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53

Autumn Leaves

Joseph Kosma & Johnny Mercer

dorian mixolyd ionian Lydian Locrian Mixo b2 b6 nat min

B Mixo b2 b6

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d Maj penta a alt pentaC alt penta

e min penta

D maj penta

d dom penta

Eb alt penta

a alt penta

c alt penta

e min penta

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Copyright © PB

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55

Autumn Leaves (Changes)

AU 1 - G major Scale-tone ChordsThe famous and very beautiful Jazz standard Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma (lyrics by Jac-ques Prévert, English version by Johnny Mercer) contains several basic music principles which are interesting and, most importantly, essential knowledge for the competent Jazz improviser. Let us start with the first one.

Scale-tone chords are chords which are entirely formed by notes from one specific scale. Let us take the G major scale for example.

• When we stack the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th note of the G major scale on top of each other the G major 7th scale-tone chord is formed.

• When we stack the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th note of the G major scale on top of each other the A minor 7th scale-tone chord is formed.

In this way we can in turn stack three alternate scale-tones on each of the seven scale-tones of the major scale, producing the seven characteristic scale-tone chords of the G major scale.

Audio 1

(All Audios of chords in this article are played 1 octave lower than shown on the Treble staff.)These chords are characteristic for the G major scale.   We can do the same operation in any o-ther major scale, and the scale-tone chord combination will be different and unique to that scale.   What remains the same however for all major scales is that

• The I chord will always be a major 7th chord

• The II chord will always be a minor 7th chord

• The V chord will always be a dominant 7th chord

and so onReturning to the G major scale-tone chords, it is not usual that you see these chords in simple ascending order (as shown above) in a chord progression. Instead these chords are most com-monly arranged in a Circle of 5ths order.Typically the progression starts on CΔ (the IV chord), cuts across to F#ø (the VII chord) on the other side and then follows the regular Circle of 5th motion until it reaches its resting place GΔ,

the tonic chord of the scale.

Audio 2

The above progression need not start on the C chord of course, and it need not contain all chords of the scale.

(Down - Up - Top)

AU 2 - E Harmonic minor Scale-tone ChordsNow let us look at G major's related minor E minor.Below you see the scale-tone chord progression for the E harmonic minor scale.

Audio 3

This scale contains some weird and wonderful chords. Placing them all in an approximate order of the Circle of 5ths (D# chord does not fit) it produces this sequence :

Am7 - D#o7 - GΔaug - CΔ - F#ø - B7 - EmMaj7Not what you call a very pretty sound or a useful progression as a whole, but the tail end is very popular and commonly used in many many songs.

Audio 4

The V chord (B7 above) is sometimes extended to include the b9 chord tone (C for B7), which also fits in the (here) E harmonic minor scale.

The E minor Major 7th chord is not a very appropriate chord to end on.The E minor triad is the-refore used instead. Or quite commonly an E minor 7th chord. But in that case we move out of the E harmonic minor scale and into (usually) the E Dorian mode.

(Down - Up - Top)

AU 3 - Autumn Leaves : A sectionAutumn Leaves is usually played in mid tempo Swing style.The song consists of 32 bars, subdivided in four 8-bar sections in an A A B C format. In broader terms one can also view the song as consisting of two halves. A first half consisting of two A sec-tions, and a second half consisting of a B and a C section.

Let us first look at the A section with our recently gained knowledge on scale-tone chords in mind.

Audio 5

As a first reaction you may think : "Wow !, this is great, a complete G major scale-tone chord progression in Circle of 5ths order. I don't have to worry about all these chords, but just use the G major scale !"

Audio 6

If only !On closer inspection we notice one chord which does not toe the line. Which is the spoilsport ? The B chord. Does Johnny Mercer not know that this is supposed to be a B minor 7th chord instead of the dominant B7 ? ?

Audio 7

But Johnny Mercer is a lot smarter than you perhaps think. The B7 is not a spoil sport at all, but instead a magic wand, turning the bright G major summer sound instantly into the darker E minor autumn mood.

The Am7 - D7 - GΔ - CΔ is clearly a segment of the G major scale.

However the dominant B7 chord converts the F#ø chord before it as the IIø chord in an E minor IIø - V7 - Im segment.

Therefore, for improvisation use the G major scale over the first 4 bars of the A section, and the E harmonic minor over the second 4 bars of the section.

Audio 8

As you can observe, there is not much difference in the two scales. Just a single note, the D#, but it provides a distinctly different mood.

(Down - Up - Top)

AU 4 - Autumn Leaves : B sectionHaving successfully worked out what is going on in the A section, the B section should pose no problem whatsoever.

Can you see what is the situation here ?

Audio 9

Of course !The B section features two II-V-I progressions. The first one in the key of E minor, the second one in the key of G major.

Audio 10

There is a very important principle you must be aware of :1. Any dominant 7th chord (B7 or D7 above) is always a V7 chord.   But which one ?

2. When preceded by a minor 7th chord (a 5th higher) the dominant chord is the V7 chord of a IIm7-V7 scale-tone chord segment of a major scale.

3. When preceded by a half diminished chord (a 5th higher) the dominant chord is the V7 chord of a IIø-V7 scale-tone chord segment of a harmonic minor scale.

Improvisation over this section is easy, because it is the same as for the A section but in the re-verse order. Use the E harmonic minor scale over the first 4 bars, and the G major scale over the last 4 bars.

Audio 11

(Down - Up - Top)

AU 5 - Tritone SubstitutionBack to a little more theory for a moment.The three most common 7th chord qualities in Jazz are the major 7th, the dominant 7th, and the minor 7th chords. For the root C for example :

• CΔ    =   C - E   - G - B

• C7    =   C - E   - G - Bb

• Cm7 =   C - Eb - G - BbThe above shows that all three chords have their 1st note (root) and 5th in common. They distin-guish themselves by their 3rd and 7th chord tones, which are unique for each chord. These are the essential chord tones.

Here are the complete three chord qualities and their essential chord tones for the C and the Gb chords.

Audio 12

But look at this !The essential chord tones for the major and minor qualities of both chord roots are quite diffe-rent. But the essential chord tones for the two dominant 7th chords are the same ! How can that be ?

The essential chord tones of a dominant chord (3 and b7) are always 6 semitones, or 3 whole to-nes, a so called tritone apart. It is a symmetric interval. This means that when you invert the interval (from E-Bb to Bb-E or vise versa) the interval's size remains the same (6 semitones, a tritone). Therefore the essential chord tones of any dominant chord shares these with a second dominant chord, its root a tritone away. The only difference is that what is the 3rd chord tone in one chord becomes the b7th chord tone in the other chord and vise versa.

This sharing of both essential chord tones in two dominant chords is such a close musical bond that in Jazz the two chords are interchangeable. This procedure is aptly called tritone substi-tution.

(Down - Up - Top)

AU 6 - Autumn Leaves : C sectionThe first two bars of Autumn Leaves' C section is in terms of its chords a case of "déja vu", e-xactly the same as the B section. But from the third bar onwards the chord progression is very much different. With the previous Chapter in mind can you spot what is going on here ?

Audio 13

Tritone substitution ? You are exactly right !

Which chord is a tritone away from Eb7 ?     A7

Which chord is a tritone away from Db7 ?     G7Therefore the progression :   Em7 - Eb7 - Dm7 - Db7 - CΔ   =   Em7 - A7 - Dm7 - G7 - CΔThe illustration below tells the complete story.

Audio 14a - Audio 14b

Note that the B7 chord is a substitute of F7 and as such connects up with its chord on either side. As F7 with CΔ and as B7 with Em.

In general any chromatic chord progression with alternating minor and dominant chords is in effect a series of IIm7-V7 segments with substitute dominant chords.

Audio 15

How do you improvise over Em7 - Eb7 - Dm7 - Db7 - ?You have three choices :

1. Do what Johnny Mercer did in the melody : sustain a single note over this sequence. It provides increasing tension you can release on the C chord. Experiment with different notes.

2. Use the appropriate mode for each chord : E Dorian - Eb Mixolydian - D Dorian - Db Mixolydian

3. Assume you are dealing with A7 and G7 as substitutesUse modes accordingly : E Dorian - A Mixolydian - D Dorian - G Mixolydian

Here are the scales for the second option.Audio 16

Note that I have used the C Lydian mode (with an F#) over the C major chord in keeping with the rest of the song.

(Down - Up - Top)

AU 7 - Autumn Leaves : Melody lineSo much for the chord progression of Autumn Leaves. But what about the melody ?There is much rhythmic repetition going on in the A section which is interesting and very effecti-ve.

But the most prominent aspect of the melody can be defined with one single word : guide tones !Guide tones are either long sustained notes in the melody or short notes acting as clothes pegs on a washing line. They are in most cases also chord tones and tend to move gradually up or down, providing direction and meaning as the melody unfolds.

Here is the guide tone line for Autumn Leaves.

Audio 17

This provides the wonderful wavelike motion of the melody, always remaining within the two set boundary pitches : C and the E below it. First descending in the A section, and after its repeat ascending in the B section, then finally de-

scending to the tonic note E in the C section.

Guide tone lines are a common feature of songs which are constructed of scale-tone chord pro-gressions. They are also used by competent improvisers as skeleton lines in their improvisations. So try that out too on some songs you work on. You need not sustain each and every guide tone. Just running through it at some places in a scale, broken chord or small step can be very effecti-ve.

Recapping the things discussed in this article :

1. Scale-tone chords and Scale-tone chord progressions

2. II-V-I progressions in both major and minor keys

3. Essential chord tones and Tritone substitution

4. Guide tone lines in melodies and for improvisation

First of all, whatever you do, don't forget that you have a really beautiful melody here, learn it well and embellish it too. This can be a great starting point for further improvisations.

Otherwise the tune could be seen as being in the key of Em throughout. You could play the G major pentatonic through the whole thing and sound OK. But...

What you have is two sets of ii-V-I's, one in G major and the other one in Em (so, as you've alre-ady figured out that's a ii-V-im). Over a ii-V-I in G you could try D major pentatonic (D E F# A B) over the ii and I chords, and the D dominant pentatonic (D E F# A C) for the V chord. For more tension you can use the Eb altered pentatonic (Eb F F# Bb C) over the V chord.

For the minor ii-V-i's you can use A altered pentatonic (A B C E F#) over the F#m7b5 chord, C altered pentatonic (C D Eb G A) over the B7 alt. chord and the E minor pentatonic over the Em chord.

There are odd chords in the progression. Just skip them. Either treat them as part of the current ii-V-I or take a short break. You need to have pauses in your solo too. Listen to the melody and how that works over for instance the chromatic walk down. The melody stays still there. This is a

place where the rhythm section can do something interesting and you can shut up or hold a long note.

Finally a general observation.This article exemplifies how a top artist goes about his business. He (or she) combines great cre-ative imagination with a large amount of skill and knowledge of his chosen medium. This applies to any artist in any medium, and Johnny Mercer (like so many other great composers both in Jazz and Classical music) is an excellent example of this in the field of music.

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Autumn Leaves

medium major ii v i in b flat

major ii v i in b flat

major ii v i in b flat

major ii v in F major ii v in e flat

minor ii v i in g

minor ii v i in g

minor ii v i in g

minor ii v i in g

minor ii v i in g

32 bar aabc form mark@jazzpiano.co.nz

this indicates that the feel is swung not straight 8ths

comping rhythm for A sections only

please note that the melody iswritten in a simplified form, andis a guide only, embellishments& syncopation are expected

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f mixolydian mode (5th mode of B flat major scale, or f major scale with lowered 7th)

e flat lydian mode (4th mode of B flat major scale, or E flat major scale with raised 4th)

b flat major scale

a locrian #2 mode (6th mode of c jazz minor scale, or natural minor scale with lowered 5th)

d superlocrian mode (7th mode of E flat jazz minor, also called altered and half whole scale)

g jazz minor scale (melodic minor ascending)

g dorian mode, or c mixolydian mode (same notes)

f dorian mode, or b flat mixolydian mode (same notes)

Modes for Autumn Leaves mark@jazzpiano.co.nz

scales & modes are a group of notes, a pool if you like from which you can draw your ideas

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mark@jazzpiano.co.nzJazz Swing Quaversplay this scale and articulation

now play this in 12/8 time

Now add an accent to the off-beat note

Now play the slurred notes at full value (don't shorten) but with less emphasis

This is an exaggerated rough guide to jazz swing feel and phrasingnote length, weight of accent etc are all open to personal interpretationthe shape of the melody and use of different rhythms will also determine the articulation used

The only real way to get an idea of jazz swing is by listening to recordings made by great players

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Voicings For Autumn Leaves mark@jazzpiano.co.nz

Chords can be divided into 3 groups, major, minor, and dominantLearn to recognise a major ii v i progression & the qualities of the chords involved (m7, 7, Maj7)Learn to recognise a minor ii v i progression & the qualities of the chords involved (m7b5, 7(alt), Min7Your chord must contain at least the 3rd and 7th (guide tones)Build your chord from either the 3rd or the 7th upwards (there are usually 2 voicings per chord)Avoid playing the root in your voicingsKeep movement between chords to a minimum (just like J.S. Bach!!)Extend the m7 and maj7 chord to the 9th with the 5thExtend the dominant chord to the 13th using the 9th (omit 5th)Use alterations on the dominant chord especially in a minor ii v i

note: you may want to playthis chord using f naturalinstead of f sharp, try it out!

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Nomenclature of jazz chords mark@jazzpiano.co.nz

Here are common ways major chords are written

Here are common ways minor chords are written

Here are common ways dominant 7 chords are written

Here are the 2 ways a half diminished chord is written

There are 3 types of chord group, major, minor, and dominant. When you are reading chord charts you will need tobe able to recognise which symbol belongs to which group. Often beginning improvisers get confused between a dominant chord and a major chord, whilst only a semitone different, the function of the chord is ENTIRELY different.

Please note that jazz use extensions such as 9th, and 13th rather than 2nd and 6th to imply that the interval is ADDED to the existing chord and doesnt replace a note. e.g. C9 means a C7 plus a 2nd, Csus2 would imply that the 3rd is replaced by the 2. A C6 chord is just a c triad with the 6 added, however a C13 is a dominant chord.Jazz musicians will usually play a C7 with either a 9th or 13th anyway, so C7, C9, & C13 are the same practically.

Blues scales for Autumn LeavesG blues - This is a good blanket scale to use when your brain aches from thinking too much!

B flat blues - you may wish to try this scale over autumn leaves, see what you think!

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Change running exercises mark@jazzpiano.co.nz

etc.

Digital pattern exercises

etc.

etc.

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Jazz lines (ideas) mark@jazzpiano.co.nz

What makes a solo interesting?Repetition, Sequence, Dynamics, Range (high, low etc), Accents, Rest and Silence, Rhythmic VariationVariety (but not too much), Blues scale, Tension and Release, MotifsKnowing where the guide tones are (3 and 7)Trills, Glissandos, Swoops, Staccato etcEmphasise pretty sounding notes, 7ths, 9ths, #4ths Always try to buiid your solo, tell a story and make it go somewhere

Above all of this, the main thing you need to do is LISTEN, it helps swing feel, improvisation, styleand generally helps you build a solid jazz vocabulary!

What do I do now?Practise Swing rhythms over familiar scalesPractice major 251 in both hands through cycle of 4ths, best choicePractice major 251 in left hands through cycle of 4ths, play 251 exercise in right hand practising swing rhythmsSeperate Chords types and practise through cycle, chromatically and randomly until you know the chords quicklyPractise minor 251 in left hand , best choicePractise minor 251 in left hand, play 251 exercise using Locrian #2, Superlocrian, and Jazz Minor scales

Buy a real book and play chords from any tune making yourself fluent with your new jazz voicingsBuy Jamey Aebersold backing tracks and play along either with chords & tune or try soloing over the changes too!Just play, be creative, listen and have fun playing jazz!There is a huge recourse of jazz tutorial material available to buy and study, or book a series of private lessons from a tutor, study at one of the jazz courses available in both Auckland based universities.