Upper structure

In jazz, the term upper structure or "upper structure triad" refers to a voicing approach developed by jazz pianists and arrangers defined by the sounding of a major or minor triad in the uppermost pitches of a more complex harmony.

Examples

Example 1: Below, a common voicing used by jazz pianists is given for the chord C^{7Template:Music9} (C major chord with a minor 7th, and extended with an augmented 9th).

In the lower stave the notes ETemplate:Music and BTemplate:Music are given. These form a tritone which defines the dominant sound, and are the major 3rd and minor 7th of the C^{7Template:Music9} chord.

In the upper stave the notes ETemplate:Music, G, and BTemplate:Music are given together: these form an ETemplate:Music major triad.

<score sound="1"> \new PianoStaff <<

 \omit Score.TimeSignature
 \new Staff { <ees' g' bes'>1 }
 \new Staff { \clef bass <e bes>1 }

>>

</score>

This ETemplate:Music major triad is what would be called the upper structure. Considered in relation to the root C, the notes of this ETemplate:Music major triad function, respectively, as the sharpened ninth (the root of the ETemplate:Music major chord), fifth, and seventh in relation to that root.

(Note: the root C is omitted here, and is often done so by jazz pianists for ease of playing, or because a bass player is present.)

Example 2: The following example illustrates the notes of an FTemplate:Music minor triad functioning as part of a C^{13Template:Music9Template:Music11} chord (C major chord with a minor 7th, minor 9th, augmented 11th, and major 13th):

<score sound="1"> \new PianoStaff <<

 \omit Score.TimeSignature
 \new Staff { <cis' fis' a'>1 }
 \new Staff { \clef bass <e bes>1 }

>>

</score>

In relation to the root of C, the CTemplate:Music (enharmonic with DTemplate:Music) functions as the minor 9th, the FTemplate:Music as the augmented 11th, and the A as the major 13th, respectively.

Application

Determining which additional pitches can be juxtaposed with the chord is achieved by considering the relationship between a particular chord and the scale it implies. An example follows:

1. The chord C^{13Template:Music9Template:Music11} contains the following notes, from the root upwards: C, E, G, BTemplate:Music, DTemplate:Music, FTemplate:Music, A;
2. The following octatonic scale contains all of these pitchesTemplate:What, and fits/matches up with the C^{13Template:Music9Template:Music11} chord: C–DTemplate:Music–DTemplate:Music–E–FTemplate:Music–G–A–BTemplate:Music–C; these scale elements form a pool from which melodic and harmonic devices might be devised.

Shorthand notation

Common jazz parlance refers to upper structures by way of the interval between the root of the bottom chord and the root of the triad juxtaposed above it. For instance, in example one above (C^{7Template:Music9}) the triad of ETemplate:Music major is a (compound) minor 3rd away from C (root of the bottom chord). Thus, this upper structure can be called upper structure flat three, or USTemplate:MusicIII for short.

Other possible upper structures are:

• USII – e.g. D major over C⁷, resulting in C^{13Template:Music11}
• USTemplate:MusicV – e.g. GTemplate:Music major over C⁷, resulting in C^{7Template:Music9Template:Music11}
• USTemplate:MusicVI – e.g. ATemplate:Music major over C⁷, resulting in C^{7Template:Music9Template:Music13}
• USVI – e.g. A major over C⁷, resulting in C^{13Template:Music9}
• USi – e.g. C minor over C⁷, resulting in C^{7Template:Music9}
• USTemplate:Musicii – e.g. DTemplate:Music minor over C⁷, resulting in C^{7Template:Music9Template:Music13}
• USTemplate:Musiciii – e.g. ETemplate:Music minor over C⁷, resulting in C^{7Template:Music9Template:Music11}

The second item in the list above (C^{7Template:Music9Template:Music11}) has a related version called upper structure sharp four minor--with the written shorthand USTemplate:Musiciv--created with an FTemplate:Music minor triad. (See "Example 2" above.)

See also

• Extended harmony
• Jazz chord
• Jazz scales
• Polychord
• Chordioid