Reharmonizing Christmas Carols using Giant Steps chord changes

I.  Definition

There are plenty of internet resources on what Coltrane changes are so we will only provide a short overview here.

The changes Bmaj7 - D7 - Gmaj7 - Bb7 - Ebmaj7 is the opening of Giant Steps.  It spans 3 keys, B, G, and Eb. 

Those keys are a major third apart and they sit far away from each other on the Circle of Fifths, hence the title "Giant Steps."  

In reharmonizing jazz standards, you can take any II - V - I progression and put these changes into it by going up a half-step from the II chord to begin the cycle.

(Please note, I use a harmonic analysis system based on John Mehegan's classic book "Tonal and Rhythmic Principles" which doesn't lower case the Roman Numerals for minors, and uses the following symbols:  ∆ = major, x = dominant,  - = minor, Ø = half-diminished or m7b5, and o = diminished,.)

Standard Changes - key of C

Standard II - V - I Reharmonized with Coltrane Changes

In the above example we have 3 keys: Ab, E, and C and they are a major third apart, which is the same relationship as in Giant Steps. 

Over each key change is the V chord to the I chord in that particular key, as indicated.  

If you are not familiar with this type of reharm, it would be good to write them out in 12 keys, so I'll give you one more example:

Standard Changes - key of F

Standard II - V - I Reharmonized with Coltrane Changes 

II.  Why Christmas Carols?

So if the reharmonization technique can be used on any jazz standard, why an article specifically about Christmas Carols? 

Notice in the above examples that it takes 3 bars of reharm before the I chord comes in bar 4. 

This is fine if the I chord in the standard changes stays the same in bars 3 and 4. 

It'll also be fine if the chord in bar 4 is diatonic to the key (like Am in the key of C, as in a II - V - I - VI progression).

But if bar 4 takes you somewhere else, you may have to be bit creative with how use the reharm.  

For example, suppose you have:

In order to use Coltrane changes in the first 4 bars you might have to go:

So notice that when you "resolve" to C, the underlying harmony as written in the original version of the tune is not really on C anymore, and you're, in a sense, shoving a round peg in a square hole. 

(And, as experienced guitarist know, if you're trying to pull off this reharm on the fly with a bass player who is not expecting them, it can sound quite unusual indeed, so a word to the wise:  play it confidently and play it clearly if you're going to do it spontaneously or it will just sound wrong.)

Fortunately, in a lot of Christmas carols, there are many sections where the I chord doesn't come until bar 4. 

That makes them perfect for Coltrane reharmonizations.  

III.  Examples

Christmas Song

The reharm would go: | Bbm7 B7 | Emaj7 G7 | Cmaj7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 |

Let it Snow

The reharm is: | Gm7 Ab7 | Dbmaj7 E7 | Amaj7 C7 | Fmaj7 |

Winter Wonderland

The reharm would be: | Fm7 F#7 | Bmaj7 D7 | Gmaj7 Bb7 | Ebmaj7 |

IV.  Contexts In Which To Use The Reharms

Of course you're not going to reharmonize while someone is singing or playing the melody unless you have worked out how to alter the melody in advance! 

There are examples of the melody being altered (such as in my wacky version of Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer on my Holiday Album, but generally speaking you should reserve those reharms for solo sections only.

You can really go nuts with this device if you're so inclined, because sometimes whole tunes lend themselves to reharmonized changes such as in this version of Happy Holidays. 

I look forward to hearing the results of your experiments, so don't be shy in sending them. :)

About The Author:

Dennis Winge is a professional guitarist living in upstate New York who runs Guitar Lessons in Ithaca and has 10 albums out a leader.

• 

  Guitar Scale Dictionary

  This E-book is a printable PDF method including over 700 scale diagrams and formula charts for guitarists.
• 

  Guitar Chord Dictionary

  This PDF eBook provides over 550 guitar chord shapes. This is the perfect reference guide to understand how chords are built and how to play them on the guitar neck.
• 

  30 Groovy Jazz Guitar Licks

  This downloadable package contains a PDF WITH audio files giving access to 30 groovy guitar phrases mixing jazz, blues and funky licks for beginners.
• 

  172 Arpeggio Shapes For Guitar

  This printable PDF is a method dedicated to guitarists of all styles who want to learn build and play the most important types of arpeggios.
• 

  126 Triad Chord Shapes

  This handbook for guitar players is intended both for teachers and students. It includes 126 guitar shapes for mastering triads.
• 

  Major Scale Harmonization

  This package provides a printable PDF with exercises and audio files to learn how to harmonize the major scale with 3 note chords and their extensions.
• 

  30 Minor Arpeggio Licks

  This package includes a printable PDF method containing 30 exercises with tabs, staves and audio files for practicing minor arpeggios on guitar.
• 

  II V I Bundle - 170 Exercises

  This bundle contains 4 PDF methods for a total of 170 exercises with tabs, staves, analysis & audio files for practicing scales, arpeggios licks & chords over the 2-5-1 progression.
• 

  Diatonic Licks Bundle

  This package contains 120 jazz guitar lines based on diatonic modes as Mixolydian, Dorian and Ionian. PDF format with tabs, audio files and analysis.
• 

  30 Smooth Jazz Guitar Licks

  In this package you'll get a printable PDF Method with tabs, notation, analysis, scale shapes and audio files for practicing 30 smooth jazz guitar licks.
• 

  40 II V I Jazz Guitar Licks

  This pdf method for guitar contains fourteen 2 5 1 jazz guitar lines with tab, standard notation, analysis, scale charts and audio files.
• 

  50 II-V-I voicings

  This printable PDF guitar method provides 50 exercises with audio files, analysis, tab and staves for learning major 2-5-1 chord voicings.
• 

  40 Minor 2 5 1 Chord Voicings

  This PDF method contains 40 exercices with tabs, scores and audio files for practicing jazz guitar chords over the minor 2 5 1 progression.
• 

  40 Minor II V I Licks

  This guitar method is a printable PDF with tabs, diagrams, theory and audio files providing 40 minor 2 5 1 jazz patterns.
• 

  40 Mixolydian Jazz Guitar Lick

  PDF guitar method with tabs, audio files and theory providing 40 dominant jazz guitar lines for teachers and students.
• 

  40 Minor Jazz Guitar Licks

  This printable guitar method in PDF format contains 40 easy minor jazz guitar lines based on the Dorian mode.
• 

  40 Major Jazz Guitar Licks

  Printable PDF eBook method containing 40 major jazz guitar licks with tab, standard notation and audio files for beginners and intermediates.
• 

  Guitar Walking Bass Lines

  This jazz guitar method about walking bass lines and chords is available as a PDF files containing 35 exercises with tabs, analysis and audio files
• 

  101 Dominant Arpeggio Patterns

  This printable PDF method provides 101 dominant arpeggio exercises with tab, theory and standard notation for the jazz, blues and rock guitarist.
• 

  49 Essential Jazz Lines

  This printable eBook method in PDF format provides 49 jazz solo transcriptions of the greatest jazz musicians. Tab, standard notation, audio files & analysis.
• 

  11 Jazz Blues Studies

  11 jazz blues chord studies with tabs, standard notation, analysis, and audio recordings and PDF.
• 

  10 Easy Fingerstyle Blues

  This PDF with Tabs and audio files provides 10 easy acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar studies for kids and beginners.
• 

  25 Altered Jazz Guitar Lines

  This PDF eBook method contains 25 altered jazz guitar licks with tabs, patterns, scale charts and audio files to master, apply and develop the altered scale.
• 

  40 Blues Dominant Patterns

  This printable method is available as a PDF file containing 40 easy dominant jazz-blues guitar lines with tabs, standard notation, analysis, audio files and scale charts.
• 

  25 Pentatonic Licks

  This jazz guitar method is an eBook available as a PDF with standard notation, guitar tabs, diagrams, analysis, audio files and backing tracks. You will find in this booklet 25 easy jazz guitar lines with theory using common and rare pentatonic scales.
• 

  25 Soul Jazz Guitar Licks

  You will find here an eBook available in PDF containing 25 soul jazz and hard bop guitar licks in the style of Grant Green, Melvin Sparks, George Benson.
• 

  25 Diminished Patterns

  This eBook PDF with audio files contains 25 dominant diminished jazz guitar patterns using the half-whole diminished scale and diminished 7th arpeggios.
• 

  6 Tritone substitution licks

  This Printable PDF eBook available for free download contains 6 easy jazz guitar licks with tabs/notation, youtube video link and analysis about the tritone substitution.
• 

  10 Minor 7 Arpeggio Patterns

  This printable PDF eBook offers 10 easy minor 7 arpeggio patterns with its related YouTube video for beginner guitarists.
• 

  10 Easy Major 7 Arpeggio Licks

  This is a printable PDF for beginner jazz guitar players providing 10 easy licks to practice major 7 arpeggios.
• 

  10 Chord Melody Lines

  Within this package, you'll discover a set of ten chord melody exercises for beginners. Printable PDFaudio files, a backing track, and a link to the associated YouTube video.
• 

  10 Minor Blues Scale Licks

  You'll find here a PDF with 10 easy jazz guitar licks to practice the minor blues scale on guitar.

• 

  Mini Lesson 01 (ML 01)

  You'll find a mini guitar lesson about walking bass lines and chords containing a PDF with tab, score analysis, shapes, a video and a guitar pro file.
• 

  Mini Lesson 02 (ML 02)

  In this mini jazz guitar lesson you will learn how to play easy and cool jazz lines over basic chord changes found in jazz. Pdf, tab and video included.
• 

  Mini Lesson 03 (ML 03)

  With this short lesson you will learn how to play and connect basic guitar arpeggios over a diatonic chord progression.
• 

  Mini Lesson 04 (ML 04)

  This is a downloadable package with PDF, Tab, guitar pro file and video to practice guitar arpeggios over a jazz blues chord progression.
• 

  Mini Lesson 05 (ML 05)

  This downloadable package provides a PDF with Tab/score, a guitar pro file and a short video for practicing guitar arpeggios on a jazz blues progression in Bb.
• 

  Mini Lesson 06 (ML 06)

  This package for guitarists contains a PDF with tab, video, backing track and guitar pro file for practicing arpeggios over a basic jazz blues progression.
• 

  Mini Lesson 07 (ML 07)

  With this mini guitar lesson you will learn how to superimpose arpeggios over a diatonic chord progression. Video, pdf, jamtrack and guitar pro file included.
• 

  Mini Lesson 08 (ML08)

  Mini lesson with PDF, guitar pro file, video and backing track for practicing scale and arpeggio connections over a Bb jazz blues progression.
• 

  Mini Lesson 09 (ML09)

  This mini lesson is a downloadable package containing a PDF, video, backing track and guitar pro file of a jazz blues progression study in B.
• 

  Mini Lesson 10 (ML 10)

  This mini guitar lesson provides a printable PDF with tab/notation, video, backing track and guitar pro file for practicing open triads over Fly Me To The Moon.
• 

  Mini Lesson 11 (ML 11)

  This guitar lesson is a package inlcuding a PDF transcription with analysis, a short video, a backing track and a guitar pro file to learn to play jazz solo lines over Blue Bossa.

• 

  Guitar Arpeggios Poster

  This giant guitar poster for any guitar player, student or instructor contains colorful arpeggio diagrams. Giant size 24 x 36 inches (60 x 90 cm).
• 

  Guitar Scales Poster 24*36

  Guitar posters and wall art with eighteen neck diagrams representing the most used scales in music.
• 

  Guitar Chord Poster

  This printed color posters contains 63 guitar chord diagrams for jazz players, students, teachers and schools.
• 

  Guitar Modes Poster

  Guitar reference posters and wall art about modes of the major scale for guitar teachers, students and music schools.
• 

  Melodic Minor Modes Poster

  Educative and decorative giant guitar poster with neck diagrams, interval names about the seven modes of the melodic minor scale.
• 

  Pentatonic Scale Guitar Poster

  This guitar reference poster shows the positions and intervals of the major pentatonic scale.
• 

  Guitar Notes Poster

  This is a giant poster showing the notes on the guitar fret board and their positions on a musical staff.
• 

  Triads Guitar Poster

  This reference poster show the positions and intervals of the main triads used on guitar. This is a useful tool for guitarists, teacher and students.
• 

  Four Archtop Guitars Poster

  This is a decorative poster with four archtop jazz guitars. Several size and colors in landscape format available on Teespring and redbubble.
• 

  Intervals On Guitar - Poster

  This giant poster for guitar provides neck diagrams with interval positions.