Night and Day

[bwv1005]

Someone proposed "Night and Day," so I will start this off, see what happens. The subtlety of Cole Porter's compositional style is well known, and the mixture of this with the charm, wit and sophistication of his lyrics have made his songs timeless and enduring. "Night and Day" is, of course, one of his most well known classics. I think this tune calls out for analysis in three areas: Melody, Harmony, and Lyrics. The intricate connection between these three elements helps to understand and learn the song on a deep level.
Also, the verse to this song is extremely interesting, and should be considered as important as the main composition itself.

I'll start now with melody:
(music reference: original piano/vocal sheet music, in Db)
The first similar phrases begin on Ab and descend to a chromatic phrase encircling F, with the second phrase a slight variation of the first. (Note that this precisely forshadows the minor third relationship between the key centers in the bridge, at precisely the same harmonic rhythm) Porter sets up this connection between melody and harmony immediately. The following long phrase continues a chromatic line (skipping only Bnatural) to land on the lower Ab, rising an octave for the last phrase on the higher Ab to link to the next A section. Thus in the first A section, the entire melody is encompassed within this octave, and hits every note except for G and B.

It is interesting that the melody in the second A section is identical to the first, except that it breaks out of upper range of the octave to Anatural and Bb, on the lyric "follows." This deliberately emphasizes the word, and in moving up chromatically out of the octave before returning to the original line, it implies that there is something uncontrolled or unbounded about the "longing" that "follows wherever I go."

The melody on the B section moves the opposite direction. Instead of Ab down to F (minor third), it moves from Ab up to B (minor third). This one example of the play with opposites that happens throughout many aspects of the song, including the title "Night and Day."

The final phrase echoes the ending phrase of the A section, but breaks out of the octave again, to C and Bnatural. This happens on the word "love," the most significant word in the lyric. The first breaking of the octave extended the range by two half steps, and the second time extended it by two more half steps. Extremely precise and clever devices are being used here. How clever is it? Well, the final extension of the upper range of the melody occurs on the last note, where the melody jumps to resolve on the high Db, the root. So, while the melody in general is falling chromatically, these occasional breaks in the chromatic pattern form a continuous chromatic line upward, to the root on the final note. The melody moves in two directions at once, one dark, one bright, Night and Day--very clever indeed.

This is just the tip of the iceberg with this song. It is really an amazing composition. Any comments?

-mo

[Phil Kelly]

Two other important features of this song:

1. It has an abnormally long chorus ( 48 bars ) -plus a verse
( not usually used by jazz instrumentalists )

2. It has an offbeat shape formwise:

Two long 16 bar A phrases

followed by a 16 bar B phrase :

which begins with 8 bars alternating between a key center shift alternating between the major key a minor 3rd up and the original tonic ..and then picks up the last 8 of the original A phrase but with an major 7th melodic shift four bars in.

Cole Porter was very fond of long chorus forms:

Begin the Beguine, Change Partners, Everything I love among them ..

[bwv1005]

Good point...
In addition to a richness of melodic, harmonic, and lyrical material, the tune has a very unusual structure. Because of the fact that each of the three 16 bar sections ends with a similar (but melodically different the third time) phrase, the song has a three part structure--perhaps it's better to call it ABC than AAB, since the third section is really just a variation of the first two, and not really a "bridge." Although in practice, the first 8 bars of the last section have the "feeling" of a bridge, because of the harmonic departure. hmm...

[EdByrne]

Someone proposed "Night and Day," so I will start this off, see what happens. The subtlety of Cole Porter's compositional style is well known, and the mixture of this with the charm, wit and sophistication of his lyrics have made his songs timeless and enduring. "Night and Day" is, of course, one of his most well known classics. I think this tune calls out for analysis in three areas: Melody, Harmony, and Lyrics. The intricate connection between these three elements helps to understand and learn the song on a deep level.
Also, the verse to this song is extremely interesting, and should be considered as important as the main composition itself.

I'll start now with melody:
(music reference: original piano/vocal sheet music, in Db)
The first similar phrases begin on Ab and descend to a chromatic phrase encircling F, with the second phrase a slight variation of the first. (Note that this precisely forshadows the minor third relationship between the key centers in the bridge, at precisely the same harmonic rhythm) Porter sets up this connection between melody and harmony immediately. The following long phrase continues a chromatic line (skipping only Bnatural) to land on the lower Ab, rising an octave for the last phrase on the higher Ab to link to the next A section. Thus in the first A section, the entire melody is encompassed within this octave, and hits every note except for G and B.

It is interesting that the melody in the second A section is identical to the first, except that it breaks out of upper range of the octave to Anatural and Bb, on the lyric "follows." This deliberately emphasizes the word, and in moving up chromatically out of the octave before returning to the original line, it implies that there is something uncontrolled or unbounded about the "longing" that "follows wherever I go."

The melody on the B section moves the opposite direction. Instead of Ab down to F (minor third), it moves from Ab up to B (minor third). This one example of the play with opposites that happens throughout many aspects of the song, including the title "Night and Day."

The final phrase echoes the ending phrase of the A section, but breaks out of the octave again, to C and Bnatural. This happens on the word "love," the most significant word in the lyric. The first breaking of the octave extended the range by two half steps, and the second time extended it by two more half steps. Extremely precise and clever devices are being used here. How clever is it? Well, the final extension of the upper range of the melody occurs on the last note, where the melody jumps to resolve on the high Db, the root. So, while the melody in general is falling chromatically, these occasional breaks in the chromatic pattern form a continuous chromatic line upward, to the root on the final note. The melody moves in two directions at once, one dark, one bright, Night and Day--very clever indeed.

This is just the tip of the iceberg with this song. It is really an amazing composition. Any comments?

-mo

Hey mo,

Nice work. Could you somehow post your lead sheet? I have some ideas to offer, but I want to be coming from the same exact place as you, to avoid confusion.

Thanks.
Ed

[bwv1005]

Hey mo,

Nice work. Could you somehow post your lead sheet? I have some ideas to offer, but I want to be coming from the same exact place as you, to avoid confusion.

Thanks.
Ed

I'm just using the orginal piano/vocal sheet music, which is available in any cole porter collection or online for a small price at places like musicnotes.com.
This preserves the original composer's intention and nuance, and makes sure that everybody has the same thing. Unfortunately, you can't distrubute or post it because of copyright laws.

-mo

[engelbach]

It is interesting that the melody in the second A section is identical to the first, except that it breaks out of upper range of the octave to Anatural and Bb, on the lyric "follows." This deliberately emphasizes the word, and in moving up chromatically out of the octave before returning to the original line, it implies that there is something uncontrolled or unbounded about the "longing" that "follows wherever I go."

Nice perception. This tune, including the example above, is an excellent instance of a composer matching lyrics and music, both in mood and in very specific phrases. I often keep the lyrics in mind when playing.

Another of my favorites also perfectly matches lyrics and music: A Foggy Day, in which the melancholy mood of the song is broken towards the end at "Suddenly, I saw you there," which echoes "I viewed the morning with alarm," but starts a scale step higher, on the firm tonic rather than the more tentative major 7th, brightening the whole song, and is then followed by that magnificent bell-ringing coda, a triumphant fanfare that loosely paraphrases Big Ben and makes you just feel the sunshine.

Perhaps A Foggy Day should be continued in another thread.

[engelbach]

I'm just using the orginal piano/vocal sheet music, which is available in any cole porter collection or online for a small price at places like musicnotes.com.
This preserves the original composer's intention and nuance, and makes sure that everybody has the same thing. Unfortunately, you can't distrubute or post it because of copyright laws.

-mo

Collections may be in different keys. My Chappell & Co. Cole Porter collection shows the original arrangement in C rather than Db. But I see that the downloadable version on musicnotes.com is in Db.

It's interesting that jazz musicians often play the first chord progression as ii7b5-V7-I, which to me has a "night" sound, whereas Cole's arrangement starts with #Vmaj7-V7-I, in which the major7 falls on the word "day" and sounds like it.

[the magnificent goldberg]

No musical analysis from me, of course. But with Cole Porter, the words were important, too.

From that point of view, Porter, it seems to me, had three modes of songwriting:

straight love songs - generally the most conventional and least interesting;
witty songs - these might be love songs but the "love interest" is overwhelmed by the wit of the lyrics; and
songs about mercenary or casual sex - which to me are the most interesting and innovative, particularly bearing in mind the mores of the era in which he was writing.

"Night and day" falls into the first group, along with songs like "I love you", "So in love" and "Every time we say goodbye". This is Porter trying to be a poet. He's a good bit better than the run of the mill Tin Pan Alley wordsmiths but that's not saying a lot. And the words to "Night and day" are pretty dull, really, for Porter. Not much passion there, in my view.

The second group includes "You're the top", "I love Paris", "Well, did you evah", "Who wants to be a millionaire" and "At long last love". Porter is unbeatable in this mode.

In the third group, we get "Love for sale", "Always true to you darling, in my fashion", "It's all right with me", "Anything goes" and "I get a kick out of you". To me, these are the most interesting of his songs. It seems to me that he takes the lid off society to show what people's attitude to sex was "really" like, beneath the generally hypocritical social standards, which gave rise to the "idealist" type of love song which was so prevalent.

And there's a lot more poetry in the latter two groups of songs - though perhaps in a Byronic mode.

MG

[engelbach]

And the words to "Night and day" are pretty dull, really, for Porter. Not much passion there, in my view.

I wonder if Porter wrote Night and Day as a parody of soppiness. The 1932 musical it was from, The Gay Divorce (on which the movie The Gay Divorcee was based, but with different music, except for Night and Day), was a broad drawing-room comedy in which the leading man was a writer of romance novels – just the type of character to sing overripe love songs.

[EdByrne]

No musical analysis from me, of course. But with Cole Porter, the words were important, too.

From that point of view, Porter, it seems to me, had three modes of songwriting:

straight love songs - generally the most conventional and least interesting;
witty songs - these might be love songs but the "love interest" is overwhelmed by the wit of the lyrics; and
songs about mercenary or casual sex - which to me are the most interesting and innovative, particularly bearing in mind the mores of the era in which he was writing.

"Night and day" falls into the first group, along with songs like "I love you", "So in love" and "Every time we say goodbye". This is Porter trying to be a poet. He's a good bit better than the run of the mill Tin Pan Alley wordsmiths but that's not saying a lot. And the words to "Night and day" are pretty dull, really, for Porter. Not much passion there, in my view.

The second group includes "You're the top", "I love Paris", "Well, did you evah", "Who wants to be a millionaire" and "At long last love". Porter is unbeatable in this mode.

In the third group, we get "Love for sale", "Always true to you darling, in my fashion", "It's all right with me", "Anything goes" and "I get a kick out of you". To me, these are the most interesting of his songs. It seems to me that he takes the lid off society to show what people's attitude to sex was "really" like, beneath the generally hypocritical social standards, which gave rise to the "idealist" type of love song which was so prevalent.

And there's a lot more poetry in the latter two groups of songs - though perhaps in a Byronic mode.

MG


MG,

Thank you for this excellent and interesting take on Porter.

I'm looking at it from a structural standpoint, an analysis which I'll post after I get mo's lead sheet.

PS: I read somewhere that Porter wrote "I Love You" (which I love) on a drinking bet that he couldn't write an acceptable tune on such a sappy title. If I remember correctly, it was also briefly (appropriately?) named "Firewater," to mark the condition of the composer on the occasion of its' composition.

[bwv1005]

Collections may be in different keys. My Chappell & Co. Cole Porter collection shows the original arrangement in C rather than Db. But I see that the downloadable version on musicnotes.com is in Db.

It's interesting that jazz musicians often play the first chord progression as ii7b5-V7-I, which to me has a "night" sound, whereas Cole's arrangement starts with #Vmaj7-V7-I, in which the major7 falls on the word "day" and sounds like it.

yes I got it off of musicnotes, because I am out of town and don't have my books. perhaps other editions have another key, but in general, these sheet music editions agree with each other pretty well, and are very accurate.

The first chord (in Db), being Db-/A, could be interpreted either as a b6ma7 type of chord, or a ii-7b5. Jazz musicians usually play the latter, but harmonically it has the same function, which is to imply a minor tonic, and then switch to major. So, as you say, the "night and day" functions of major and minor are thus set out from the first cadence...

mo

[the magnificent goldberg]

I wonder if Porter wrote Night and Day as a parody of soppiness. The 1932 musical it was from, The Gay Divorce (on which the movie The Gay Divorcee was based, but with different music, except for Night and Day), was a broad drawing-room comedy in which the leading man was a writer of romance novels – just the type of character to sing overripe love songs.

That's very interesting. We tend to think of songs written for those pre-War Broadway shows as being more or less standalone songs - unlike Rodgers & Hammerstein songs which are very tightly bound up with the story lines. But this shows that rules of thumb aren't any more than that; a bit of detailed knowledge often helps.

MG

[the magnificent goldberg]

MG,
PS: I read somewhere that Porter wrote "I Love You" (which I love) on a drinking bet that he couldn't write an acceptable tune on such a sappy title. If I remember correctly, it was also briefly (appropriately?) named "Firewater," to mark the condition of the composer on the occasion of its' composition.

Nice story, Ed. Thanks.

(Firewater, echoes the hills :) )

MG

[EdByrne]

yes I got it off of musicnotes, because I am out of town and don't have my books. perhaps other editions have another key, but in general, these sheet music editions agree with each other pretty well, and are very accurate.

The first chord (in Db), being Db-/A, could be interpreted either as a b6ma7 type of chord, or a ii-7b5. Jazz musicians usually play the latter, but harmonically it has the same function, which is to imply a minor tonic, and then switch to major. So, as you say, the "night and day" functions of major and minor are thus set out from the first cadence...

mo

mo,

Can you post it? If not, would you mind eMailing me a PDF of what you have so I can do a structural, melodic, and harmonic analysis of my own?

[Phil Kelly]

The first chord (in Db), being Db-/A, could be interpreted either as a b6ma7 type of chord, or a ii-7b5. Jazz musicians usually play the latter, but harmonically it has the same function, which is to imply a minor tonic, and then switch to major. So, as you say, the "night and day" functions of major and minor are thus set out from the first cadence...

mo

The first chord could be labeled in any number of ways: if you chose to call it ii7b5, it would actually
be ii mi11b5 which would suggest using the F as a 9th ( in Db )

If you went the iv mi9 route, the Fb ( E ) as 7th would sound a bit more fitting to my ear ..

both work ..

[bwv1005]

The first chord could be labeled in any number of ways: if you chose to call it ii7b5, it would actually
be ii mi11b5 which would suggest using the F as a 9th ( in Db )

If you went the iv mi9 route, the Fb ( E ) as 7th would sound a bit more fitting to my ear ..

both work ..

yes, correct I wasn't being precise enough. The notes are Db, Fb, Ab, with an Anatural in the bass, which is Ama7. There is no Eb, so the ii function is artificial, for the purposes of making a ii-V-I progression for soloing in a jazz context. A ii-7b5 chord most closely emulates the minor sound of this first chord, but is actually quite incorrect in relation to the original changes. (curse you, real book).

mo

[bwv1005]

The verse of Night and Day:

First section, all with a repeated Ab in the melody:

Ddim | Ab7/Eb | Ab7/Gb Db/F | Dbmi/E Ab7/Eb | Ddim Ab7/Eb | Ab7/Gb Db/F | Dbmi/E Dbmi | Ab7/C |

Next section, Anatural in melody

A7/G A7/E | D/F# D/E |

next, with Bb in melody

Bb7/Ab Bb7 | Eb/G Ebmi/Gb |

last phrase, with Ab in the melody

Db/F Dbmi/E | Ab/Eb Ddim | Db Ab7/C | Db/B Bbmi7 |


it's like an opposite pedal point, with the constant element in the melody. Also, it clearly leads to Ama7 being the first chord of the tune. The melody is repetitive, matching the words, which are about repetition...any thoughts?

mo

[EdByrne]

I thought that the idea was that someone would display a lead sheet that we could all agree on for later comparison of our various analyses. Did I misunderstand?

I don't feel that I have enough information here to do the kind of thorough inspection I was planning: Melodic development, formal structure, reduction, harmonic analysis, guide tone lines, root progression, and much more. I guess I'll have to lay out on this one. :confused2

[engelbach]

yes, correct I wasn't being precise enough. The notes are Db, Fb, Ab, with an Anatural in the bass, which is Ama7. There is no Eb, so the ii function is artificial, for the purposes of making a ii-V-I progression for soloing in a jazz context. A ii-7b5 chord most closely emulates the minor sound of this first chord, but is actually quite incorrect in relation to the original changes. (curse you, real book).
mo

There are many reasons to curse the Real book. But even as we condemn it for its inaccuracies, we must acknowledge that its intention was to present not the definitive versions of the music but transcriptions derived from performance practice.

The substitution of Ebm7b5 for Amaj7 (or Dbm/A as you might choose to call it) is in the venerable tradition of bebop musicians forcing ii-V progressions into standards. Bud Powell did it frequently, even altering melody notes to better fit the chords.

I also like the sound of the ii7b5-V-I in this tune.

However, analyzing Cole Porter's intentions in this song makes sense, as you say, only if we use his original, correct score.

[engelbach]

The verse of Night and Day ... it's like an opposite pedal point, with the constant element in the melody. Also, it clearly leads to Ama7 being the first chord of the tune. The melody is repetitive, matching the words, which are about repetition ... any thoughts?
mo

Yes, my thoughts are that you are right.

The bass movement under the static melody is very effective.

The transition from the verse — Bbm7 to Ama7 (and then to Ab7) — is powerful. It wouldn't work if it went to a ii7b5, which would break the downward moving bass.

[bwv1005]

I thought that the idea was that someone would display a lead sheet that we could all agree on for later comparison of our various analyses. Did I misunderstand?

I don't feel that I have enough information here to do the kind of thorough inspection I was planning: Melodic development, formal structure, reduction, harmonic analysis, guide tone lines, root progression, and much more. I guess I'll have to lay out on this one. :confused2

Sorry to be unclear...I thought I said that posting the sheet music was not really legally cool. Somebody could post a lead sheet, but that wouldn't have the original details of the sheet music. I just picked Night and Day because a lot of people have songbooks that would include it.

As a side note, most musicians I know who really want to learn a standard will go back to the sheet music and learn it from there. Fakebooks and lead sheets tend to exclude the nuances of the compositions, and much gets lost in translation....

mo

[Phat Boi]

I actually got the closest version of the original changes you will find on an ollllld lead sheet from way back when. I'll post it up here on Thursday because my internet at home will be up and running.

[jweiss]

Here is a lead sheet for Night and Day (http://www.sci.utah.edu/~weiss/temp/night%20and%20day.pdf).

Cheers,

Jeff

[engelbach]

Here is a lead sheet for Night and Day (http://www.sci.utah.edu/~weiss/temp/night%20and%20day.pdf).

Cheers,

Jeff
Jeff,

You're two years after the fact. Was it your intention to encourage Ed to make good on his (possibly expired) intention to offer his analysis of the tune?

Ed, if you're listening: Jeff's lead sheet from the Real Book is accurate. The only difference is in the harmony: Cole starts off with Ab∆ rather than Dø.

Cheers,
Jer

[jweiss]

Jeff,

You're two years after the fact. Was it your intention to encourage Ed to make good on his (possibly expired) intention to offer his analysis of the tune?


Yes :) I was going through the sticky and noticed this thread.

Cheers,

Jeff

[EdByrne]

Thanks, Jer:

Night and Day
The primary key is C throughout. The form is ABABCB’, eight measures apiece. The melody in the A sections oscillates between G and E; in the B sections it descends chromatically from E to C and then to A to G; in the C bridge the oscillation is now between Bb and G, with the Bbs suggesting blue notes (or a “blue” key relationship).

Harmonic Analysis:

C:
||: *ii7-5 | V7 | IMA7 | IMA7 | ii7-5 | V7 | IMA7 | IMA7 |

|| #iv7-5 (ii7-5/iii7) | iv7 | ii7/ii7 | biiio7 | ii7 | V7 | IMA7 | (Bb7=V7/bIII) :||

|| bIIIMA7 | bIIIMA7 | IMA7 | IMA7 | bIIIMA7 | bIIIMA7 | IMA7 | IMA7 ||

|| #iv7-5 (ii7-5/iii7) | iv7 | ii7/ii7 | biiio7 | ii7 | V7 | IMA7 | (turn-around) ||

*If this were AbMA7, it would be bVIMA7 in C, a Subdominant Minor chord function. Since jazz musicians love 2 5’s it was apparently made into a cadence.

[jweiss]

Thanks Ed! :)

Here is a simple bass intro that I like to play solo a couple of times before the head.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b153/jweiss/night_and_day_bass_intro.jpg

The hardest part about this tune for me is not getting lost in the form! :gavel:

[EdByrne]

Thanks Ed! :)

Here is a simple bass intro that I like to play solo a couple of times before the head.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b153/jweiss/night_and_day_bass_intro.jpg

The hardest part about this tune for me is not getting lost in the form! :gavel:Nice ostinato, Jeff. With regard to remembering the form, it is again about the melody. You have a primary question idea (A antecedent phrase) and an answer to it (B). This repeats. Then you have the C blues bridge idea; then the finalized B' answer.

[jweiss]

Thanks for the tips Ed. I'll try singing the melody in my head next time we play it.

I think it's that stupid ii-V-I, repeating in multiple places. I think I just need to pay better attention while the other guys are soloing and not watch the tv above the bar or get distracted by the ladies...

[EdByrne]

Thanks for the tips Ed. I'll try singing the melody in my head next time we play it.

I think it's that stupid ii-V-I, repeating in multiple places. I think I just need to pay better attention while the other guys are soloing and not watch the tv above the bar or get distracted by the ladies...Yeah, Jeff, I hate when that happens, especially when drunk and strung out on heroine.:shrug:~pimp:

[engelbach]

Yeah, Jeff, I hate when that happens, especially when drunk and strung out on heroine.:shrug:~pimp:
See honey, I told you these guys were jazz musicians.

[engelbach]

Thanks, Jer:

Night and Day
The primary key is C throughout. The form is ABABCB’, eight measures apiece. The melody in the A sections oscillates between G and E; in the B sections it descends chromatically from E to Db and then to A to G; in the C bridge the oscillation is now between Bb and G, with the Bbs suggesting blue notes (or a “blue” key relationship)... etc.
Good analysis, Ed.

Just a slight suggestion: I think you could say that in B the melody descends to C.

[engelbach]

Thanks Ed! :)

Here is a simple bass intro that I like to play solo a couple of times before the head.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b153/jweiss/night_and_day_bass_intro.jpg

The hardest part about this tune for me is not getting lost in the form! :gavel:
Makes sense, Jeff.

I like to play an intro and the head in a way that is, I'm afraid, less interesting for the bassist: A G pedal under a vamp on G7b9sus - C, which continues through the opening 8 bars of the tune. Then for the B section the bass just moves down chromatically starting G - Gb.

[EdByrne]

Good analysis, Ed.

Just a slight suggestion: I think you could say that in B the melody descends to C.Thanks, and right you are. (Fixed it.)

[JoeB]

Nice harmonic analysis. Interesting that the E-7 is labeled as ii7/ii7. Is there an implication to that in contrast to hearing it as iii7 ?

[EdByrne]

Nice harmonic analysis. Interesting that the E-7 is labeled as ii7/ii7. Is there an implication to that in contrast to hearing it as iii7 ?
It ain't no biggie, Joe, but the Eb passing diminished could be thought of as an incomplete and inverted A7, which would make it part of a secondary cadence. I should have put it in parentheses, though (fixed it), depending on whether you are looking backwards or forwards when you get there.

C:
||: ii7-5 | V7 | IMA7 | IMA7 | ii7-5 | V7 | IMA7 | IMA7 ||

|| #iv7-5 (ii7-5/iii7) | iv7 | iii7 (ii7/ii7) | biiio7 | ii7 | V7 | IMA7 | (Bb7=V7/bIII) :||

|| bIIIMA7 | bIIIMA7 | IMA7 | IMA7 | bIIIMA7 | bIIIMA7 | IMA7 | IMA7 ||

|| #iv7-5 (ii7-5/iii7) | iv7 | iii7 (ii7/ii7) | biiio7 | ii7 | V7 | IMA7 | (turn-around) ||

[gennation]

*If this were AbMA7, it would be bVIMA7 in C, a Subdominant Minor chord function. Since jazz musicians love 2 5’s it was apparently made into a cadence.

In the original and many of the other classics versions that followed, the bVIMA7 is the correct chord.

I've loved this tune since I first heard it and spent many hours listening to a CD full of about 16 different versions of this song, as well as hours transcribing the many players personal approaches to it.

The bulk of the recordings I have are in Eb or C, but there's a couple of them in D also.

What I find is that out of the 16 or so versions I have on that CD I think there is only two or three that actually use the IIm7b5 chord in the first measure of the verse. And actually, these few are probably the least memorable versions.

Personally I never thought that melody line sounded great when using a IIm7b5, even though the chord is diatonically connected to original bVImaj7 it just always sounded 'not quite right' to me.

Someday I'd like to take all my transcriptions (which are currently for guitar) and put together a tribute to this great song. I have the original piano and guitar solo, a couple Tal Farlows solos, some cool intro's, much of Joe Hendersons solos through out his version, quite a few different versions of Getz and Evans rhythm/chord and solos, and much more in scribbled notes for my reference that I'm not recalling from memory.

I'm not at home right now so I'll have to dig through the notes for more details but from memory a few of the cool things I've found are (in the Key of C):

1. Getz really likes to use a straight D Major arpeggio over the Cmaj7 chord (Imaj7) at the end of the bridge giving the chord an extended C Lydian sound (I've found this same 'major arp a whole step higher' idea in a few other songs he plays too).

2. In the bridge Henderson really just plays straight descending chromatic triads for the most part.

3. A large number of players treat the F#m7b5->Fm7->Em7->Ebdim7 as Am->Abmaj7->Gmaj7->F#maj7 (actually only a few play the F#maj7 over the Ebdim7).

4. Tal Farlow playing a F#maj7 arp over that first F#m7b5 in the bridge! Way to go Tal!

5. I find quite a few players strip down the verse to a measure and a half or so of C Minor (over Dm7b5/Abmaj7 and a bit of G7) and then after getting into the G7 to the Cmaj7 I find a mix of C Major, C Lydian, and C Blues going on...all at the same time.

But none the less it can be treating as Cm->Cmaj and really nothing more. For any player trying to separate themselves from a "I have three chords, I have to use three scales" idea, this simple C Minor->C Major idea will give some freedom to your playing over the verse...and don't be afraid to throw in some C Blues licks when you get to C Major.

6. Duke Ellington uses a bVI7 in the first measure of the verse. This truly gives it that 'slap it down-heavy handed' Duke vibe...bVI7->V7->Imaj7. Try it, or listen to it if you can find a version, the bVI7 sounds great.

7. Transposing a few of Sinatra's and Ella's staple melody lines are always fun too. Frank has a few versions of this tune out, and it's fun to pick out the Early Frank version vs The Chaiman's hooks that became the staples in his performances.

The next one I'm going to tackle is a specific Grappelli's solo on one of Django's versions. I'm sure it will be a very simple concept as all the really cool stuff seems to be very simple after learning it ;) I always have to remind myself that 'sounds good' doesn't mean 'it's complicated'.

Just thought I'd throw in some of things I've found on this tune. Hardly a day goes by where this tune isn't going through my head. This tune will definitely be a song played at my funeral!

[cajazz]

Night and Day

Here’s a ‘kick-at-the-can’ with a look at the harmonic structure of this great song Night and Day.

The form is largely ‘AAB’ with each section as 16 bars totaling 48 bars which is a little unusual. It makes it a little easier if those 16 bar sections are divided into two 8-bar phrases i.e. || A8 B8 ||A8 B8 || C8 (‘the bridge’) finishing with B8 ||. B8 appears three times in the tune.

I deeply respect the fact that most recordings transcribed by 'gennation' use the Abma7 as the first chord. Abma7 appears as a Subdominant Minor function (SDM) in C (bVIMa7) which can act as a predominant to G7 in section A8. I know we’re not talking too much about Chord/Scale Theory, but I’m thinking it can’t be ignored altogether. Abma7 appears as a bVIma7 in both the parallel harmonic minor scale, ‘C’ harmonic minor and in C natural minor C Aeolian. I’m noticing that subdominant minor chords will all have a b6 of the key and they can act as a predominant but are often used to travel directly to a tonic area itself. I’m thinking that the flatted 6th of the key provides a lot of this impetus for this. The major tonic is a ‘I’ major chord (Ima7 or I6). The Abma7 chord is used with the G7—C as a cadence, maybe leaving the G7 until the last couple of beats as you indicate in your 3rd point. This appears to have a ‘Spanish’ inflection to it if you’ll forgive a vernacular take on this.

It might be even be cool to have the A8 section imitate C8 by leaving out the G7 altogether. The melody crosses the Abma7 a bit but perhaps is justified by the upcoming C chord. So the C8 part is imitated in the A8 section as || Ab | Ab | C | C ||. It wouldn’t be for the first time that melody notes seemingly out of the chord of the moment are resolved one beat later by the upcoming chord, for example, Benny Golson’s ‘Stablemates’. I haven’t tried it per se but it would reflect the harmonic rhythm of the bridge (C8 B8). A mirror image if only slightly ‘askew’ from each other i.e. in the ‘A8’ section, the major chord (Ab) travels up a Major 3rd to C major and in the C8 section the Ebmaj7 chord travels down a Minor 3rd to C major.

As you point out, some have used Dmi11(b5) as the first chord and that’s quite often over the dominant ‘G’ bass pedal tone. The thinking perhaps is that Dmi7(b5), being in C major, could have a 9th (E) which precedes the ‘E’ note as a melody note that is the 13th in the G7 chord that follows. So in this case, Dmi11(b5) could have (but doesn’t need to have) a 9th in it.

I’m trying to figure out why Dmi11(b5) doesn’t seem to work as well as Abmaj7 and why, as you say, it doesn’t sound quite right. I think maybe it’s because Dmi11(b5) is relatively vague as compared to the Abmaj7 in this context or it may even come across as a Bb9/D chord. I think too, it’s because the stronger major triad structure of Abmaj7 is more sustainable over a period of a couple of bars seeing that the overtone series supports that. The tendency of the Dmi11(b5) as a vertical structure is to resolve fairly quickly which is why some are compelled to play it over a ‘G’root. It is also significant that as you say, so many recorded tracks of this song use the original Abma7, the composer’s choice.

B8 which is largely under discussion in this thread, follows a descending chromatic line cliché like the bV ending cliché as in #IVmi7(b5)— ivm7—iiim7—biiiDim (viiDim/ii?)—iimi7—V7 ||. The descending chromatic root sequence creates a powerful impetus for this progression. In your point 3, I like the alternate version, starting up a third from the original, of the chromatic root line. Starting from Ami with all those descending Maj7 chords. Ami—Abmaj7—Gmaj7—F#maj7 much thanks for putting that out there.

As far as chord/scales go these formulas etc. can be restrictive, but if they are thought of as flexible, they can provide a point of departure. I could hazard a guess as to the derivation of F#mi7(b5) [#IVmi7(b5)]. The secondary V7/V7 in this case D7 could be a point of departure for F#mi7(b5) taken from the 3rd of D7 as the root (F#). The scale which best conserves the original key of C major for a D7 would be D Mixolydian and translating that to F#mi7(b5), which is often a voicing for D9—where 9 (E) replaces the root (D), is F# Locrian. For a richer color on D7 [F#mi7(b5)], D13#11 uses D Lydian b7 as found in Ellington’s “Take The A Train” (3rd and 4th bars). In F#mi9(b5) this translates to Locrian natural 9.

The source scale for both the D13+11 and F#mi9(b5) is ‘A’ melodic minor. As to the function of #ivmi7(b5), is it an inversion of D7 a secondary dominant? What function category can it be from? Is it a tonic area? Tonic major areas have been defined as I major, iiimi7 (deceptively), vim7 (deceptively) or any inversions of those chords. Tonic Minor areas are usually based from the relative minor key, which in the case of C major is Ami. The minor chord could be Ami7 (Aeolian?), which doesn’t help the cause for an Ami tonic area related to F#mi7(b5). But, an inversion of Ami6 = F#mi7(b5) which could be found in either F# Locrian (sourced in G major) or, with an available 9th as F#mi9(b5) using F# locrian natural 9 sourced in A melodic minor. So the justification for calling F#mi7(b5) a tonic area could be valid.

As far as root motion goes, it’s as if the ‘C’ chord is substituted by a tri-tone rooted chord: F#. There are tunes that can be played with the chords Cmaj7 Dmi7 Emi7 (A7) Dmi7 G7 roughly speaking which are commonly substituted with Cmaj7 Fmaj 7 (or F7) Emi7 A7 Dmi7 G7 ..C…etc. ‘My Romance?’ ‘I Thought About You?’ and if the melody allows, the ‘I’ chord (C) can be substituted with the #IV (bV).

If there is an idea about F#mi7(b5) being derived from the augmented 6th chords for example Ab7/Gb and its related Dim7 chord: F#Dim7 (or any inversion), I’ve noted that augmented 6ths generally precede the tonic chord/V(bass), not the ivmi7 as it does here. The F#Dim7 chord which is related to the Ab7/Gb chord sounds strikingly different than F#mi7(b5) does in the context of this song, remembering that a Diminished 7th chord will sound with a Major 7th in it as well as the Diminished 7th but, would exclude the ‘b7’: ‘E’ natural to be used as a passing tone only. In this song the ‘E’ note (the 7th of F#mi7[b5]) is held as a melody note.

Fmi7 (ivm7) the next chord, supports the melody of the song and is the most obvious chord to use in this voice-led context (whereas F7 would strongly sound like a sub V of the next chord Emi—again, chord voicing in context might enable this to work though). Essentially Fmi7 would be an associated Subdominant minor chord in C. What extensions and what scale could be available for Fmi7? Fmi7 is associated with C major as iimi7/Eb major. Eb major in terms of C major can be described as the relative major (Eb) of the parallel minor (C minor). Eb major is the relative major of C minor therefore, C major can be said to relate to Eb major in this way. The scale/chord choice would essentially be F dorian or mode ii of Eb major and supports extensions 9, 11, and (even) 13. Other choices have different sources for example Fmi in Db major (F Phrygian) and Fmi in Ab major (F Aeolian). These particular choices may create surprising and creative directions—not necessarily changes that would be acceptable on a gig with a singer who’s playing with you for the first time.

F Phrygian and F Aeolian contain some interesting triadic color combinations that would be worth exploring in a given creative situation. Other paths that may cross one’s mind regarding reharmonization ideas could include substitutions for the Fmi7 chord. Since we’re coming from F#mi7(b5), F#mi7(b5) could used as the related iimi7 of B7 substituting for Fmi7). At first I had trouble liking that choice because if B7 is used the melody is on the very strong sounding major 3rd. But if it is voiced properly with a musical dynamic it could work I think.

The next chord is Emi7. Fmi7—Emi7 is a simple chromatic step but in this case if one can assume that Emi7 is a tonic area (somewhat deceptively but very common) then the function of Fmi7 to Emi7 could be called Subdominant Minor traveling to a ‘Tonic’ area which mimics the Sub V/Emi. Subdominant Minor chords traveling to a Tonic area chords do have some impetus and urgency because of the b6 factor—bVI (Ab) has the urgency to fall to the 5th (G) of the Tonic I chord (C major) or in this case the 3rd of Emi7. Emi7 is iiimi7 and is therefore closely aligned to Cma7 so in fact, it could also read as a Cma7 or Cma9/E. The chord-scale choices could then start with either the C major scale or E Phrygian depending on the root note—it’s the same collection of notes—again we’re not restricted to only these notes but it does give us a few tone tendency areas to work with. E Aeolian would work as well. E Dorian will have that C# in it which might disturb the C major tonality as in the C# is being played in the tonic area of C major and creates a potential clash situation with a b9 in the C major tonality. Other associated harmony such as A7 or Emi7—A7 or A7/E should work in a creative playing situation and one can take it from there as to chord-scale application.

The chord that is popularly known as viiDim7/ii i.e. D#Dim7—Emi7 i.e. B7(b9)/D#) travels to Emi. But, in this case the EbDim chord (biiiDim7) is not traveling to Emi but is traveling via voice leading to the iimi7 chord Dmi7. This fact invokes a review of diminished 7th chord functional possibilities. Here’s three Diminished 7th chord functions:

1) Dominant: (viiDim/ii)*

2) Auxiliary: (I—IDim7—I) It’s the same thing as ‘parallel’ diminished that I’ve seen in these forum threads. Also from V7 —VDim7—V7 and as an approach chord #IVDim7—Ima7/V

3) Passing: (iiimi7—biiiDim7—iimi7).

In one of the posts you mention something about biiiDim7: “It ain't no biggie, Joe, but the Eb passing diminished could be thought of as an incomplete and inverted A7, which would make it part of a secondary cadence.”

I was thinking about this and you’re right it is a doable and valid way to think of the passing diminished. In C, EbDim7 has the Eb which is the tri-tone root of A7. The notes of this chord can be thought of as extensions to A7 (13#9#11) and in fact it resembles even the C blues scale so it’s a fit that way.

I’ve thought of biiiDim as being a passing Diminished 7th as in iiimi7—biiiDim7—iimi7. I’d be interested to know what you have to say about that. It looks to me like its about voice leading the Eb and Gb notes fall to D and F notes respectively. It’s almost as if biiiDim7 is construed as being a D7b9 chord so it’s virtually a change of chord quality on the same root as in D7b9((/Eb)) — Dmi7 and easily uses Eb Whole-Half diminished (or as D7(b9): D Half-Whole diminished (the same scale) if you don’t mind the sound of this symmetrical diminished.

So then, we arrive and Dmi7 —G7 and the B8 section is over.

Making the case for the (‘bV’) #IV cliché as originally used in B8.

The original progression before any reharminzation was #IVmi7(b5)—IVmi7—iiimi7—biiiDim7—Dmi7—G7—C. Although the root motion and the motion of each third is chromatic, each chord quality is not the same but is varied in a definite particular way so even though the root and 3rd motion is chromatic step by step, the 5th (and the 7th) of each chord, will not necessarily move chromatically step by step.

Starting with F#mi7(b5), the 5th is C, in the next chord Fmi7, the fifth is again C by the next chord Emi7 the 5th moves down a ½ step to a B note. In the next chord EbDim7, the 5th is a diminished 5th Bbb or enharmonically 'A', so the motion there is that of a whole step. The next chord is Dmi7 and there again the 5th is an 'A' note but now being a perfect 5th above the root in this chord. The 7th of each of these chords, occur in a similar but not exactly the same, way as the 5th. The underlying strength of this progression is the chromatic motion of the roots and the 3rds. The variety and interest are provided by the changes in color of each chord that is provided by the changing qualities of the 5th and the 7th of each of these chords—not to mention potential chord extensions.

The “Bridge” section I find can be hazardous when playing chorus after chorus of 48 bars. I have to really pay attention to the form of this piece (as in any tune). Part of the problem is that C8 virtually plays in the same tonal areas that A8 is played in, namely Eb major —C major. The Abma7 [or Dmi7(b5)] found in A8 is a different chord than Ebma7 found in C8, but it is arguably in the same general key area and, in the same number of bars of the form i.e. Ebma7 for two bars followed by two bars of Cma7 in C8. The chords generated in A8 are essentially from C natural minor, which is truly sourced in the relative major Eb major and in that way follow a similar routine as C8 I think.

Speaking of the B8 progression, once the function and purpose of the ‘original’ progression is established, related V7 (and sub V7 and perhaps sub iiVs) chords with a variety of scale-chord-extensions can be interpolated with each chord in the original progression. It would appear as if each chord in the original progression is some sort of a ii chord, each with a minor 3rd. It would be fun to double-up the harmonic rhythm i.e. || F#mi7(b5)—B7 || Fmi7—Bb7 || Emi7—A7 || EbDim7 (Ebmi7?)—Ab7 || Dmi7 DmiMa7 (A7?) [Bebop cliché?] || Dmi7—Ab7-G7 (Db7) || I’ve tried these at home.

Thanks for this indulgence for me it has been a good learning experience.

[engelbach]

I’m trying to figure out why Dmi11(b5) doesn’t seem to work as well as Abmaj7 and why, as you say, it doesn’t sound quite right. I think maybe it’s because Dmi11(b5) is relatively vague as compared to the Abmaj7 in this context or it may even come across as a Bb9/D chord. I think too, it’s because the stronger major triad structure of Abmaj7 is more sustainable over a period of a couple of bars seeing that the overtone series supports that. The tendency of the Dmi11(b5) as a vertical structure is to resolve fairly quickly which is why some are compelled to play it over a ‘G’root. It is also significant that as you say, so many recorded tracks of this song use the original Abma7, the composer’s choice.
I love the sound of Dø9 > G7alt in place of the AbΔ. The choice is subjective.

Tunes can be reharmed in many ways. All that matters is what works.

[Phil Kelly]

I love the sound of Dø9 > G7alt in place of the AbΔ. The choice is subjective.

Tunes can be reharmed in many ways. All that matters is what works.

Jer:
Really like the d dim MA9/11!

another alternate I'v'e used ( covering the first 4 bars is :

Ab MA7 /Bb | G7 sus | C#mi7 /F# F#7 | FMA7 Ami 7 |etc /

[engelbach]

Jer:
Really like the d dim MA9/11!

another alternate I'v'e used ( covering the first 4 bars is :

Ab MA7 /Bb | G7 sus | C#mi7 /F# F#7 | FMA7 Ami 7 |etc /
Hey, Phil, good to hear from you.

Yes, very nice. You always find a completely unconventional but perfectly logical way to harmonize.