Piano · Level 9 · Expert
Tritone substitution in A major on Piano
Don’t just read about Tritone substitution in A major. Play it.
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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.
Bm7
Notes: B · D · F♯ · A
B♭7
Notes: B♭ · D · F · A♭
Amaj7
Notes: A · C♯ · E · G♯
HOW TO PRACTISE IT
Six steps to a clean loop.
- Play each chord on its own: Bm7, B♭7 and Amaj7. Press play on the chord card, then match the sound.
- Keep the right hand curved over the keys and move it as one unit between chords.
- 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.
- Play the left-hand bass note on beat one and the right-hand chord on every beat.
- 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.
A major has 3 sharps; its relative minor key is F♯ minor.
Questions
What are the chords in ii7–♭II7–Imaj7 in A major?
In A major the progression is Bm7 | B♭7 | Amaj7 | Amaj7.
What is the key signature of A major?
A major has 3 sharps. Its relative minor is F♯ 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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