welcome to this Jazz tutorial on Jobim's Timeless classic: The Girl From Ipanema
let's take a closer look at the intricate Harmony of this song. take a listen to this...
in this video, we'll see how Jobim's use of out-of-the-ordinary dominant chords is simply
brilliant. it's no wonder why Jobim is known for pushing the boundaries of traditional Harmony ,
always keeping us on our toes with unexpected, yet stunning chord progressions. no matter how much
you think you know about jazz Harmony. Jobim's Genius will continue to challenge and inspire you.
be sure to stick around to the end of the video, where I'll show you how to download a PDF of
today's lesson. so, what makes the Girl from Ipanema so special? well, let me tell you: it's all about Jobim's
interesting use of dominant chords. dominant chords are usually used as primary or secondary
V chords, but Jobim switches it up by avoiding these functions most of the time. even when he does
use them in the progression, he adds his own unique twist to keep things interesting. let's take a look
at measure 6. if you listen closely, you'll notice that the chord progression is a re-harmonization
of a typical 2-5-1, but instead of using the V chord, Jobim gets creative and replaces
it with a subV, giving us a 2-subV-I path. here's where it gets even more interesting.
normally the subV is paired with the lydianb7 scale, creating a 7#11 chord.
however, Jobim turns the #11 into a b5, making it a chord-tone, and eliminating the
natural five altogether. this little trick adds a unique flavor to the progression, and sheds light
on Jobim's treatment of dominant chords. at first glance, the G7 in measure 3, might seem
like a V/V. in fact, the V/V is a great chord to use when targeting a 2-5 progression, which
is just a V chord that's been embellished with an interpolated ii chord right before it.
let's take the example of the key of F major: the C7 chord is the V7, and we can
target it with its V chord, which is G7. this tonicizes the V chord, which then resolves to the 1
chord, which in this case would be F. this gives us a standard and effective progression I-V/V-V-I.
now, if we interpolate the related ii before the V, we get Fmaj7 - G7 - Gm7 - C7 - Fmaj7.
this turns the progression into a Imaj7 - V/V - iim7 - V - I
but here's where things get interesting. in the "Girl From Ipanema" the G7 chord sounds much
better when paired with the lydianb7 scale, turning the G7 into a G7#11. this is a
dominant chord with a #11 and thus, turns the G7 into a II7 chord. and yes, the II7
is a real function. this II7 chord is very closely related to the V/V, but it's a 7#11 chord.
you'll find this chord in many Jazz standards like in: "Take the A Train" and also "Desafinado",
another Jobim song. so, the path: Imaj7 - V/V - II - V - I
turns into a: Imaj7 - II7#11 - iim7 - V - I.
and if you listen to great jazz players, you'll hear how they use the #11 in their lines
when they improvise over that G7 chord. but, as we said before Jobim takes it one step
further, and re-harmonizes the V chord with the subV, and reinterprets the #11 as the
b5, turning the Gb7 into a Gb7b5. this reharmonization turns this...
into this...
this is a testament to Jobim's genius and creativity, as he was able to take a common
chord progression, and completely transform it into something unique and beautiful. but things
get really interesting in the B section when we analyze the dominant chords B7 D7 and Eb7. At
first glance, they seem to not follow any pattern at all, but a clue is hidden in the melody. When we
look at the roots of these dominant chords, we see a modulation pattern of: a minor 3rd up, and then
a half-step up, which is exactly the modulation pattern in the melody. but what's the function
of these dominant chords, and where's the tonic? the trick is to understand dominant chords as Jobim
does. They're not primary or secondary dominant chords, but rather bVII7 chords borrowed
from the minor mode. the bVII7 chord is a great modal interchange chord that's usually preceded
by the iv minor chord, targeting the 1 chord, in a progression known as the back-door progression.
In fact, we could just replace the V chord with the bVII7, in a 2-5 progression if we wanted to.
And that's exactly what Jobim is doing here. We actually have an entire video dedicated to
the bVII7 chord. so be sure to check that out after you finish watching this. So if we consider
these 3 dominant chords in the B section as bVII7 chords then, they should all be
paired with the lydianb7 scale, becoming 7#11 chords. By re-harmonizing the Gbmaj7,
in the first measure of the B section ,with an Ebm7 Dorian, we
now have an entire sequence of iim7 to bVII7chords. Ebm7 to B7#11
is a ii - bVII7 in the key of Db. Modulating up a minor third, gets us to F#m7
to D7#11 - also a ii - bVII7, but now in the key of E.
And if we modulate up again, this time a half-step, we get Gm7 - Eb7, which is also
a ii - bVII7, only now, we're back in the original key of F major. All these dominant
chords are functioning as bVII7's, and the first chords are iim7's. we
just need to re-harmonize the first ii, in Db major, with a Gbmaj7. Don't forget that
the Gbmaj7 is the IV chord in the key of Db, and the IV chord is a very common
harmonization of the ii chord (and vice versa), both of them belonging to the subdominant region.
Once we understand this interpretation of the harmony, we can see how creative and tricky Jobim
is at reharmonization. The Gbmaj7 chord throws everyone off at first, because it
seems like a modulation a half-step up. But in reality, it's the IV chord in the key of Db,
and is actually functioning as a lydian chord. So the actual modulation is: from F major to Db major,
a major third down, and Jobim gets back to the original key by modulating first, a minor
third up and then, a half-step up. When we look at this sequence in the map, it becomes obvious what's
going on in the B section. The harmonic movement is exactly the same in all three iterations of the
sequence - from the subdominant to the dominant, but never actually resolving to the Imaj7
of the current key! Tt's simply genius! So, there you have it: The genius behind Antonio Carlos
Jobim's harmonic progressions. If you're fascinated by the intricate details of Harmony in music and want to
explore it further, I highly recommend getting the Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro app, available
for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. With its comprehensive features and tools, you can dive deeply into the
world of tonal harmony and analyze any piece of music that you want. So why not give it a try and
see where your musical curiosity takes you. All of our members will receive a PDF with today's topic
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