Constant structure - Misplaced Pages

Music composition and performance technique

In jazz, a constant structure is a chord progression consisting of three or more chords of the same type or quality. Popularized by pianists Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock, the combination of functional and nonfunctional chords provides cohesiveness while producing a free and shifting tonal center.

For example, the progression F–A♭–D♭–G♭–C contains four major seventh chords (and one thirteenth chord), none of which are diatonic to the key of F major except the first.

${ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c { \clef bass \time 4/4 <c e a>1_\markup { \concat { \translate #'(-4 . 0) { "C: vi" \raise #1 \small "6" \hspace #6.5 "ii" \hspace #5 "V" \raise #1 \small "6" \hspace #6.5 "I" } } } <d f a> <b d g> <c e g> \bar "|." } }$

A vi–ii–V–I chord progression in C

In contrast, the vi–ii–V–I or circle progression from classical theory contains four chords of two or three different qualities: major, minor, and possibly a dominant seventh chord; all of which, however, are diatonic to the key. Thus diversity is achieved within a stable and fixed tonal center.

References

^ Rawlins, Robert (2005). Jazzology: The Encyclopedia of Jazz Theory for All Musicians, p.131. ISBN 0-634-08678-2.
Schmeling, Paul (1 June 2001). "Reharmonization with Constant Structure Chords". Berklee Today. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
Andrews, William G; Sclater, Molly (2000). Materials of Western Music Part 1, p. 226. ISBN 1-55122-034-2.

Chord progressions

Terminology

By number
of chords

Three	I–IV–V–I ii–V–I turnaround V–IV–I turnaround ♭VII–V cadence Backdoor progression Eight-bar blues Twelve-bar blues ("Bird" changes) Sixteen-bar blues Passamezzo moderno
Four	'50s progression Andalusian cadence Folía vi–ii–V–I Montgomery-Ward bridge Passamezzo antico I–V–vi–IV (list) IV–V–iii–vi Romanesca Tadd Dameron turnaround

By name

List of chord progressions

v t e Jazz theory and improvisation
Avoid note Backdoor progression Bar-line shift Bebop scale Bird changes Block chord Blue note Cadenza Call and response Chord-scale system Chordioid Coltrane changes Comping Constant structure Contrafact Electroacoustic improvisation Free improvisation List Groove Harmolodics Harmony Head Jam band Jam session Jazz chord So What Jazz improvisation Lead sheet Melodic pattern Outside Polyrhythm Rhythm changes Scale Swing Syncopation Turnaround ii-V-I Tadd Dameron Twelve-bar blues Upper structure

Jazz theory and improvisation

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See also

References