Tritone Substitution Turnaround I-vi-ii-bII7
Piano sound loads on first tap. Resolved in the key of C — every chord links to its full analysis.
The textbook jazz reharmonization: instead of resolving ii to the diatonic V7, the dominant is replaced by a chord a tritone away (bII7) that shares the same tension-carrying tritone interval. The payoff is a smooth, chromatic half-step bass descent (bII7→I) instead of a leap.
What each degree does
Feels like home — complete rest, where the piece departs from and returns to. The major tonic, where everything settles.
The relative minor — the tonic's reflective shadow. It often replaces I in a deceptive cadence, where you expected home and its sad side arrives instead.
The predominant par excellence — a soft minor leaning toward the dominant. It's the first step of the classic ii–V–I.
The tritone substitution — the Neapolitan dominant with a 7th that SLIDES chromatically down a half step to I. It replaces V by sharing its tritone.