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In music, an upper structure can be defined as the top chord in a juxtaposition of two chords, or the top notes of a chord considered as a separate layer of that chord[1]. As such, upper structures are a species of polychord. More specifically, they are a specific set of chord constructions which jazz pianists and arrangers utilise to provide voicings for chords which feature harmonic alterations and extensions. From the point of view of the pianist, viewing an extended chord as a combination of a basic chord type and an attendant upper structure may facilitate realization more easily[1].
In their standard form, upper structures features a three note chord or triad juxtaposed over the top of another, different chord, extending the harmony of the chord beneath by adding extra pitches to it. These extensions may be consonant with the lower chord, though they are frequently dissonant with it, providing "extensions of the parent harmony"[2]. Upper structures are commonly applied to dominant chords, though can also be applied to other chord types.
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Examples
Example 1: Below, a common voicing used by jazz pianists is given for the chord C7♯9 (C major chord with a flat 7th, and extended with a sharpened 9th).
In the lower-stave the notes E♮ and B♭ are given. These form a tritone which defines the dominant sound, and are the major 3rd and flattened 7th of the C7♯9 chord.
In the upper-stave the notes E♭ (enharmonically equivalent to D♯), G, and B♭ are given together: these form an E♭ major triad.
This E♭ major triad is what would be called the upper structure. Considered in relation to the root C, the notes of this E♭ major triad function, respectively, as the sharpened ninth, 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 F♯ minor triad functioning as part of a C13♭9♯11 chord (C major chord with a flat 7th, flatted ninth, sharpened 11th, and 13th):
In relation to the root of C, the C♯ (enharmonic with D♭) functions as a flattened ninth, the F-sharp functions as a sharpened eleventh, and the A functions as the thirteenth.
Application
Determining which upper structure(s) can be juxtaposed on top of a chord is achieved by considering the relationship between the a particular chord and scale it implies. An example follows:
The chord C13♭9♯11 contains the following notes, from the root upwards: C, E, G, B♭, D♭, F♯, A
The following octatonic scale contains all of these pitches, and fits or matches up with the C13♭9♯11 chord: C, D♭, E♭, E, F♯, G, A, B♭
Choosing from the available pitches given by this octatonic scale, we can construct a number of major and minor triads: C major [CEG], C minor [CE♭G], Eb major [E♭GB♭], E♭ minor [E♭F♯(G♭)B♭], G♭ major [G♭(F♯)B♭D♭], F♯ minor [F♯AD♭(C♯)], A major [AD♭(C♯)E], and A minor [ACE].
Juxtaposing any of these triads over the original C13♭9♯11 chord will provide a potential upper structure that agrees with this chord type and the related scale.
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 [3]. For instance, in example one above (C7♯9) the triad of E-flat 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 US♭III for short.
Example two (C13♭9♯11) is called upper structure sharp minor four, and can be written shorthand as US♯iv.
Other possible upper structures are:
USII - e.g. D major over C7, resulting in C13♯11
USVI - e.g. A major over C7, resulting in C13♭9
US♭VI - e.g. A♭ major over C7, resulting in C7♯5♯9
US♭iii - e.g. E♭ minor over C7, resulting in C7♯9♯11
Recordings
A quintessential example of a pianist using upper structures is Bill Evans's playing on 'Blue in Green', from Miles Davis's Kind of Blue.
Sources
See also
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