·         Building a minor chord in thirds establishes a corresponding scale.  For E minor, the chord is E G B D F¹# A¹ C¹#, which rearranges to give the G lydian scale, G A B C# D E F# (Example [8.1]).

·         The general rule for minor chords is that they relate to the lydian scale on the note a minor third above the root - or you could think of it as the lydian scale on the relative major.  So the chord of A- corresponds to the C lydian scale, Eb- to the Gb lydian, F- to the Ab lydian and so on.  Work out the scales for all the minor chords.

·         Can a lydian character be introduced into the construction and scale relationships of chords in the dominant seventh series?  We know that flattening the seventh converts a Δ7 or Δ7 9 chord into a 7 or a 7 9.  This implies that the lydian scale can be directly related to the dominant seventh series chords also by flattening the seventh.

·         Thus, just as the parent scale of CΔ7 is C lydian, C D E F# G A B, so C7 corresponds to the lydian dominant scale, C D E F# G A Bb (Example [8.2]).

·         Notice that the lydian dominant scale is completely consistent with the concept of the tritone substitution (see Step 3).  Both C7 4# and its substitute F#7 4# are contained in the notes of the C lydian dominant scale (Example [8.3]).

·         Similarly the F# lydian dominant fits the two chords.  Work out the notes of this scale.  Try making up improvised lines using the notes of the C and F# lydian dominant scales and playing them over C7 and F#7 shells.

·         Now here's an interesting thing.  If we rewrite the C lydian dominant scale so that it starts on G, it becomes a classical ascending melodic minor scale (Example [8.4]).

·         This reminds us that the G- and C7 chords are very closely related.  Nearly always, if you encounter a dominant seventh chord in a progression, you can introduce harmonic movement by playing the minor on V followed by I7 or its tritone substitute.

·         Example [8.5] shows G-7/C7 and G-7/F#7, both of which can serve as mobile forms of a simple C7.  Note that you're not confined to the basic seventh forms of the minor and dominant chords.  Many of the extended forms (9, 11#, 13, sus, 13b etc) can be introduced here.

·         The classic 32-bar song, I got rhythm, is made of four 8-bar sections arranged in the format AABA.  The A sections are in the key of Bb.  The B section (bridge or middle 8) is made of dominant seventh chords running a cycle of fifths: .../ D7 / D7 / G7 / G7 / C7 / C7 / F7 / F7 /...

·         We've seen that a chord of I7 can be expanded by using the V-/I7 or V-/Vb7 motifs.  Apply this approach to the bridge of "I got rhythm" so that instead of two whole monotonous bars of each dominant seventh you have a variety of chords, changing twice a bar and spiced up by adding plenty of upper intervals.