What are the chords in ii7–♭II7–Imaj7 in G major?
In G major the progression is Am7 | A♭7 | Gmaj7 | Gmaj7.
What is the key signature of G major?
G major has 1 sharp. Its relative minor is E minor.
Is this lesson right for my level?
This is a level 9 lesson (expert). If it feels too hard, start with “Altered dominant chords”.
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