Upper Structures over complete Jazz Standards Progressions

In the Upper Structures over complete Jazz Standards Progressions book collection we have used the chord/chord-scale pairing method to determine which upper structure to use over a chord depending on their current harmonic function in a progression. We found the best approach was to offer the complete set of 1000+ Jazz Standards in three volumes with upper structures over every chord that allows a major, minor or augmented triad as an upper structure.

In other words, instead of giving you a list of upper structure to use on every chord, we show you the application of this concept over the complete jazz repertoire.

The list of jazz standards was taken from The Jazz Standards Progressions Book collection created using Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro, in which every jazz tune is fully analyzed: functionally and as chord/chord-scale pairings.

Take a look inside the books

What is a structure?

Simply put, a structure is a set of two or more notes.
An interval is a structure. Any scale with any number of notes is also a structure (the pentatonic, the major triad, the major scale, the minor scale, the three notes ABC, etc…)

Major and Minor Triads as Upper Structures

These two triads have been used in music since the very beginning of tonality– circa 1600. The major and minor triads consist of only three notes, which makes their sound easily recognizable. They contain a perfect interval (5th or 4th) and two consonant intervals: a major 3rd and a minor 3rd (major and minor 6th when inverted)

Augmented Triads as Upper Structures

Augmented triads work really well on top of chords and must be included as an option when looking for upper structures.

Diminished Triads as Upper Structures
We must mention that we deliberately did not include diminished triads due to their lack of effectiveness when used as upper structures. The diminished sound does not work well as an independent sound on top of a chord.

Quartals as Upper Structures

Most players are used to seeing quartal voicings only in quartal music where you build chords by stacking 4ths instead of thirds, or in modal music, but this book concentrates on the use of quartals as upper structures over standard chord progressions such as a IIm7 – V7 – Imaj7.