Applying the Barry Harris Turnaround to Pallet On the Floor

Introduction

While the typical II-7 | V7 | Imaj chord progression is usable for modulating to different chords with major (1, 3, 5) triads within a song, it contains an inherent weakness; namely, a difficult time in modulating to chords based on a minor (1, b3, 5) or diminished (1, b3, b5) triad.

In lieu of this drawback, one may encounter the "minor 2-5" cadence, written as: II-7b5 | V7b9 | I- which solves the problem, yet much like a prescription that comes with side-effects such as headaches and muscle spasms.

Note: As context, regarding nomenclature, the II-7b5 stands for:

• (i) "II", meaning a chord built from the 2nd scale-degree
• (ii) "-7", meaning a flatted-7th
• (iii) "b5" meaning a flatted-5th

Summary: This results in a half-diminished arpeggio: 1, b3 (which is implied due to the b5), b5, and b7. If it was full-diminished, and not half-diminished, it would be a double - not a single - flatted 7th; in other words, bb7 and not b7.

a. Issues with the II-7b5.. for the II-7b5 | V7b9 | I-7 cadence

So what are the side-effects of the II-7b5 medicine? How exactly does the headache which it manifests play out, such that it could detract from musicality?

One symptom, and a rather vital one at that, is quite clear: what is one supposed to play over the II-7b5 sound? Undoubtedly, a plethora of scales exist that suggest the II-7b5 sound; however, unlike a "major" or "minor" sound, which anyone - even non-musicians - can imagine with little effort, the brain (likely) cannot as intuitively imagine a "half-diminished" sound, and even if it can (which is certainly possible) it's probably at least slightly more laborious, and this could (though again not necessarily) result in hesitation during a playing situation which is not ideal, if avoidable.

And just one post-script to that. Even if one can rapidly imagine a half-diminished 1, b3, b5, b7 arpeggio / chord-tones as easily as a "major" or "minor" arpeggio, what should one play as the 2/9, 4/11, 6/13 scale-tones? Once again, it perhaps is not quite as obvious, leading once again to hesitation.

b. What about the V7b9 chord?.. for the II-7b5 | V7b9 | I-7 cadence

While this part of the proposed cadence may 'read' strangely, it should not be feared. Much like a mathematical identity, showing an equality relating one mathematical expression to another, a V7b9 chord is largely coincidental with a fully-diminished chord.

To derive this, one can begin by thinking about what a V7b9 chord, using the nomenclature, actually implies. First of all, with the Roman numeral of "V", it implies a cluster of notes stemming from the 5th degree of the tonic. Next, having the recognizable "b7" labelling, the it will unsurprisingly contain a flatted-7th note. Finally, the "b9" similarly implies the inclusion of the flatted-9th extension. As there are no indications of a minor sound (which can be noted as "min", "m", "-") and none for a diminished sound (which can be given by "dim", "°", "ø", "b5"), the 3rd & the 5th are unaltered. This yields the following chord construction / arpeggio notes / chord tones: 1, 3, 5, b7, b9.

For example, if the 5th degree was an A, to build an A7b9, the chord tones would then be: 1/A, 3/C#, 5/E, b7/G, b9/A#. Omitting the 1st degree, the remaining 4 notes comprise a diminished arpeggio, as they are 4-notes each separated by a minor-3rd (which is the defining rule of a diminished arpeggio). Thus a V7b9 chord is highly functional as it: (i) drives towards a tonic, given its dominant-7th trait, (ii) evokes an intuitive sound, as full-diminished is quite easy to recognize, and (iii) is quite easy-to-use, as the separation of minor-3rds means diminished chords can typically be symmetrically moved up-and-down the fretboard, meaning the chord inversions have the same fingering.

c. How about the I-7 chord?.. for the II-7b5 | V7b9 | I-7 cadence

As expected the V7b9 chord, being a dominant-chord, drives the sound up a 4th, which happens to be the I-7.

Note: By the way, do not "fret".. while the interval from '1st degree to 5th degree', I-II-III-IV-V, is indeed a 5th, the interval from '5th degree to 1st degree', which passes GO (to borrow from the Monopoly game), V-VI-VII-I, is actually a 4th.

Another vital and strangely real, at least empirically, phenomenon is that a minor-2-5 cadence such as that can unsurprisingly resolve to a I-7, which is a minor-7th chord (as indicated by the "-" symbol), specifically a collection of chord-tones showing: 1, b3, 5, b7. However, a valuable aspect of the minor cadence is that it can actually resolve to the Imaj also. Viewed as the modified cadence of II-7b5 | V7b9 | Imaj, it's just using funky altered notes that arrive at a targeted major chord. Importantly, the minor cadence can resolve as minor OR major, yet the major-2-5 cadence can only resolve major. This is perhaps another reason why it may be worthwhile to explore this cadence.

What is to be done then?

Thus, this minor-2-5 cadence is indeed a form of medicine that can kinda work at driving towards a target chord, namely this I-7 (or a Imaj as mentioned), as the V7b9 really helps push the modulation. It's just that the II-7b5 is a strange chord; again, it could work, but is there a cleverer way to make life easier (than always having to imagine a "half-diminished" sound, in the form of single-notes & chords)?

Swapping out the II-7b5 for a IV-6 (or, more pedantically, a IV-/VI)

Similar to how an "identity" exists between the: (i) V7b9 chord and the (ii) IIdim, IVdim, bVIdim, and/or VIIdim chords, there exists an identity which solves the II-7b5 molehill, if indeed it poses a molehill; if it does not, then no need to change the prescription.

To illustrate the identity between the II-7b5 and the IV-/VI, let the following chords be used:

a. II-7b5 | Ex. E-7b5

• 1: E
• b3: G
• b5: A#
• b7: D

b. IV-/VI | Ex. G-/E

• 1: G
• b3: A#
• 5: D
• 6 (in the bass.. given by the slash "/" symbol): E

There it is.. a prescription with less side-effects

It perhaps is not terribly controversial to pose that thinking of a minor-chord, with extra emphasis on the natural-6th, is easier for the brain to handle than a "half-diminished" sound. Is that it though? What else does this "minor with a 6th in the bass" offer?

Key benefits of using the IV-6 as a subtitution for the II-7b5

• Easier scales: even a simple dorian scale (as it contains the natural-6th) can be used in place of a half-diminished scale
• Simpler interval: in addition to the simpler sound, the relative interval of a IV instead of a II can be easier to recognize and imagine also
• Additional voicings: in using the substituted cadence, the rethought IV-6 chord could potentially spur new ideas for chord voicings and inversions of those chord voicings
• Ubiquity: other cadences that engulf this IV-6, V7b9 simply make more sense when rewritten like this instead of II-7b5, V7b9. For example, the Barry Harris cadence: Imaj.. (i. the relative major).. II-6, III7b9.. (ii. going to the rel. minor, using the substituted cadence).. VI-7 (iii. landing in the rel. minor).. VI-6, VII7b9 (iv. using the substituted cadence again).. III-7, VI7, II-7, V7.. (v. classic 3-6-2-5 turnaround).. Imaj (vi. back to the tonic).. many songs such as Pallet On the Floor, Stella By Starlight, Like Someone In Love, Embraceable You use this, which is arguably more intuitive and sensible, given the aforementioned substitution.

Integrating the IV-6 chord with the guitar

While the IV-/VI, namely a minor-triad played off of the 4th-scale degree, alongside the 6th-degree in the bass, is technically how the "identity" ideally aligns with the II-7b5 half-diminished chord, the guitar lacks the physical ease to realize many possibilities with this strict "VI in the bass" rule. Therefore, on a practical basis, one can instead play minor-6th chords, especially emphasizing the 6th when playing single-notes, to emulate the sound. Thus, in integrating this concept, the IV-6 will be in substitute for the IV-/VI, which itself is a substitute for the II-7b5. The chord construction for the IV-6 is then: 1, b3, 5, 6.

Section A: the Vocabulary

These sheets will start off with the more pedantic vocabulary in order to apply the IV-6 chord; inversions of the chord, how they relate to the V7b9 chord (as well as the I-chord), and examples of how one may use them practically to shift to another key.

Part 1 of 5: Inversions of the Minor-6th chord

To begin, it can be helpful to notate inversions of the minor-6th chord on each set of 4-strings, as one may find onself at any section of the fretboard at anytime, needing a minor-6th voicing.

Part 2 of 5: V7b9 Voicings

These are some V7b9 voicings that one can use to easily pair with the IV-6 inversions. As they are akin to fully-diminished chords, one can discern that they are indeed "symmetrical", meaning the 4-note combinations invert, while the chord shapes remain unchanged. This is a practical nicety of diminished chords.

Part 3 of 5: Example cadences into D-7

Part 3 of 5: Example cadences into D-7

Experimenting with using this IV-6 | V7b9 cadence into D-7, one can perhaps begin to imagine its use-cases elsewhere also. Of course, while D-7 is chosen as the I-7 here, one could transpose the cadence such that it resolves to F-7, or substitute the I chord so that it resolves into a Imaj7 chord.

Part 4 of 5: Triple cadence into Cmaj7: Symmetrical shapes

For each of these 4-bar sets, the: (i) 1st bar is the VI-6 | VII7b9 that resolves into the III-7, the (ii) 2nd bar is the V-6 | VI7b9 that resolves into the II-7, and the (iii) 3rd bar is the IV-6 | V7b9 that actually resolves into the Imaj7; these use a tonic of Cmaj7 as examples.

This type of triple-cadence is present in many songs explicitly such as Dizzy Gillespie's Woody N' You, and bits and pieces of it exist in songs such as I Remember You or I'm Getting Sentimental Over You. Critically, the IV-6 | V7b9 is used for each cadence. While a II-7 | V7 could be used to resolve into the II-7 (by using its relative II-7 | V7 in the III-7 and the VI7), and could be used to resolve into the Imaj7, as mentioned before the usual II-7 | V7 is not as effective for resolving into a more strongly associated (if that's fair to say) minor such as the III-7. Thus, the IV-6 | V7b9 can handle all cases, and is substituted here for all cases.

Part 5 of 5: Triple cadence into Cmaj7: Mixed/consolidated shapes

This is essentially the same exercise as before, except, instead of prioritizing the same shapes used for each voicing, the voicings are mixed such that minimal horizontal fretboard movement has to be done. While this approach is more challenging, it adheres to principles of "voice leading"(efficient connection between chords of their chord tones.. without having to jump-around).

Section B: Applying the cadence to Pallet On the Floor

Largely, the song Pallet On the Floor can be simplified to having several primary key 'destinations': the tonic (the relative major), the IV, the VI-7 (the relative minor), the #IVdim, and the V7. The IV-6 | V7b9 cadence is suitable to be applied because it: (i) contains a shift to a minor key centre in the rel. minor, II-7, and the III-7, and (ii) it makes use of the "Barry Harris" progression, where the IV-6 substution helps the progression make more sense.

As icing on the cake, since the IV-6 | V7b9 progression is minor/major agnostic, the following example also applies it liberally in shifting towards the IVmaj or back to the Imaj.

Part 1 of 6: Cadence substitutions written-in

On the top, written in standard notation, is the Pallet On the Floor melody, in the key of C. On the bottom staff, written in guitar tablature are example inversions/voicings to shift the song from key to key. Of course, when can: (i) use alternative inversions/voicings than those written, (ii) play the song in a different tonic than the key of C.

Part 2 of 6: Getting back to basics

Having first gotten a taste of Pallet On the Floor could look, it may be nice to get a sense of how one can arrive at such an outcome. First of all, one can recognize the main key 'destinations'; indeed, the IV-6 | V7b9 cadence can help drive one from Point A to Point B, but one must know where Points A and Points B are. To recognize what Points A and Points B are, this is largely outside the scope of this write-up, but practices such as: (i) transcription of recordings, (ii) analysis of the melody & its suggested chord tones, (iii) learning of other songs, building up an empirical library, can all be helpful.

Part 3 of 6: Measures 1 through 4

There are several notable substitutions right away, in the first 4 measures.

• Measure 1: Nothing new, as Fmaj7 as the IVmaj7 can remained unaffected
• Measure 2: Rewriting the #IVdim chord with the VI-6 | VII7b9 cadence. This may be dubious as it changes the #IVdim for the VI-6, which largely swaps it from diminished to half-diminished. It may be better to keep the normal diminished and not apply the concept here.
• Measure 3: The Imaj7 (1, 3, 5, 7) and the III-7 (3, 5, 7, 9) are often used interchangeably, as substituting the III-7 helps to suggest the 9, while largely adhering to the 3, 5, and 7 of the original chord.
• Measure 4: The IV-6 | V7b9 cadence is used to redirect to the IVmaj7 chord.

Part 4 of 6: Measures 5 through 8

Largely, these measures are aligned with the initial 4 measures, however there are attempts to squeeze The Cadence into smaller subdivisions that resolve into the III-7 and the Imaj7; while again they suggest the same sound, resolving into each may perhaps amplify their slight differences, and this can be explored and can always be discarded if not desirable.

Part 5 of 6: Measures 9 through 12

These 4 measures feature the notable Barry Harris, "relative major, going to the relative minor, landing into the relative minor, then playing a minor with a 6th (in the bass)."

• Measure 1: Once again, the E-7 replaces the Cmaj7, though actually the Cmaj7 may make more "sense" as then there would be a logical Imaj, II-6, III7b9 realized here as Cmaj7, D-6, E7b9.
• Measure 2: In order to fulfill the "going to the relative minor" the cadence is used.. from the vantage point of the tonic/Imaj7, the cadence is II-6, III7b9, though from the vantage point of the target VI-7 chord, it is indeed the IV-6, V7b9 as one can expect.
• Measure 3: In this measure, one sits on the relative minor, having arrived.
• Measure 4: As one will see in the next Part, there is an upcoming III-7 shortly after this measure, in order to close out the song with a III-7, VI7, II-7, V7 turnaround. Thus, by playing a VI-7, to the VI-6, VII7b9, to the ensuing III-7, this cadence in question makes more sense, as one can stick around on the VI-7, only having to emphasize the VI-6 more so.. they're very similar chords. This is in contrast to the minor-2-5 way of playing a VI-7, to the #IV-7b5, VII7b9... etc.

Part 6 of 6: Measures 12 through 16

Measure 1: This may be somewhat strange, in that the B7b9 of the "After" version naturally then leads to the E-7 of the "Before" version.*

Second last measure: Perhaps the B7b9 | G7b9 works because the B7b9 pushes towards the III-7/E-7, which is similar to Cmaj7, and the G7b9 naturally drives towards the Cmaj7... furthermore each note is 1 chromatic apart, adding perhaps to consonance in directionality.

Last measure: Using the cadence to return to the top of the song, which begins on Fmaj7, so using the Fmaj7's IV-6 | V7b9 in Bb-6 and C7b9

*This is actually perhaps more typical (to then play a III-7, VI7, II-7, V7, Imaj7 ending), but it seemed interesting to try using the Triple Cadence of IV-6 | V7b9 chords in the vein of Section A: Part 5 of 6. The sound is different from the more typical 3-6-2-5 ending, and can perhaps then lead to different sounds over this song.

Conclusion

At the very least, the IV-6 | V7b9 cadence offers sonic alternatives to the more typical II-7 | V7 turnaround. Added benefits include its: (i) ease of use in scales/chords, (ii) agnosticism the "Point B" destination chord being major/minor, and (iii) the way it makes certain progressions such as the "Barry Harris" progression (from rel. major to rel. minor to rel. minor with a 6th in the bass to the turnaround, etc) more sensible. While this outlook can make playing over certain passages such as those that include half-diminished chords easier, by the same token, thinking of chords as half-diminished may contain advantages that are overlooked by this method. With that being said, the thought-process of using minor-6th chords (instead of half-diminished) being advocated and applied by successful artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Barry Harris, it seems to suggest that this way of thinking about chord progressions is worthwhile to explore.

Barry Harris speaking about this substitution

The video below begins at 10:25 as the remainder of the video is where he directly references the minor-6th chord.