Ukulele · Level 9 · Expert
Tritone substitution in F 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.
Gm7
Notes: G · B♭ · D · F
G♭7
Notes: G♭ · B♭ · D♭ · F♭
Fmaj7
Notes: F · A · C · E
HOW TO PRACTISE IT
Six steps to a clean loop.
- Play each chord on its own: Gm7, G♭7 and Fmaj7. 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.
F major has 1 flat; its relative minor key is D minor.
Questions
What are the chords in ii7–♭II7–Imaj7 in F major?
In F major the progression is Gm7 | G♭7 | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7.
What is the key signature of F major?
F major has 1 flat. Its relative minor is D 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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