It turns out the same octatonic scale can be played over both tritone substitutions, but it sounds better over the ♭II than over the V.

2-5-1:

  • descending thirds
  • 4 different thirds for each of the 2 and 5 (tritone sub: ♭II)
  • first third starting on the 9 of the 2, outlining a major 7 built on the m7th of that 2
  • first 3rd on the ♭II comes from dropping the top note of the preceding major third
  • down the octatonic scale from there
  • on the 1, a nice sound is the Major 7 + ♯11, in other words a major II chord over the major I7 chord
    • Voicing: The M2/P4/M3 construction built on the 5th of the I

All 12 keys!

Roy Hargrove

Today walked in the sun, one of those rare crisp days. Roy Hargrove — Strasbourg / St. Denis. There was another day in the past, in Fall, in Powderhouse Park, when I learned he had died.

Crisp fall
Emerging spring
All good, perfection
Classic