Tritone substitution
Replace V7 with a dominant a tritone away and hear shared guide tones create a chromatic bass resolution.
Interactive listening
Hear the harmony in time
Compare the examples at one tempo.
Original ii–V–I
The roots D–G–C trace the familiar cycle-of-fifths cadence.
Tritone-substituted ii–V–I
D–D♭–C descends chromatically while B/C♭ and F exchange their dominant roles.
Watch it in context · Chris Whiteman
Jazz Guitar Lesson: The Tritone Substitution
See the shared guide tones, descending bass motion, and guitar voicings that make the substitute dominant work in a ii-V-I.
Open on YouTube (opens in a new tab)One tritone, two roots
G7 contains the tritone B–F between its third and seventh. D♭7 contains C♭–F; C♭ is enharmonically B, so the two dominant chords preserve the same defining interval while swapping which note is called the third and which is called the seventh.
Because D♭ is six semitones from G, D♭7 is the tritone substitute of G7. Both can resolve to C, but their roots approach the tonic differently: G jumps down a fifth, while D♭ falls by semitone.
Use the spelling to hear the resolution
In D♭7, C♭ falls to B and F falls to E over Cmaj7. The chromatic bass D–D♭–C reinforces those half-step resolutions. Extensions such as ♯11 are common because notes from the original altered dominant map naturally onto the substitute.
A tritone substitution changes colour and bass motion without discarding dominant function. It is most convincing when the melody is compatible with the substitute or can be understood as an intentional extension.
- Original: Dm7–G7–Cmaj7.
- Substitute: Dm7–D♭7–Cmaj7.
- Check melody notes and preserve clear guide-tone resolution.