Ukulele · Level 9 · Expert
Tritone substitution in E♭ major on Ukulele
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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.
Fm7
Notes: F · A♭ · C · E♭
E7
Notes: E · G♯ · B · D
E♭maj7
Notes: E♭ · G · B♭ · D
HOW TO PRACTISE IT
Six steps to a clean loop.
- Play each chord on its own: Fm7, E7 and E♭maj7. Press play on the chord card, then match the sound.
- Use light pressure; the ukulele's nylon strings need far less force than steel.
- 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 add an up-strum between beats with a loose wrist.
- 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.
E♭ major has 3 flats; its relative minor key is C minor.
Questions
What are the chords in ii7–♭II7–Imaj7 in E♭ major?
In E♭ major the progression is Fm7 | E7 | E♭maj7 | E♭maj7.
What is the key signature of E♭ major?
E♭ major has 3 flats. Its relative minor is C 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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