Tritone Substitution — Traditional Jazz Piano Comping
Learn how tritone substitution works in jazz harmony. Compare ii–V–I progressions, hear dominant substitutions, and explore practical examples such as G7 → Db7 → Cmaj7.
Tritone substitution is a way to replace a dominant 7th chord with another dominant 7th chord whose root is a tritone away.
The classic example is in C major:
Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7
The tritone substitute for G7 is Db7, so you get:
Dm7 → Db7 → Cmaj7
The reason it works is that the two dominant chords share the same essential tritone. In G7, the guide tones are B and F. In Db7, they are Cb and F—and Cb is enharmonically the same pitch as B. So the harmonic tension is very similar, but the bass movement becomes beautifully chromatic: D → Db → C.
The rendered examples above show three versions: the normal ii–V–I, the same cadence with the tritone substitution, and a more comping-oriented example emphasizing the chromatic movement.
You can use the same idea anywhere you have a dominant chord resolving down a fifth. For example, instead of A7 → Dmaj7, try Eb7 → Dmaj7. Instead of E7 → Am, try Bb7 → Am. Jazz players also commonly extend the substitute dominant with 9ths, #11s, and alterations.