Violin · Level 9 · Expert
Tritone substitution in E major on Violin
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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.
F♯m7
Notes: F♯ · A · C♯ · E
F7
Notes: F · A · C · E♭
Emaj7
Notes: E · G♯ · B · D♯
HOW TO PRACTISE IT
Six steps to a clean loop.
- Play each chord as an arpeggio, one note at a time: F♯m7, F7 and Emaj7. Press play on the card, then match each note.
- Stay in first position: use the open string where you can and keep the fingers close to the string.
- 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 chord tones one at a time, one note per beat, with a full, even bow on each.
- 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 4 sharps; 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 F♯m7 | F7 | Emaj7 | Emaj7.
What is the key signature of E major?
E major has 4 sharps. 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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