MY IDEAL HARMONIC ANALYSIS

Edgar Jones

b4

& b b4
J
I
E6

C7

VI dom7
Vof
F

F
F7

II in E
I In F

B7

b
j
& b b
F II E
II
V

F7

Vdom7 F

C7

I C
II B

II-V C

Vdom7 B

B
D7(b5) G7(b9)

F7

j
w
bVIIdom E VI dom7E IIdom7E

(bVof V) bVIdom

IV C

C7

D7(#11)

E
F7

F7

B7

B7

n #b
#

V B

bVIdom7-V of Eb

E
C7(b13)
b

b
& b

J
F7

E6

VI dom7
Vof F

b
&b b

F7

II E

II in E
I In F

D7(#11)

bVIIdom7 E
(bVof V) bVIdom F

G
A7

II-VG

I E

(IVmin-bVIIdom7)

Fm/ F

j E7

A7 D7

C7(b13)

G7

IVdom7
bV sub of D7
in Gmin

C7(#9)

III-VIdom7

VI dom7 E
Vdom7 F

F7

IIdom7 E
Vdom7 B

B7

B7

E6

bVIdom7-V of Eb I

MY IDEAL HARMONIC ANALYSIS

&b b
b
&b b

C Harmonic

w
w
w
w

w
w
w
w

IEbmj7

bn w

I CMIN7

E Melodic

bb 4
& b b bb 4

E Harmonic

bb 4
n 7 nw
& b b bb 4 b
1 w
w
w
bbb
7

& b b
1
G

bb 4
& b b bb 4

C Blues

I EbMIN7

w
w
w
w

IGbmj7

nw
w
w
w

bw
w
nw
w
n
w
w
w w
bw
bw
w
w

w
w
w
w

w
w
bw
w

w
w
w
w

w
w
w
w

w
w
w
w

IIIGb7#5

IIFmin7b5

IIAbmin7

w
w
w
w

IIIBbmin7

w
w
w
w

IVCb7

w
w
w
w

w
w
w
w

VG7

VIAbmaj7

IVAb7

IIIGb7#5

bw
w
w
w

n b

bbbbbb 44

w
nw
w
w

VICmin7

VBb7

IVAbmaj7

IIFmin7

w
w
w
w

w
w
nw
w

w
w
w
w

w
w
w
w

n 7 nw
n
1 w
w
w

bbb

w
w
w
w

III Ebmaj7#5 IV F7

I EbMIN7

w
w
w
w

w
w
w
w

IIIGmin7

II Dmin7b5

w
w
w
w

w
w
w
w

w
w
w
w

IIFmin7

IVAbmin 7

w
w
w
w

VDb7

E Blues

VBb7

VBb7

VIEbmin7

VIIDmin7b5

VII Bmin dim 7

w
w
nw
w

VICmin7b5

nw
w
nw
w

VICb7

VIIDmin7b5

44

bw
w
nw
w

VIIDo7

VIIFmin7b5

b b
b

44
nnnnnn

You Will Notice from the analysis in that i have indicated that there might be several interpretations of the Key modulation
Structure to this tune.I have marked the definative modulations in purple where there is a clear V-I movement that eastablishes a
Clear tonal centre.The modulations that are in red are the ones that are present but not established strongly enough to call them definative.
Whilst it is clear that the Key is in Concert Eb,and that it modulates accordingly using principles of diatonic modulation acordingly
to tonal centres within the scale of Eb (Relative minor Cmin,up a 2nd to Fminor,Up a Fifth to Bb Major.
There are also elements of borrowed harmony from the Paralel keys of Eb Minor and its relative major Gb
which give the composition a rich harmonic colour.Some of these modulations are not actually realised but hinted
at for example the II-V in bat 13 of Abmin7-Db7 (Key of Gb).There is also the use of V of V secondary
dominants which although not modulations as such,do signify a shift in the tonal colour of the structure.
There is also quite a few examples of desacending half step secondary dominants which are either substitutions
for other secondary dominants or borrowed from Paralel Keys.At times i have included different interpretations or
readings of the key centre,(which although seems confusing and unclear at first )helps hopefully to accomadate a
clearer picture of where the modulations actually are. I think its helpful to see that there are small modulations for
example in the first 4 bars.I have included the blues scales of Cminor and Eb minor as these are useful as
pitch collections to use to navigate some of the changes.Both are useful over II-V's in the home key of Eb
and work well in different combinations over the B7-Bb7 -Eb Maj progressions.The Ebmin blues works particulary
well over the Abmin-Db7 as it in bar 14 .Its worth remembering 2 important facts regarding dominants( and secondary
dominants).
1 All dominants with roots a minor 3rd away from each other are strongly related as if you raise each their roots you will
have a diminished 7 chord.(eg C7-Eb7-Gb7-A7) Thus all these chords and can be substituted for each other
2 Secondary dominants that are a half step away are borrowed chords from other keys that sometimes need notes
from the destination key to help smooth the resolution.Thus the Db7 chord in the Db7-C7-F7 progression needs the common tone
of G to help the voice leading between Db7 and C7.This cycle of dominants is related to the chord progression of the middle 8 of
Rythmn Changes eg:G7-C7-F7-Bb7 where the dominants move around in a cycle of 4ths without resolving to a I chord until the very
last dominant leads us back to the home key.Here the Db7 is a b5 sub for G7.This is also the same for bars 8 and 15 on the
progression B7-Bb7 although the melodyhere hints at a diaotonic transposition up a half step.It is worth noting that this is the only point
where the melody line is not diatonically in the key of either Eb or its relative minor C,but uses the melody note Ab /G# as a pivot
to link both tonalities.
BARS 1-2:The C7 dominant in Bar 1 is labeled chord VI7,but another reading might be that it is a
dominant of Fminor there by signifying a tempory modulation up a tone from the home key of Eb.
Either way because of the melody notes itcannot be a b9 or a #9 voicing.However a flat 13 (Ab) is
permissable as the chord is related both Ebmajor and Fminor.On that reading bar 2 is either a diatonic modulation
up a whole step,or its a whole bar of chord II in Eb major.
BARS 3-4:The Db7#11-C7 can also be read in different ways.Either it is a bVII dom7th chord in Eb
followed by VI dom7th in Eb or with another reading it could also belong to an Fminor tonality with the
Db7 acting as a bVI dom flat 5 substitution for a II Dominant chord in F and the C7 as Chord V.Either way Bar 4 subverts
both expectations of both readings moving to Fminor/Major by moving to F7 instead, a chord V of V.
As the natural 9th is in the melody here the only colouring could be a possible #11 in the voicing,but it works fine
as a straight dominant as the harmony as been quite rich up until now
BARS 5-6:We finally get the Fmin chord that we thought would happen in Bar 4 ,back to a straight II-V in Eb.
Then in bar 6 the II Fmin7 chord acts also as a pivot chord IV in the relative key of C minor to set up a
Minor II-V in the same key.
BARS 7-8:The new tonic of Cminor is relatively short lived as that chord also acts as pivot chord II moving to V in Bbmaj.
In Bar 8 a familiar progression of Chromatic dominants falling a half step (bVI dom7th -V).
Again the bVI dom seems to be acting as some kind of substitute chord for the more usual minor II chord that
you would expect (in this instance Fmin7) However unlike in bar 3 the colour of the harmony here doesnt hint at a
minor tonality due to shape of the melody which oulines the root and 5th of the B7 chord and the 7th and root of the Bb7 chord.
BARS 9-12:The same as bars 1-4
BARS 13-16:After the Fminor chord in Eb there is the chromatic back door progression of Abmin7-Db7
borrowed from the parellel harmony of Gb relative major of Eb minor.This takes us to the home key of Eb in Bar 14,then
a bV sub chord,(or iv7 in Eb) Ab7 takes us to Gmin7.This is where its quite helpfull to start to see all of these chromatic movements as
Small modulations that dont get a chance to establish themselves in a Micro way rather than the bigger picture analysis
of putting everything in Eb.This focuses the line movement to ouline the chord movement in terms of cadence rather than a more
general scalic,modal approach.The Gmin7 moves to C7,which sounds like its moving to I minor chord in bar 15.Here we have the
same progression that we have come across before in bars 8 B7-Bb7 (bVI 7-V in Eb).Its helpfull to see this whole sequence as
Chromatic descending II-V's : Gmin7-C7,F#min7 B7,Fmin7-Bb7.The II-V's fall on a 2 beat cycle,one chord to each beat.You can practise a
II-V shape and move it down by half step each time.
Another usefull statagy for this sequence is to aproach the Gmint with a normal D7 V aproach into that chord ,imediatly then playing a II-V
approach for the Gmin7-C7 then playing Eb blues over the B7 and Eb min-Cmin Blues over the Bb7 befor resolving to the Eb maj.

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