Workshop 6 — “All the Things You Are”: Moving Through Multiple Key Centers Without Getting Lost
This workshop tackles a new problem:
What do you do when the song does not stay in one key long enough for “one scale over everything” thinking to work?
“All the Things You Are” is excellent for learning:
- multiple temporary key centers
- ii–V–I recognition
- major-key modulation
- common-tone and semitone voice leading
- guide-tone continuity across changing tonal centers
- how to improvise by destination rather than by memorizing a separate scale for every chord
The main lesson is:
When the key keeps moving, stop thinking chord-by-chord and start thinking destination-by-destination.
We’ll use the standard concert-key form commonly encountered in jazz lead sheets.
6.1The opening progressionA common opening is:6.2First destination: A♭ majorLook at:6.3Functional viewIn A♭ major:6.4RootsF → B♭ → E♭ → A♭6.5First guide-tone drillLH roots:6.6Hear the cadenceThe critical arrival is:6.7Next destination: C majorNow:6.8Hear the dominant destination firstRegardless of how you label the preceding diminished-quality chord:6.9This is the important mental shiftWhen harmony is chromatic, you do not always need to perfectly classify every intermediate chord before you can play convincingly.6.10Dm7♭5 notesD F A♭ C.6.11Then G7 → Cmaj7F → E6.12The first major conceptual exercisePlay:6.13You are training tonal relocationA modulation or tonicization becomes believable when your ear accepts:6.14Why this tune is hard for beginnersBecause they often memorize:6.15Learn in harmonic packetsThis is a powerful jazz skill.6.16Level 1 — Roots onlyPlay only roots through the opening:6.17D♭ → DThis half-step rise is a useful anchor.6.18Level 2 — Shells onlyUse:6.19Level 3 — Melody + rootsNow add the tune.6.20Level 4 — Add 9ths selectivelyA tasteful color version:6.21Practical compact voicingsFm9:6.22Notice the voice-leading, not the shapesTry to keep:6.23Level 5 — Identify every ii–V–IBefore improvising, mark all major ii–V–I or minor ii–V–i units in the form.6.24Stop reading chord names horizontallyInstead of:6.25Level 6 — Destination-note exerciseFor every ii–V–I, choose one target note on the I chord.6.26Guide-tone line into A♭B♭m7:6.27Guide-tone line into CDm7♭5:6.28One-note-per-chord improvisationDo not improvise fast.6.29Why this exercise is powerfulIf you can make the progression audible with one note per chord, you understand the harmony.6.30Level 7 — Think local key centersOver:6.31The scale-per-chord trap becomes especially dangerous hereIf every chord triggers:6.32Level 8 — Major ii–V–I transposition drillBecause this tune moves through several keys, you must become comfortable with ii–V–I away from C.6.33Say the destination before you playBefore:6.34Level 9 — Play all ii–V–I guide tones in one hand positionFor each cadence, find voicings requiring minimal movement.6.35Rootless-voicing logicIf LH/bassist supplies roots, RH only needs:6.36Level 10 — Melody paraphraseFirst chorus:6.37Level 11 — Improvise through chord-tone targetsFor each chord, prioritize 3rd/7th.6.38Level 12 — Chromatic approachesTarget C on A♭maj7:6.39Use chromatic approaches to destinations, not randomlyRandom chromatic notes produce noise.6.40Level 13 — Motif through changing keysTake a rhythm:6.41This solves a major improvisation problemWhen harmony changes key centers, your solo can still sound unified if the motif stays consistent.6.42Level 14 — Sequence by destinationCreate a phrase that resolves into A♭.6.43Level 15 — Bass-line awarenessPlay only roots through a larger section.6.44Level 16 — One inner chromatic lineWhen the harmony changes tonal centers, an inner chromatic line can glue the passage together.6.45Modulation often sounds smooth because voices barely moveThis is important.6.46Level 17 — Do not over-reharmonize this tune“All the Things You Are” already contains substantial harmonic movement.6.47Reharmonization rule for this workshopYou may alter one dominant per chorus initially.6.48Tritone substitution exampleIf you have:6.49Tritone substitution into A♭E♭7's tritone substitute is:6.50CompareOriginal:6.51Level 18 — Back-cycle into a destinationBefore a tonic arrival, you can sometimes extend backward:6.52Harmonic density must fit rhythmic densityIf chords already change once or twice per bar, inserting more chords can make the music unreadable.6.53Level 19 — Ballad versionPlay the tune slowly.6.54Level 20 — Medium swing versionOnce harmonic map is secure:6.55Level 21 — Bossa versionThis tune also works in a restrained bossa treatment.6.56Level 22 — 3/4 transformationRecasting it in 3/4 is a deeper challenge.6.57Level 23 — Solo using only guide tones + one neighborRule:6.58ExampleB♭m7:6.59Level 24 — Solo using one motif per key centerFor A♭ destination:6.60Level 25 — Phrase across the barlineDo not let every improvised phrase begin on beat 1 of each new chord.6.61But land consciouslyYou can cross barlines freely if you know where you're landing.6.62Harmonic anticipationA melody note belonging strongly to the upcoming tonic can appear before the chord arrives.6.63Level 26 — Hear common tones through modulationWhen moving from one key center to another, search for notes that can survive.6.64Same pitch, new meaningSuppose G is present.6.65Level 27 — Practice destinations out of contextRandomly choose:6.66Minor destination drill tooFor minor destinations:6.67The real goal: recognize syntaxA fluent reader doesn't spell every word letter by letter.6.68Level 28 — IntroA good intro can use one of the tune's destination cadences.6.69Level 29 — EndingPick the actual final tonal center of your arrangement and make it unmistakable.6.70Final tonic voicingFor a major ending, a 6/9 voicing often works beautifully.6.71Full practice planroots only.6.72Ear drill: say the next tonicPlay:6.73Ear drill: sing the leading guide toneBefore A♭:6.74Ear drill: distinguish tonicization from true modulationA brief dominant can point somewhere without establishing a lasting new key.6.75Memory drillWithout piano, say:6.76Transposition challengeTake one opening packet:6.77This is a major breakthroughWhen jazz standards look complicated, transpose their functional blocks mentally to C.6.78Same with A♭ ii–VB♭m7-E♭7-A♭maj7.6.79Avoid naming notes too slowlyAt some point, you should see:6.80Pianistic shortcutFor fast changes, prioritize:6.81Improvisational shortcutFor fast changes, prioritize:6.82Arrangement shortcutFor dense harmony:6.83The balance principleThe faster the harmony changes:6.84Three-chorus performance planliteral melody, compact shells.6.85Advanced challenge: no roots in RHLH gives roots.6.86Advanced challenge: melody + guide tone onlyFor every chord:6.87Advanced challenge: bass + melody onlyRemove inner harmony entirely.6.88Advanced challenge: one chromatic line across four chordsFind an inner voice that moves mostly by half steps across a modulation.6.89Advanced challenge: transpose one sectionTake the opening 4-chord functional block and move it to:6.90Advanced challenge: destination-only soloFor one chorus:6.91What not to doAvoid this thought process:6.92Better thought processThink:6.93The deepest lesson about modulationA modulation is not mainly a change of scale collection.•Homework — Workshop 6Play:•Workshop 6 mini-test1. What is B♭m7-E♭7-A♭maj7?