All Augmented Triads over a Minor ii-V-i
Minor ii-V-i chord progressions can be challenging for the beginning improviser, with vast harmonic possibilities that are not intuitive to unfamiliar ears. While laying on the couch sick I was thinking about the triads that make up the melodic minor scale, as well as its applications. Knowing that the locrian natural 9 scale (a mode of melodic minor) is a potential substitute for the locrian (a mode of the major scale) over the ii, and that the altered scale (also a mode of melodic minor) can be used over the V chord, I wondered what it would sound like to use the same triad quality over both chords in their different harmonic contexts. I decided to start with my favorite triad, the augmented triad.
The result is hip, and strikingly easy to play on the guitar due to the symmetrical nature of the augmented triad. Furthermore, the two triads are a half step apart, which leads to an easy transition when playing the changes. The sound of the natural 9 over the ii really sticks out, as that is E in Cm, or the major third over a minor chord. I tried to spice up the rhythm with triplets, and not starting on the downbeat. Before hitting the V chord I use an enclosure around the target G note, and hang on it for a quarter note to mark the transition to a new augmented triad. The G augmented triad contains a B, which leads down to the Eb in the final bar. This could be thought of as implying melodic minor sound over the C minor chord, since the augmented triad that builds C melodic minor is Eb augmented, which is identical to the B augmented triad that builds the Ab melodic minor scale over the G7alt.
This method can be used with the remaining triad qualities that make up the melodic minor scale: major, minor, and diminished triads. Using the same triad quality over the two different harmonic contexts creates a familiar pattern over two distinct harmonic sounds, which can be exploited when creating, repeating and developing melodic ideas.
The result is hip, and strikingly easy to play on the guitar due to the symmetrical nature of the augmented triad. Furthermore, the two triads are a half step apart, which leads to an easy transition when playing the changes. The sound of the natural 9 over the ii really sticks out, as that is E in Cm, or the major third over a minor chord. I tried to spice up the rhythm with triplets, and not starting on the downbeat. Before hitting the V chord I use an enclosure around the target G note, and hang on it for a quarter note to mark the transition to a new augmented triad. The G augmented triad contains a B, which leads down to the Eb in the final bar. This could be thought of as implying melodic minor sound over the C minor chord, since the augmented triad that builds C melodic minor is Eb augmented, which is identical to the B augmented triad that builds the Ab melodic minor scale over the G7alt.
This method can be used with the remaining triad qualities that make up the melodic minor scale: major, minor, and diminished triads. Using the same triad quality over the two different harmonic contexts creates a familiar pattern over two distinct harmonic sounds, which can be exploited when creating, repeating and developing melodic ideas.
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