Use Them Over a ii-V-I in a Solo?Jazz Guitar Upper Structures: How Do You
An upper structure doesn't work as a single chord — it works inside a chord change. Here's how to hear Dm7–G7–Cmaj7 as Fmaj7, Fmaj7♭5 and Em7, and why the guide-tone line has to come first.
Why Does a Ballad Ending Chord Sound Like a Tritone Substitution That Isn’t One?
The #ivm7b5 chord you hear right before a jazz ballad resolves isn't technically a tritone substitution — but it shares the exact same upper-structure triad as the tonic 6 chord it comes from, which is why it behaves like one anyway.
Guitar? Three Upper Structures Over One ii-V-IWhat Is Superimposition on Jazz
Over Cm7–F7–Bbmaj7 the band plays those chords and you play Ebmaj7, F# minor and Gm. That is superimposition: your harmony sits on top of theirs, and the melody decides which tensions are allowed.
sition? Playing Your Own Changes Over the Band’sWhat Is Superimpo
Superimposition means playing your own chord changes on top of the band's — and it's earned through voice leading, not license. How half-step upper-structure moves create the altered sound and outside colors that still resolve.
Jazz Guitar Upper Structures: Why the Altered Sound Is Just a Half-Step Triad
The altered scale terrifies a lot of advanced jazz guitarists because it looks like a different theory subject. It is not. It is a single upper-structure decision: play the minor triad a half-step above your dominant chord, and you have already produced the entire altered sound. Here is how to wire that into your II–V–I.