Stuart Smith
VIII. Functional Harmony in Jazz
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- Theory of chord progressions
- The diatonic (in-key) circle of fifths
- The chromatic circle of fifths
VIII. Functional Harmony in JazzIn functional harmony each chord plays a specific role within the sequence of chords where it occurs. A chord may be used to establish the tonality at the beginning of a piece, to serve a concluding function at the end, to rove between more stable points, to prolong a preceding chord, etc. By contrast, chords in a non-functional context are used primarily as sonorities, that is, as sounds that have a particular color or texture. It is not possible to determine whether an isolated chord is functional or non-functional because almost any given chord could be used in either a functional or non-functional way. Jazz today spans the full spectrum of harmonic possibilities from functional to non-functional. This book covers the primarily functional practice that extends from the origins of jazz in New Orleans to the post-bop music of the 1950s and 60s. This practice continues to this day, but since the late 1950s new, non-functional harmonic languages have been created and have taken their place alongside the traditional, functional harmonic language. Theory of chord progressionsRoot motionIn jazz, chord progressions are usually described in terms of root movement. The most common root movements follow the “circle of fifths,” moving in either direction from a given chord to one of its neighbors in the circle. There are two different versions of the circle of fifths: diatonic (in-key) and chromatic. The diatonic (in-key) circle of fifthsThe basic jazz chords in any key are the diatonic, or scale-tone, seventh chords. It is possible to harmonize many tunes using these chords alone. The roots of the diatonic chords can be arranged in a circle that summarizes their fifth relationships: 
The Major Diatonic (In-Key) Circle of Fifths The counterclockwise arrow indicates that the most typical movement between diatonic chords is by descending fifth (or ascending fourth). Many chord progressions use all or most of either the major or the minor circle. The following example shows a typical jazz piano realization of the complete major circle of fifths in the key of C major. Notice that the bass moves by perfect fourth or fifth except from IV to VII, which is a tritone. When the harmony of a piece follows the circle of fifths, jazz pianists will often alternate sevenths and thirds in the left hand and build the rest of the chord in the right hand as shown here. 
The minor mode has its own diatonic circle of fifths. The traditional jazz practice is to show scale degrees III, VI, and VII as lowered versions of these degrees in the parallel major: 
The Minor Diatonic (In-Key) Circle of Fifths The following example shows a typical jazz piano realization of the complete minor circle of fifths in the key of C minor. Notice that the bass moves by perfect fourth or fifth except from ëVI to II, which is a tritone: 
The chromatic circle of fifthsThere is also a chromatic circle of fifths, which shows the fifth relationships of all 12 chromatic pitches: 
The Chromatic Circle of Fifths Some chord progressions use segments of the chromatic circle of fifths. As with the diatonic circle of fifths, the chromatic circle illustrates the tendency of chords to succeed one another in root patterns of descending fifths (or ascending fourths) regardless of the qualities of the chords built above the roots. Although there are several tunes that use the entire diatonic circle of fifths (Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words), Prelude to a Kiss, All The Things You Are, and Autumn Leaves, for example), it is extremely unlikely that one could be found that uses the entire chromatic circle of fifths; however, certain segments of the chromatic circle are often used. For example, this “turnaround” chord progression is used in Tadd Dameron’s Lady Bird: | I majÏ ëIIIÏ | ëVImajÏ ëIIÏ | ImajÏ - - | The following is a typical jazz piano realization of this progression: 
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